Regina is proud of its multicultural mosaic of people. An event in Regina featured buskers from all walks of life on Saturday at the Southland Mall.
Salsa dancing, folk music, Métis art, magic and more showcased the many cultures the Queen City has to offer.
“We have a great community,” said salsa dancer Jiliany Qureshi. “We are very proud of who we are and where we come from. Our music and our dance are an integral part of our culture.
Qureshi moved to Canada from El Salvador in 1991. She said the people of Regina made her feel very welcome.
“All I felt was the welcoming warmth and curiosity of the people of Regina,” she said.
“I am very grateful to them.”
Phyllis Poitres-Jarret is an artist specializing in Métis beadwork. She taught a class that introduced native-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 the different nationalities and cultures and the different techniques that 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 part of a diverse community makes it easier to appreciate everyone’s differences.
“It feels good to be part 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 that you’re still apart of, or if your kids are involved in the same activities, you don’t really see the true diversity beneath our city’s roots,” organizer Adam Hicks said.
“We can’t tell their stories better than they can.”
One visual Hicks used to show Regina’s unique makeup is a map, which anyone could contribute to by pinning what city, state or country they’re from.
“Last year, this thing was packed,” he said. “It’s a cool way to see that we come from all over.”
Hicks encouraged more Queen City residents to come to the event and show their roots by pinning the map.
Buskers will return to the Southland Mall on October 29 and 30.
