Cultural crossover

Members of the Thunder Bay Multicultural Association say they wanted to join in the United Nations celebration of the youth so they decided to hold a concert made up of local talent.

The Multicultural Association hosted a quick demonstration at Intercity Shopping Centre on Saturday. The two-day event held on April 30 and May 1 at the Fort William Gardens, celebrates the city's culture and diversity, featuring food, entertainment and shopping from around the world.

Jeanetty Jumah, chair of sponsorship and promotion for the Folklore Festival, said this year they will feature a concert performance with local bands, Disc Jockeys and beat boxers on the Saturday.

"This year is the international year of the youth celebrated by the United Nations," Jumah said. "We thought, why celebrate youth fest and pay tribute to our remarkable young people that we have in Thunder Bay. The stage will be aglow with the most talented."

Jumah said despite all the different countries and culture the Canadian pride would still be felt. She said Canada leads the way during a flag parade.

"We’re very proud to be Canadian but we never turn our backs on our cultures," she said.

The festival started in 1973 as a small event and since then the number of people attending has grown. Jumah said they typically have 13,000 people attend the event.

Nancy Keshk was one of the three to perform on Saturday. The four-year veteran belly dancer said she wasn’t nervous when she went in front of the more than 100 mall spectators.

She said she always wanted to do belly dancing and was hooked from the first time she went.

"I loved belly dancing the first time I went," Keshk said. "It’s women having fun together. Give it a try and you will fall in love with it. It is a lot of fun and its women getting together to have some fun and you`ll just love it. Sometimes (belly dancing) gets a bad reputation on what it is all about. It’s really just fun."

Tickets cost $5 for adults, $3 for students and seniors, $1 for children four to 12 and children four and under are free. Tickets are available the Intercity Shopping Centre and advance tickets can be purchased at the Fort William Gardens.