Bigger venue for El Salvador pavilion this year

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/08/2019 (2440 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The El Salvador pavilion has a new home.

At this year’s Folklorama, the pavilion will be held at Southdale Community Centre, which is located at 254 Lakewood Blvd.

Sofia Soriano, the president of the pavilion’s sponsor — the Canadian-Salvadorians of Winnipeg — said the pavilion returned to the Folklorama lineup last year after a decade’s absence. It was held at Bronx Park Community Centre last year.

“We had a really good turnout last year,” said Soriano, who lives in Elmwood, noting there is “a good concentration of Salvadorians in areas such as East Kildonan and Transcona.

“Bronx Park was great for us, and because of our popularity we didn’t want to leave anybody out, so we decided we needed a bigger space.”

Soriano said one of the offshoots of bringing the pavilion back last year after a decade away was that it brought a renewed interest from the younger generations.

“It’s fantastic to have the younger perspective, and have so many different people involved. As well, the younger generation is also so tech savvy and brings a bigger social media presence, so this is also good,” she said.

“I think having a pavilion again has helped bring the Salvadorian community together, as it not only helps keep our values and traditions alive, it also shows how a community can help Salvadorians assimilate into a new culture when they come to live in Canada.”

“Of course, the pavilion is a lot of work for the volunteers and the organizations involved, as they are working all year round, but it’s worth it, as it’s so lovely to have such a festival in this city. When you have these kinds of cultural experiences that are so volunteer-based, it’s a really good example of what we can accomplish when we share the belief of a community,” she added.

Of course, food and music are at the heart of the pavilion, and visitors will be able to enjoy pupusas — a deliciously thick flatbread that can be filled with any number of ingredients — as well as a showcase of traditional Salvadorian music and dance.

The pavilion’s cultural display will also be bigger this year.

“We might be a small country In Central America, but we think of ourselves as a hidden gem,” Soriano said.

The El Salvador pavilion runs until Aug. 10. Go online at folklorama.ca for more information.