Recently, I attended Winnipeg’s Folkorama and was able to take in about six or seven countries of the nearly 45 countries they show off in various pavilions around the city over a two week period. One of the pavilions that was the buzz of the younger cross was the Caribbean since they tout late nights, dancing and partying after hours long after the official performance has ended. I went to the last performance of the evening on the last day and the place was packed.
They also managed to get a few audience members up on stage to do nothing less than shake, rattle and roll in front of a few hundred of their closest friends. While the dancing and music was colorful and fun, what was most memorable for me was the people I talked to in the main hall.
They had a room set up where various countries were represented and on each table, they had everything from food and plants to drawings, art, needlework, woodwork and more.
Barbados had a heavy representation when I was there and I seemed to run into more people from Barbados (also Trinidad-and-Tobago) than other countries in the region.
People on and off stage grooved to the music of their steel pan orchestra and their limbo and carnival dancers.
They served wacky Caribbean drinks such as Chubby Pop, Ginger Beer, Rum Punch, and Pina Colada. On the food menu, they had calypso rice, chicken on a bun with salad, fish cakes, jerk BBQ wings, beef, chicken and veggie patties, roti, curried beef with rice, curried chicken with salad and combo plates. Their desserts were equally interesting and included sweet bread, coconut sugar cake, peanut sugar cake, currant rolls, coconut drops, pineapple tart, coconut, mango and rum and raisin ice cream. You could also just order a plate of plantain chips.
The other pavilion that had a lot of vibrant energy was AFRICA, which is a hard continent to pull off, since the cultural differences between West Africa, East Africa, North Africa and Southern Africa is so vastly different.
Because I’m also a dancer, it was the drum energy and the dancing that really came alive for me during the Africa performance, which was set up in a high school with an elevated stage. They served cooked plantains and rice which is common across the continent regardless of what country you’re traveling to. Additionally, they had jollof rice with spiced shish kebobs, safari style samosas, curry chicken, Tusker beer from Kenya and African punch.
From African drumming and to Dominica Bele dancing, some of the shots I took during the Africa show are shown below:
A meat samosa they served at the event:
Below are some videos I shot at the event.
Disclosure: Tourism Winnipeg hosted my visit to Folkorama but all opinions expressed are my own.
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
