January
13,
2006
MULTICULTURAL
EVENINGS BRING THE WORLD TO KANATA RESIDENTS
by Nathalie Thirlwall
Violet and Abbas Hashemi at a
formal community event.
"The earth is but one country
and mankind its citizens" is a quote from Baha'u'llah, prophet founder
of the Baha'i Faith.
Violet and Abbas Hashemi take this proverb to heart and try to apply in
Kanata.
Once a month for some four years, minus a one year sabbatical, the
Hashemi family has hosted multicultural evenings in their home.
As in many community events, food is highlighted with a pot-luck meal.
People often bringing food from their traditional background or other
far away places. The format of the evening is dinner, amidst a lot of
chatter and mingling of guests. There are words of welcome from the
hosts, then a talk on a particular country, culminating in more
mingling amongst people. The speakers who give the speeches on their
countries of origin do not have to have any academic credentials or
presentation skills, rather just love of their land of birth and a
desire to share knowledge of their country. The result has been
extremely interesting with a wide range of styles of
presentation, often mixed with examples of music indicative of their
country.
Talks include some history, geography, description of the people, and
sometimes photos. They may also address typical hardships and the mean
of overcoming them, as well as qualities that appear in that culture.
People in attendance are mesmerized by traveling to new places and
getting to know the countries intimately, as told by natives of that
country who are not motivated by monetary gain, but have the sole
desire to share and foster an appreciation of their homeland. What are
some of the countries that might have been "visited" one might ask? The
list is rather long and circles the globe, to name a few China, Rwanda,
Poland, Spain, Jamaica, South Africa, Iraq, Zambia and Croatia.
During a meeting, the house is filled with people, ranging from 35 to
55.
Similar to Canada, with its multicultural makeup, their guests often
reflect different cultural, religious and professional backgrounds. The
guests come in all sizes, ages and colours. They are invited in
numerous ways, sometimes directly by the Hashemis, neighbours,
colleagues from work, sometimes friends of friends.
People who have come before often bring guests. The gatherings become
addictive and once having gone, it is difficult not to want
to return. Yet there are always new people who come. One has
the opportunity to meet and get to know interesting and diverse people
amidst a hospitable and joyful atmosphere. The food is delicious often
new to the palate. The talks are both informative and extremely
fascinating. One learns about people of foreign lands. In
some ways, they are not that different from us. Yet the people and
countries are exotic and are brought to life by people who know them
and tell their stories well.
The idea and initiative sprung from Violet, a gracious, gentle, and
humble woman, who was inspired by her religion, the Baha'i Faith. The
Baha'i teachings state that peace is not just possible but inevitable.
Violet wanted to bring the community together, firmly convinced that
people can get along no matter where they come from and what they
believe. She wanted to incorporate the principle of "unity in
diversity", the over-arching principle of the Baha'i Faith, into her
life in a real and joyous manner. And she wanted to bring the love of
people into her home. Supported by her enthusiastic and gregarious
husband, they have now hosted many multicultural evenings. Gatherings
occur once a month, except for the summer breaks.
There is no charge for attending other than bringing a dish of food to
share. The program starts at 6:30p.m. and goes on all evening. The
warmth and joy that fills their house is reflective of the Hashemis and
the many people who attend.
The next multicultural evening will be held on Jan. 28 and will focus
on Haiti. If you would like to experience one of these fun
and educative evenings, call the Hashemis at 591-3987.
Printed
in Kanata Kourier-Standard January 13,
2006
|
