Folklorama major fundraiser for local cultural organizations
On top of getting a chance to highlight their culture, Folklorama is also proving to be an important source of funding for local cultural groups.
The festival features cultures from around the world -- showing their food, dance and history.
For the organizations that run the pavilions, it's much more important than just a fun time.
Returning after a pandemic break, organizers at the Africa pavilion weren't sure how busy it would be.
"Coming in this year, we're not so sure how things would turn out because of COVID, so we limited the number of the performances we would have," said Frank Indome, media coordinator for the pavilion.
With the final night of Folklorma now here, Indome is calling it a big success.
"We've had three shows throughout the week; 6:45, 815 and 9:45," said Indome, "The first two shows are usually sold out and today, being the last day, we're expecting a very large crowd to come."
While the African Communities of Manitoba Inc. (ACOMI), the organization that runs the pavilion, says sharing their cultures has been nice, the funds raised from the pavilion are very important.
"So we put on our pavilion as a fundraiser. The African communities have been looking forward to having a centre of its own, and yeah, we've been fundraising for some time now," said Indome.
Indome said ACOMI already has a plan in place for the centre.
"So the structure that we have there will be a hall similar to this for entertainment, also for youth to play basketball, some indoor as sports and activities," explained Indome.
Indome said the centre also plans on having a daycare.
On top of the centre, the plan is to have apartments for families and seniors who recently immigrated or need housing.
With funding still needed and many more people willing to learn about African culture, ACOMI said it's already looking forward to next year's Folklorama.
"Yeah, in fact, we've been having the Africa pavilion for the past 20 years, and we've not missed a year, so long as Folklorama has the festival, we're definitely going to participate," Indome said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Louis Gossett Jr., 1st Black man to win supporting actor Oscar, dies at 87
Louis Gossett Jr., the first Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar and an Emmy winner for his role in the seminal TV miniseries 'Roots,' has died. He was 87.
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
Why Kim Kardashian is being sued for 'knockoff' furniture
The estate of minimalist contemporary artist Donald Judd filed a lawsuit against Kardashian this week, claiming the fashion and beauty mogul promoted 'cheap knockoffs' of his furniture designs.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Ontario homeowner on the hook for $27,000 when contractor severed power line
An Ontario man who built a garage on his property has been locked in a battle with his electricity provider for a year and half over a severed power line.
King Charles will attend Easter Sunday service at Windsor
Buckingham Palace officials say King Charles III and Queen Camilla will attend an Easter service at the chapel at Windsor Castle on Sunday.