by Olivia Barrett, Editorial Associate
Saturday 25 November 2023
Fifth Annual World Multicultural Festival
At the fifth annual World Multicultural Festival on November 25, 2023, a growing audience at the Carleton Dominion Chalmers Centre was treated to hours of cultural performances. From folklore dances to vocal and instrumental performances, the audience traveled around the world in one afternoon.
As a tribute and acknowledgment of the traditional unceded, unsurrendered territory of the Anishinaabe Algonquin People, the festival opened with performances by members of the Kitigan Zibi nation. Doreen Stevens sang a song honouring the land and, after the song, her daughter, Aki Stevens performed a hoop dance.
Following these performances, Ottawa’s mayor Mark Sutcliffe gave a short speech about how this festival showcases Ottawa’s multiculturalism. “Our differences are our strengths,” Sutcliffe said, acknowledging that Ottawa is home to over 200,000 immigrants.
Joel Harden, member of provincial parliament for Ottawa Centre, also gave a speech praising the volunteers and organizers of the festival. Harden said the festival “[is] about building peace and understanding and tolerance and knowledge of each other.”
This sentiment was clear throughout the festival as applause roared throughout the auditorium to both welcome performers onto the stage and cheer them on as they left it.
Packed with countless performances, the audience’s first stop on their world tour was in China with the Mulan Dance Studio with a young student of the studio performing a Chinese dance. Next, they travelled to Italy with the Fonte d’Amore Italian Tarantella Group’s kids’ performance. The group performed three dances with each blending the age groups within the studio.
Along with these performances, attendees were treated to folklore dances from an array of cultures. These included dances from the afro-Colombian communities by the Fusion Folklorica Emeraldes de Colombia, Croatian folklore, a Chinese dance from the iDance groupe, the Kochi Yosakoi Ambassador KIZUNA International team of Japan and Peru Danza among many others.
In addition to these dances, there were several vocal and musical performances. Tanya Navolska sang and played the bandura, a Ukraine folklore instrument. King Scorpion, an artist from the Dominican Republic, sang two songs for the audience. The Indonesian Canadian Congress played bamboo musical instruments and performed a traditional dance of the Sundanese people, Jaipog.
Not all of the performances were artistic. The Kochi Yosakoi Ambassador KIZUNA International team did a short workshop on how to wear traditional Japanese clothing: a yukata and kimono.
Attendees at the festival were also treated to various cultural foods and vendors in between performances. Like the performances, the foods available spanned continents, countries and cultures, giving attendees a wide range for foods to choose from.
Through the performances and vendors at the festival, multiculturalism was celebrated in many ways and across countless cultures, highlighting Ottawa’s cultural diversity.