Vibrant colours, rich flavours, and the sounds of celebration filled Prairie Fusion Arts and Entertainment this past Saturday, June 14th, as the local community gathered for Nigerian Cultural Day.
Hosted by the Association of Nigerians in Portage la Prairie, the afternoon event showcased Nigeria's diverse heritage through presentations, traditional attire, and a feast of cultural foods, highlighting surprising overlaps with Indigenous traditions.
Community leaders show their support
The event featured multiple guest speakers, including members of the Nigerian Association, who explored cultural connections, particularly noting similarities between Nigerian and Indigenous Canadian practices in storytelling, community values, and artistic expression. To top it all off, cultural dances of the Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba people were performed and showcased to attendees.
Community leaders showed strong support, with City Councillors Terrie Porter, Joe Masi, and Faron Nicholls along with Portage la Prairie MLA Jeff Bereza, attending the festivities. Mayor Sharilyn Knox sent warm regards, expressing regret she couldn't attend due to prior commitments but extending her best wishes for the successful event.
City Councillor and Finance Chair Joe Masi emphasized the importance of such events for fostering belonging in Portage's diverse community.
"This is just an amazing day to have this event here with the Nigerian community," says Masi, "It’s so vibrant and colourful, and they’re so welcoming as people. I think it’s really important to demonstrate that Portage la Prairie has a lot of diversity and a lot of different groups here now, and we want them to feel at home. It’s very important that they feel at home here in Portage la Prairie. So as a Council, we want to get out and show our support for them and their activities, what they’re doing and what they bring to our city."
He also shares what he learned: "I learned some things about their storytelling, the history of their dances and what it means, their dress and the way they dress, their beautiful clothes, and everything seems to have a meaning and a history to it. It was very interesting to hear their stories about Nigeria and the culture."
Sharing culture in their new home
Kennedy Appah, President of the Association of Nigerians in Portage la Prairie, underscored the day's significance for local Nigerians and the wider community.
"It's a big day for us, for me and the association. This is the day we celebrate our culture. We are presently citizens of Portage la Prairie, meaning this is our home. But it’s our home away from home. Our first home is way back in Nigeria," he notes, "Remembering and celebrating our culture here in our second home means a lot to us. It gives our children an opportunity to know what their parents knew, what their parents had and started with," Appah explains.
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He highlighted the mutual benefits of cultural sharing, sharing, "The more we know, the more we keep what we’re used to in the past, the more we can bring to this society, our new society. Likewise, as we appreciate what is new to us, it would not hurt, but benefit us to share what we had in the place we are coming from, with as many people as we find here."
Feast, fashion, and "Kosi wahala"
Throughout the event, snacks were maid available to guests such as traditional puff puff (a deep-fried dough), chin chin, (small, cookie-like bites of dough), and meat pie (similar to homemade, healthier pizza pops).
Following the presentations, attendees enjoyed a free supper featuring authentic Nigerian cuisine. The feast included flavorful dishes such as Nigerian-style chicken, joloff rice, fried rice, fried plantain, egusi soup, and Zobo, a refreshing hibiscus tea served cold.
For less adventurous palates, plain chicken and pizza were also available.
Adding to the cultural immersion, traditional Nigerian attire and accessories were available for attendees to purchase and take home a piece of the celebration.
The phrase "Kosi wahala" is a phrase from the Yoruba language, one of the primary languages spoken in Nigeria, and carries a similar meaning to the often quoted Swahili phrase, "Hakuna Mattata" made popular by Disney's The Lion King, meaning "no worries," or "no problems". In Hausa, the phrase can be said as "Babu damuwa" or "Babu matsala", and in Igbo, the phrase is "Nsogbu adịghị" (pronounced n-so-boo ah-dey-gee) is used.
Appah says that problem-free philosophy embodies Portage's welcoming of the Nigerian community, and stresses their gratitude, saying, "I just want to be grateful and want to thank each and every one who has been helpful to us, helping our integration to be smooth, stress-free, and problem-free. The sponsors, we remain grateful to them for all the help, all the support, and all the encouragement they have given us. We can’t thank them enough because they have welcomed us. We are equally happy that we can call [Portage] home."
Nigerian Cultural Day serves as a lively bridge between cultures, celebrating Nigeria's rich heritage while strengthening its place within the fabric of Portage la Prairie.
