allAfrica.com: Uganda: Afrofest Recognises No Skin Colour in Canada (Page 1 of 1)

PERSPECTIVE OF A UGANDAN IN CANADA

The Canadian promise of a multicultural society whereby each successive group of immigrants is allowed to retain its unique cultural identity toward a larger cultural mosaic might just work.

Rather than force new Canadians to blend into a melting pot as happens in the United States and many European countries, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act enacted in 1985 boldly declares that "multiculturalism reflects the cultural and racial diversity of Canadian society and acknowledges the freedom of all members of Canadian society to preserve, enhance and share their cultural heritage".

The twentieth annual open-air celebration of African music and dance in Toronto known as Afrofest is evidence of the success of the multiculturalism policy.

Over two days this past weekend, under brilliant summer sun without a cloud in the blue sky, performing artistes from different cultural groups from continental Africa wowed the over 50,000 capacity crowd with singing and dancing.

The line-up came from across Africa and the Diaspora-Cameroon, Somalia, Guinea, Mali, Ghana, Nigeria, Madagascar, Cape Verde, Senegal, Uganda, Sudan, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Burundi and Cuba. Indeed, one of the opening acts on Saturday was the Shangaza Performers, a group of second generation Uganda youth who have grown up as Canadians but have retained their cultural roots. With ankle bells, shakers and drums, the Shangaza performers, many of who are in colleges and universities and working toward careers in law, medicine, education, engineering and many others, brought the crowd to its feet with traditional Kiganda chants and singings while performing Amaggunju and Baakisiimba dance routines from Buganda. It did not matter that perhaps less than 100 in the crowd spoke Luganda, and that more than half of the huge audience was white, the Shangaza Performers nonetheless connected with everyone.

This was repeated over and over throughout the weekend as performers from different cultural heritages took to the stage to perform. Katenen Cheka Dioubate from Guinea, Njacko Mbacko from Cameroon, Konyokonyo Musica from Southern Sudan, Shego Band from Somalia, Femi Abosede and Cultural Force from Nigeria, Donne Roberts from Madagascar, Mayra Andrade from Cape Verde, and Fallou Dieng from Senegal.

And that was just the Saturday line-up alone. However, all these would be for nothing if the African performer was treated merely as a curiosity, an oddity, and a spectacle to be ogled and admired from a distance but kept away from mainstream Canadian life. That sure was the case at the turn of the 19th Century when African performers were regarded as the 'exotic others', brought from the depth of the 'Dark Continent' for the amusement of European upper class.

The story is well known of the sad treatment of the so-called 'Hottentot Venus', a Khosian woman taken to England in 1810 by an English doctor as a freak because of her pronounced buttocks and later sold to a French man for exhibition in Paris. Saarti Baartman, as the woman was later known, died within six years of apparent alcoholism, and her body was preserved as specimen for the viewing public, and was only returned to South Africa for a decent burial in April 2002.

In Canada, the notion of multiculturalism allows each culture room to become part of the quilted cultural patchwork that enhances rather than diminishes the contribution of different cultures. Granted, the policy was created to redress the historical emphases on the French and English cultures. As well, there still remains a tendency to downplay the huge contributions of Canadian aborigines. What is more, systemic racism remains endemic in the workplace and in schools.

That said, a cultural show like Afrofest is no longer considered other worldly but rather a reality of the Canadian identity. Non-African Canadians approach Afrofest, as they indeed approach other European cultural events such as the Italian Festival, Ukrainian Festival and so forth with both pride and humility. For many, Afrofest is not something out there to be seen from a safe distance, but rather it is an integral part of the Canadian fabric, and something to be proud of.

At the same time, there is enormous respect toward the performers bringing out the many traditions. Throughout the weekend, it was common to run across a white volunteer and a black one working together. Indeed, the board of directors is a mix of white and African Canadians, all focused on preserving as well as showcasing the unique talents from continental Africa such that when Senegalese performer Fallou Dieng whipped up the mbalax with the urgent call from the talking drums, everyone-white, blacks, Latino, Asians-jumped up to dance together as if moved by a giant invisible hand.

Suddenly skin colour is not an issue as is the language of the performers because everyone moves and sways in perfect harmony, one spirit. Of course, not everyone can dance the mbalax with the same burst of boneless energy as someone born in the Wolof culture, and not everyone can shake the hip in the traditional Kiganda fashion, but everyone worked a sweat trying.

And that alone is one reason to smile, knowing that as second generation Canadians grow from children into young adults, they will find an ever increasing room to dance as Africans in Canada.

Perhaps, more room than their fathers and mothers ever imagined as new immigrants in a cold and foreign land.

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