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| Written by Daisydee Bautista | |||||
| Saturday, 16 January 2010 00:25 | |||||
You’ve probably seen the ads by now. The numerous commercials on TV, and even the billboards… but what is Manitoba Homecoming exactly? The official website reads, “Manitoba Homecoming is going to be a year long experience in 2010 bringing former and current Manitobans, visitors, friends and families together for events, festivals and an all around great celebration!” But the Manitoba scene has always been full of events and festivals, why call it a “homecoming”? Is it a comment to the number of Manitobans that continue to leave this province? According to the Manitoba Bureau of Statistics, Manitoba has seen a continuous net loss of population due to inter-provincial migration for over twenty-five years. Yet Manitoba’s population as a whole continues to grow. Aside from natural increase (the birthrate being greater than the death rate), the largest contributing factor to Manitoba’s population growth is international immigration. No surprise to you I’m sure, but this begged me to wonder what homecoming means to our community. The fact is that the depletion of people from this province is very much linked to the growth of our community. From the Provincial Nominee Program, the recruitment of Philippine workers - nurses, garment workers, professionals, general labourers, and the chain migration of families under the Federal Family Reunification stream, each story is relevant to Manitoba’s own “homecoming.” The history of the Philippine community in Manitoba is now fifty years deep and it’s time that our rich history be recognized and shared. We occasional balikbayan should take a moment to “Balik sa Manitoba” this special year. Let ANAK give you a reason to share in the province-wide celebrations! ANAK has always advocated for the preservation and promotion of Philippine culture and heritage through education, and this year will prove to be no different. I’m proud to announce that in June of 2010, ANAK will be unveiling a monumental initiative to advance Filipino-Canadian heritage and culture in Manitoba. In partnership with the Manitoba Museum, the From Manila to Manitoba Exhibit will celebrate 50 years with the Filipino-Canadian community in Winnipeg. The exhibit will feature research being collected through the ANAK Oral History Project done in cooperation with the Oral History Centre at the University of Winnipeg. In addition, ANAK will be hosting a second Philippine Studies Summer Institute sponsored by the University of Winnipeg Global College with guest lecturer Antonio Tujan, Jr. of the IBON Research Foundation in Manila, Philippines. The course will focus on 1960-2010 Migration and Development in the Philippines, and will run from August 3rd to 13th. For fifty years our community has called Manitoba home and during this Manitoba Homecoming year, I invite you to learn and share our story as to why we’ve come to call Manitoba home. What’s your story? Sources: Daisydee Bautista is the current Director of ANAK. If you would like to learn more about ANAK programming and how you can support, visit www.anak.ca Have a comment on this article? Send us your feedback
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