Let’s celebrate our cultural heritages

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2020 (1928 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The month of June is recognized as National Indigenous History Month in Canada to honour the heritage, culture and contribution of Indigenous people in development and growth of our society.

Coincidently, June is also Filipino Heritage Month in Canada. The Filipino community has contributed a lot to the socio-economic development of Manitoba. They have brought their language, folk dances, folk music, food and cultural values to this beautiful country only to make it more beautiful.

May 21 is celebrated as Ukrainian Vyshyvanka Day — which celebrates the beauty and craftsmanship of the Ukrainian embroidered shirt, which are integral part of Ukrainian dance costumes and traditional attire.

The Punjabi community in Manitoba plays an important part in the provincial economy by serving in the service sector, owning businesses and influencing other socio-cultural ways of life.

The month of April was Sikh Heritage Month in Manitoba.

My constituency of Burrows houses all these communities and is one of the most diverse constituencies in Manitoba. I feel blessed to represent this diverse community in the Manitoba legislature as the first turbaned MLA in Manitoba.

When I look at Ukrainian dance dresses it reminds me of the colourful Punjabi embroidered dresses that resemble them in many ways. The other day I was talking to my Ukrainian friends and learned a Ukrainian word — baba — which means grandmother. The Punjabi word baba means grandfather. Another Ukrainian word I learned is ‘naway,’ which means new. In Punjabi, the similar sounding word ‘nawan’ also means new. It was so pleasant to discover how languages are connected in unique ways.

Braids, hair styles and headgear are a way of life in both Indigenous and Punjabi cultures. This is how cultures connect us.

We need to understand and respect these connections.

I strongly believe that we can use language, heritage and cultural platforms to connect communities to develop mutual harmony and peace among fellow citizens.

On the flip side its painful to witness racism and discrimination based upon cultural diversity and skin colour. This has to end.

We have an important role to play in educating ourselves, our children, our families and our community. Together, we have to unlearn the learned racism.

If you have any concerns, feel free to contact my office at 204-415-7621 or Diljeet.Brar@yourmanitoba.ca