Celebrating our cultural diversity

Whyte Ridge

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2023 (950 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Whyte Ridge’s Celebration of Cultural Diversity on April 30 was arguably one of the largest community events of the past 20 years.

The Whyte Ridge Community Centre, Henry G. Izatt Middle School and its parents’ council, and Pembina Active Living 55-plus jointly planned the celebration over the past six months. It evolved from previous successful events organized by the WRCC and PAL 55-plus at the community centre but, given space constraints, the decision was made to host it at the middle school this year, thus including another pillar of the community.

Rather than filling the community centre with 50 people for two hours, the H.G. Izatt gymnasium and adjacent classrooms were filled with more than 800 people over a four-hour period — people of all ages, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, sharing food, entertainment, conversation, and lots of smiles.

Tyler Mags from Virgin Radio was the Master of Ceremonies. Opening remarks from key organizers Shahin Shooshtari (WRCC Diversity Director), and Sandra Sukhan (Past President PAL 55+) were followed by a Message of Gratitude and welcome to Treaty 1 from Ms. Marlene Carriere, an Elder from Opaskwayak Cree Nation. Welcomes were also provided by local federal MP, Terry Duguid, provincial MLA Obby Kahn, and City Councillor Janice Lukes.

Shahin Shooshtari, diversity director for Whyte Ridge C.C., said that the event is reflective of our growing and evolving community, and provides an opportunity for residents to share the richness of various cultures and ethnicities in our area. She noted that it was jointly funded by a grant from the Manitoba Arts, Culture, and Sport in Community Fund 2022, as contributions from Izatt Middle school, PAL 55-plus, Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid, Waverley West city councillor Janice Lukes, Fort Whyte MLA Obby Khan, and several local businesses and volunteers.

Duguid noted that the changes in community demographics over the past 15 years and estimated that more than 80 countries are represented in the area. Both he and Janice Lukes remarked that they had recently attended New Year’s celebrations with people from for several southeast Asian and Middle Eastern countries.

Entertainment at the event included performances by the HGI choir, Scottish bagpipes, Persian dancers, a Chinese fashion show, Irish dancers, an Indigenous dancer, African drumming and dancing, French-Canadian folk dancing, Japanese taiko drumming, Iranian traditional music, Korean fan dancing, Russian/Ukrainian music, African American bebop jazz, Indian music, steel pan music from Trinidad and Tobago, as well as entertainers from Brazil and West Africa.

Booths were set up around the outside of the gymnasium with food and cultural items from India (samosa), Indigenous groups (bannock), Italian (focaccia), Pakistan (falafel balls), Philippines (pancit), Poland (pierogi), and Thailand (soup), with desserts and treats from Argentina, China, Ukraine/Poland, India, Iran, France, Mexico, Nigeria, Costa Rica, Japan, and the Philippines. Cultural items were also shared from Democratic Republic of Congo, Malaysia, El Salvador, and Sri Lanka. Classrooms were set up for various cultural activities from India (henna), Japan (crafts), Brazil (music), West Africa (music), Latin America (dance), as well as Argentina, China, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

HGI principal Kathy Bru noted that cultural diversity is a big part of school life. She said the student population includes representation from 48 countries, and efforts are made to make newcomers welcome and for students to celebrate cultural diversity. Examples included the Grade 7 social studies class organizing potluck meals where students share ethnic food, and teaching sports and games from around the world. HGI had a Celebration of Cultural Diversity week leading up to the community event, which involved many learning opportunities and a school-wide assembly.

A booth at the event provided an opportunity for families new to the community to register, with a welcome basket, to help them settle into the community.

With all the negativity in social media these days, it was heartwarming to see the efforts to bring our community together to enjoy such a positive experience. Bravo to the organizing committee from the WRCC (Shahin Shooshtari and Nupur Kumari), PAL 55-plus (Sandra Sukhan), and HGI (Kathy Bru, Deanna Zaharia, Margo Beatty and Melissa Klimack, and parents Ted Meira and Chozanne Gryte), as well as all the entertainers and many, many volunteers who provided or donated the food and organized the venue.