‘Together again’: festival’s revival emotional for pavilion organizers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 12/02/2024 (783 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After three years without the Westman Multicultural Festival, Brandon crowds made sure organizers knew they were happy it was back, says one of the event’s executive members, Gautam Srivastava.

Six countries hosted hundreds of people Thursday, Friday and Saturday at venues around the Wheat City: El Salvador, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Philippines, and Ukraine.

In each pavilion was authentic food, music, dance and even souvenirs, offering people a taste of international culture and heritage.

“After the hiatus because of the pandemic, you never know what to expect but it was great because the community has come back. They remembered the festival and they were back in full force,” said Srivastava, who was also the general manager of India’s pavilion.

Westman’s Linda Hayes and Frank van den Hoek spent about an hour on Saturday “in the Philippines” at Knox United Church, grabbing a bite to eat and taking in the entertainment.

“Friday night we went to the Indian, El Salvidor and Mexico pavilions. We just love the entertainment, and we’re here to try the different cultures’ foods,” Hayes said.

Nodding in agreement, van den Hoek added: “It’s good to broaden our horizons a little bit with the different cultures and their entertainment. And the little ones, the four and five year olds as they dance, they are so cute.”

The Filipino dance troupe of 19 members, from five to 17 years old, performed a mix of 13 different dances every hour over the two-and-a-half days. In each show, there were hip hop routines, a bamboo dance, which involves two people stepping over and in between poles that move up and down, and a popular folk dance with young ladies balancing lit candles on their heads.

As Elisa Sapitula, president of the Westman Filipino community stood by the stage and watched, she said she couldn’t help but feel sentimental.

“We have been looking forward to this with anticipation, and we’re full, full, full. I was emotional and tearing up on Friday,” Sapitula said.

“I just think you can feel that people in Brandon and Westman area are still clamouring for this kind of event. Next year, we will need a bigger venue,” Sapitula said as she looked around the room and laughed.

The venue for Mauritius, which is an African island country, was perfect for what they needed in a kitchen, said Kerselin Fumier, vice-chair of the festival. Fumier was the organizer for the pavilion, which was located at the new Westman Immigrant Services Cultural Centre on 13th Street.

More than a dozen volunteers helped prepare and serve food, including faratha — which is a flatbread served with potato or tomato curry, a side of pickled mixed vegetables, fried noodles with chicken and coconut flan.

“We are happy to be back,” Fumier said. “Just like the logo of the festival says, all together again. What we found when people came to Mauritius, they just let the vibe take over. And for our entertainers, they got the island vibe back again too, reunited just for this festival.”

This was the 18th Westman Multicultural Festival, but the first since 2020. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, followed by health restrictions regarding public gatherings, the entire event went dark for three years.

Jeff Fawcett, Brandon’s mayor, who visited all six countries and attended Thursday’s opening ceremonies, said he appreciated the “volunteerism, and the massive amount of work it takes for these groups to put on the pavilions.”

“It’s those people that build community, so, it’s really, really appreciated and I couldn’t help but think that every time I went to a pavilion. I just thought, my goodness, the effort that goes into this, I can’t express my appreciation enough.

“Because it’s being done to share their area and culture for the benefit of the whole community.

“There’s no gain out of it other than just community building. I loved it. I loved it,” Fawcett said.

There were “growing pains” in the early stages of the planning process for this year, said the festival’s Srivastava. But the feedback he’s been getting from the pavilions has been “all positive”.

“And you know what, the festival always makes me a little bit emotional too, because you put so much work into it, six months of prep. And you have these two, three days of actual activities. And when you see it all come together, it actually is an emotional moment,” Srivastava said.

Srivastava said there will be more pavilions in February 2025, because they now have the advantage of booking in advance.

There will also be multicultural performances on Canada Day, on the Brandon Fusion Credit Union outdoor stage at the Riverbank Discovery Centre.

And the same location has been booked for the Summer Multicultural Celebration on July 27, 2025.

» mmcdougall@brandonsun.com

» X: @enviromichele