This Is Me and the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival

by Jon G. Malek

	Dr. Tricia Magsino Barnabé

The weekend of August 23, 2024, gave community members an opportunity for a night out to catch some entertainment before school and university classes start up once again. The first event was This Is Me, an interactive musical experience presented by Dr. Tricia Magsino Barnabé and Joanne Roberts at the Prairie Theatre Exchange. This performance was part of the Kultivation Festival (Aug. 19-25) and was in support of L’Arche Winnipeg, an organization that provides opportunities for those living with intellectual disabilities to live, work, and learn together. The theme of togetherness, to overcome the challenges of life to reach spaces of joy drove This Is Me’s performance.

This Is Me presented the audience with 18 songs emphasizing resilience, the strength of community, and the drive that pushes people to pursue their dreams. The audience interaction made this performance special, as people were invited to sing along with the lyrics that were shown on screen and come up on the stage and dance with the cast. Seated in the front rows, members from L’Arche Winnipeg were often the first to join the cast one stage, often joined by other members who couldn’t resist the music. The evening gave opportunities for different cast members to showcase their talents as each song had different lead singers, supported by other cast members.

Intermission time allowed the audience to enjoy complimentary drinks and appetizers prepared by Chef Eejay Chua of Bahay Kubo restaurant. The lighting and sound crew of the Prairie Theatre Exchange did a fantastic job, especially considering that everybody only had a short period of time to test everything. The success of the night is a tribute to the skill of everyone involved, and the exuberance of the performances made it impossible for members of the audience to stay off stage. Kudos to all involved! (Photos by Milmar Abella)

On August 24, 2024, the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival kicked off. The sweltering heat did little to keep people away. The first of the two-day festival kicked off with the traditional parade. This time it was down Burrows Avenue and Lucas Avenue to the grounds of St. Peter’s Church Petrus Hall. The entire parking lot of the hall was filled with over 150 tents and food trucks. Inside Petrus Hall, people packed in after the parade to see the opening ceremonies and cultural performances. Fourteen different cultural groups participated in this event, with a variety of dances, songs, and musical performances representing both traditional and modern approaches to the broad range of Filipino culture. The first day also saw a colourful cultural fashion show, dance competition, and live music. True to its reputation, the Manitoba Filipino Street Festival’s organizers and participating groups put on an amazing set of shows – a wonderful way to end the summer months. The first night was capped with a spectacular fireworks display, despite the strong winds that came on Saturday night. The second day offered a variety of performances and opportunities to partake in the vibrant food truck culture of Manitoba.

This has been a very busy summer for the Filipino community. I recently had a discussion with a good friend about how, in the diaspora, Filipinos not only embrace but express their heritage. When in the Philippines, what is called Filipino culture is simply lived experiences, including history, day-to-day life, and cuisine. Outside of the Philippines, though, these everyday things take on increased importance as they help Filipinos define who they are in the mosaic that makes up Canada. This summer has seen a multitude of cultural performances from MAFTI’s After-School Heritage program, Performing Arts Group, and Rondalla; we were also treated to Mervin Sison’s presentation of José Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere (keep an eye out for the El Filibusterismo next year); we were treated to other performances such as Ma-Buhay and This Is Me, Folklorama, several street parties like the Street Festival, and the Philippine Independence Ball. In the academic world, there is a concern that ethnic groups will lose their culture and heritage in the new homelands to which the immigrate, but Winnipeg offers a model for how this can be avoided. This does not only include the visions and hard work of those who organize these events, but also those who support them. Audiences alone make all this worthwhile – there is an unparalleled joy to seeing an audience respond to your performance – but also funding offered by both private and government sources, which demonstrate a wider societal acceptance and celebration of the Filipino community.

Everybody who has taken part in any of these events deserves a standing ovation. A lot of hard work goes into these events and the outcome is not simply entertainment, it is preservation, it is celebration, and it is continuation of the rich and varied culture that has come to make up the Philippines and the Filipinos living outside the motherland, which José Rizal referred to as “Patria adorada, región del sol querida, Perla del mar de oriente, nuestro perdido Edén” (My adored land, beloved region of the sun, Pearl of the Orient Sea, our Eden lost) in his final poem, Mi Ultimo Adios. The impacts of these events may be lost amidst the hustle and bustle of simply making them happen, but they ensure that this adored land of the sun-kissed pearl persists as that lost Eden ever continues to be sought and realized.

Jon Malek is an Assistant Professor of History at Providence University College. His research is on the history of the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora. His current writing projects include a book on the history of Filipinos in Canada and a project on Filipino food and culture.