It was a night of music, food and fashion.
But not the typical Humboldt music, food and fashion.
Nov. 27 saw Mauritius and Ghana cultures on display at the Community Gathering Place’s first ever Ethnic Dinner.
Marie-Louise Ternier-Gommers with the Community Gathering Place says she hopes this is something the Gathering Place becomes known for.
“I think we started something that we can build on.”
Sega Band, delicious food, and a demonstration of the Ghanian kente cloth, a piece of woven fabric that wraps around the body in a very specific way highlighted the night and gave new Humboldt residence a way of sharing their culture.
“It gets them involved in something beyond their own little worries,” says Ternier-Gommers. “They pull together to do it and we gave them the freedom to do it.”
Ternier-Gommers says this was one of the reason the dinner was successful.
There was a real joy in sharing their culture in a way that had integrity, says Ternier-Gommers.
With so much distrust in the world, having this opportunity was wonderful, she says.
“To breakdown those barriers through fun, music and food, it’s just really wonderful.”
Araba Quaye was the Master of Ceremonies for the event and accidentally volunteered herself. While planning for the event, she casually asked Ternier-Gommers if they had an MC lined up.
She suddenly became it, she laughs.
Being from Ghana, Quaye asked a friend to model the kente and provide a demonstration.
“It gave a good idea of what fashion wear is popular there. It put Ghana on the map.”
The latest influx of immigrants has seen a significant change to the area, says Quaye.
She was first introduced to Humboldt 10 years ago when her parents made it their home. Her family was one of the few immigrant families at that time.
“Now it’s just amazing how so many other countries have flocked into Humboldt.”
An ethnic dinner is a good way to introduce people to all these different cultures, says Quaye. It is one thing to see newcomers on the streets but there is more interaction when you get to speak with them, try their food and listen to their music, says Quaye.
Janine Hart of the Humboldt and District Newcomer Centre was a quest speaker at the dinner and some of the people involved have been in Canada longer than she has, she laughs.
Along with discussing the importance of the Newcomer Centre, Hart discussed how community is a very fluid thing.
“It may be a sense of community was developed by homesteaders with a particular commonality of origin. Throughout time, that community becomes blended.”
Change is very visible right now in Humboldt, with people from many different cultures coming into Humboldt and making it their home.
From this we’re seeing more blending, says Hart.
The Community Gathering Place is playing a role in this blending since they are going through their own changes.
“I think it’s great that it’s been used for so many different things that people who access it will access it more and more now.” Says Hart.
Discussing the future of the Community Gathering Place was a big part of the evening.
To get in line for dinner, tables had to brainstorm what they wanted to see from the Community Gathering Place in future.
Future successes, new and exciting programs and getting young people more involved with the place were just some of the ideas the audience came up with.
None of this change is going to come without hardwork and new ideas, says Hart.
“It was great that there was a different client group there offering something slightly different.”
