By Gord Goble, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
On the surface, it’s a party. A winter-is-fading, spring-is-nigh international bash where food and stories and performances from across the globe merge into one big harmonious ball of joy.
And so it was once again on Feb. 21 at the Lakeside Resort’s spacious East Ballroom during the 13th annual iteration of Penticton’s OneWorld Multicultural Festival, an event formulated and managed by regionally-headquartered immigrant support group South Okanagan Immigrant and Community Services (SOICS).
Along the north and east perimeters of the massive room, guests sampled culinary delights from as far away as Africa. In the centre, they gathered to learn about countries and ethnicities and ways of life that may have been fully unknown to them beforehand.
But the big draw, as usual, was the action at the performance stage. Here, a crowd of hundreds watched and listened and cheered as an impressive roster of dancers, musicians and artists entertained from start to finish — nearly four straight hours in total.
Returning acts like Vernon’s crazily athletic Sadok Ukrainian Dance Ensemble and Kelowna-based Yamabiko Taiko Japanese drum group brought the house down.
So yes, it was a party. But to SOICS executive director and OneWorld guiding light Cherry Fernandez, it was much more.
“It’s really about connections,” she said Saturday as the music played. “It’s about belonging. And that’s something we can only do together. It has to be intentional.
“And the OneWorld Festival really brings that to life.”
Fernandez believes inclusive “community” events like OneWorld are more necessary today than ever.
“Today, our world is divided,” she explained. “And as it divides, it becomes more important that we are here together, sharing our stories and our cultures and learning from each other.
“In doing that, we can remove misinformation. That’s how we build trust and build relationships and community. That’s how we become stronger.”
One of Saturday’s spotlight faces was that of Peachland’s Mario Morales. The one-time resident of Chiapas, Mexico immigrated to Canada from his home country in 2017. Saturday he was one of the event’s three Masters of Ceremony.
Morales was seemingly destined to be a Canuck. He met his future wife – a Canadian — in Mexico nearly three decades ago. In 2002 the two married, and then 15 years later, with their three children in tow, they made the move north.
“The situation in Mexico was getting difficult with the crime and the cartel,” he said, mere hours before news of the latest rounds of Mexican violence had made global headlines.
“And even though it was safer in the south, we had kids who were 13 and 11 and four, and we decided since we were also Canadian citizens, we’d like to try a year here.
“Now it’s been almost nine.”
Morales is unabashedly infatuated with his new country.
“I’m so happy to be here,” he said. “I love everything from our community in the Okanagan to the whole country. I love how the new prime minister is leading the country, and we feel like we have a partner as a country in Mexico as well.
“But the biggest difference in everyday life is that I can let my kids go out to the mall or take public transit and not worry about it. In my hometown, I wouldn’t do that. You’d always have that fear.”
Currently, Morales’ wife is the manager of a Peachland medical clinic. Morales, who ran a business in Mexico among other achievements, is now a settlement worker with SOICS.
“I first learned about SOICS through the internet,” he said. “And I just couldn’t believe they had all these services and that they were free.
“Through SOICS I learned Business English that would help me in my professional career. And I took advantage of other services they offered, like Foodsafe training. And they helped me with my citizen paperwork as well.
“It’s been amazing.”
This article first appeared in the Penticton Herald
