DESI DIARY
WHERE CULTURES COMINGLE
Punjabi poet Mehakpreet Kaur.
A young girl stood on a stage and thanked everyone for coming out for an event that provided a platform for immigrant and newcomer voices like hers.
“It’s such a joy and an honour to be here tonight,” said Mehakpreet Kaur, who was introduced by moderator Janis Luttrell from the Town of Newmarket as a poet who wrote in English, Hindi and Punjabi.
She presented three poems, Bees, Tears, and Ehsaas e Mohabbat in Punjabi.
Attendees at Wings of the Soul, Culture From the Family to the Wolrd, hosted as part of Culture Days in Newmarket, were greeted with tables set with coffee, Persian pastries, cookies, dates and grapes.
Participants included Canadian/Canada-based poets, novelists, painters, and musicians from Ukraine, Syria, Iran, Egypt, and India. Among them, Essam Khalifa from Egypt; Tala Motazedi and Sheena Shirani, Iran; Dilshan Anqele and Waeel Saad Aldin from Syria; Assine Chalhoub, Lebanon; and Mehakpreet Kaur, India.
Galyna Omelchenko Aghaie Koohi’s rendition of the Ukrainian national anthem and a Ukrainian lullaby brought the audience to tears. Her husband, Amin Aghaie Koohi, originally from Iran, presented a virtuoso violin recital, introduced by their young son Ilya.
Seagull Cultural Forum founder-director Abdulrahman Matar and Janis Luttrell from the Town of Newmarket.
The Syrian artist and filmmaker Mwafaq Katt exhibited his paintings, A Symphony of Flowers.
“Many of them have won awards in their home countries,” said Luttrell. “I welcome you with a gracious heart, please forgive me if I mispronounce your names.”
The multimedia presentation, featuring readings of creative literary texts, music, and an art exhibition was organized by the Seagull Cultural Forum.
Forum founder-director Abdulrahman Matar is himself a writer, journalist, poet and novelist from Syria. He was arrested five times and spent nearly 10 years in prison as a result of his writings and his positions on issues of freedom and human rights. “We aim to introduce the arts and culture from other countries to Canada, “ he said. “Their voices, stories, and cultures have become part of Canada’s uniquely diverse culture. Also to form a support for refugees, and enable them culturally to integrate into the new societies that receive them.”