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Regina prides itself on its multicultural mosaic of people. An event in Regina showcased buskers from all backgrounds Saturday at Southland Mall.
Salsa dancing, folk music, Metis art, magic and more showed off the many cultures the Queen City has to offer.
“We have a large community,” said salsa dancer Jiliany Qureshi. “We are very proud of who we are and where we come from. Our music and our dancing is a huge part of our culture.”
Qureshi moved to Canada from El Salvador in 1991. She said those in Regina have been very welcoming to her.
“All I have felt is a welcoming warmth and curiosity of Regina people,” she said.
“I’m very grateful for them.”
Phyllis Poitres-Jarret is an artist specializing in Metis beadwork art. She taught a class which showcased the Indigenous-style art to people of all ages.
Poitres-Jarret said showcasing all cultures is a way to better connect with people from different backgrounds.
“It’s important to showcase all different nationalities and cultures and the different techniques we use in our art,” she explained.
“We all have different ways of expressing ourselves within our cultures. My art is very different from South-Asian art.”
Singers filled the mall courts with all kinds of different music. From folk to country and everything in between.
Alex Flett is a one-man-band. He said being a part of a diverse community makes it easer to appreciate each people’s differences.
“It just feels good to be apart of a community where we embrace diversity,” he said. “It allows us to be in our own uniqueness.”
“If you go to the same clubs or sports you’re always apart of, or your kids are in the same activities, you don’t really get to see the real diversity under the roots of our city,” said organizer Adam Hicks.
“We can’t tell their stories better than they can themselves.”
One visual Hicks was using to show Regina’s unique make-up is a map, where all people could contribute to by pinning what city, state or country they are from.
“Last year, this thing was filled,” he said. “It’s a cool way to see that we are from all over the place.”
Hicks encouraged more residents of the Queen City to come to the event and showcase their roots by putting a pin on the map.
The buskers will be back at Southland Mall on Oct. 29th and 30th.
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