Cultural Competency Fair

Did you miss our free Cultural Competency Virtual Fair during September 2020 for Alberta Culture Days? No problem. We recorded the sessions for this! This interactive fair will help folks of all ages gain insight into, appreciate and interact with a few different cultures and belief systems they might not normally have a chance to connect with.
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This fair was funded in part by Government of Alberta for Culture Days 2020

• 
Blackfoot Ways of Knowing
  Saturday, Sep 5, at 7 p.m.
  
  This workshop offers us a gateway into traditional Blackfoot ways of understanding and experiencing the world. Learn about Blackfoot tradition within the context of knowledge building among Indigenous peoples generally, and within a historical context of precarious survival amid colonial displacement and cultural genocide. Learn more at the workshop.
  
  Guest lecturer: Rebecca Many Grey Horses is a consultant and has a Masters of Jurisprudence in Indian Law, from the University of Tulsa, College of Law.
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• Respecting our Roots: African Braids, History and How to Appreciate it

  Sunday, Sep 6, at 7 p.m.
  
  The discovery of ancient stone paintings depicting women with cornrows in North Africa shows that braids date back thousands of years. A specific look could indicate the clan you belonged to, your marital status or your age; and these hairstyles were passed down through the matriarchs of each generation. Learn more at the workshop.


  
  Guest lecturer: Wunmi Idowu is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, instructor, performer, producer and the Founder and Director of Woezo Africa Music & Dance Theatre Inc. She moved to Alberta from Nigeria in 1992, and later decided to influence change by using the transformative power of the arts.
  
  
• Beyond Appropriation: Decolonizing Yoga  

  Saturday, Sep 12, at 7 p.m.
  
  The origins of yoga can be traced back to South Asia, a space colonized by the British and Portuguese. Beyond its utility, yoga became popular, in part, because it reinforced European and Euro-American ideas of India. Learn more at the workshop.


  
  Guest lecturer: Sachin Sudra is the founder of Namaste Cooking and a Yoga teacher who studied in India. Ayurveda is an ancient wisdom and branch of wellness that originated in India, and uses specific combinations of spices to help create life balance.
  
  
• The History of the Turban and Its Meaning to the Sikh Community
  Sunday, Sep 13

, at 7 p.m.
  
  The Sikh faith is known for the external markers of the Khalsa identity, most prominently the uncut hair covered by a turban. It is a testament to the emphasis laid in the earliest Rehits (Khalsa code of conduct) on the turban as a mark of a warrior-king that the Sikh turban persists to this day — but one question that lingers is how the Sikh turban developed to this point through history. Learn more at the workshop.


  
  Guest lecturer: Yuvraj Singh is a community leader, volunteer organizer, student researcher and Alberta youth parliamentarian who has been serving the Alberta community as a member of various community boards, engaging in student leadership at the U of C, a part of national youth development councils and by spearheading community projects such as interfaith programs, food drives and debate/public speaking mentorship with community stakeholders. 
  
  
• History of the Hijab: Unveiling the History of the Headscarf
 (no recording available)
  Saturday, Sep 19, at 7 p.m.
  
  Head coverings have been in existence long before the introduction of Islam and are worn by women who follow various religious traditions. Learn about the history of the headscarf and what the Hijab means for Muslim women, and more, at the workshop.

  
  Guest lecturer: Souad Farag is a community service driven person as she believes in the benefits of spending time giving back. Over the last decade as an Arab woman who is visibly Muslim, she has defied stereotypes by sitting on a number of boards of leadership initiatives in the public sector, private education, and community collaborations.​
  
  
• A History of Treaty-Making in Canada
  Sunday, Sep 20, at 7 p.m.
  
  The treaties the Crown has signed with Indigenous peoples since the 18th century have permitted the evolution of Canada as we know it. These diplomatic proceedings were the first steps in a long process that has led to today's comprehensive claims agreements between the Crown and Indigenous groups. Learn more at the workshop.
  
  Guest lecturer: Garret Smith is a graduate of the Centre for Indigenous Theatre. He is also the founder of Mohkinstsis, a healing camp in downtown Calgary, where he created opportunities for Indigenous youth to reconnect to their culture.
  
  
• The Art of Chinese Dumplings: History, Origin and Tradition

  Saturday, Sep 26, at 7 p.m.
  
  According to legend, during the Eastern Han Dynasty, there lived a famous physician of Traditional Chinese Medicine, named Zhang Zhongjing, who introduced dumplings 1,800 years ago. Learn about the history of Chinese dumplings, how to make them, the significance of food and culture, and more at the workshop. 
  
  Guest lecturer: As the only members of her family living in Canada at the time, Churmy Fan and her parents made friends through food. Having lived in Canada for over 20 years now, Churmy enjoys rediscovering many traditional Chinese cuisines and adding her own flare to her cooking. 


  
  
• Creating a Respectful Multicultural Society: Learnings from Singapore
  Sunday, Sep 27, at 7 p.m.
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Singapore sets an example for the world on multiculturalism with its founding principal being the integration of its ethnic and racial groups—a decision was made at the outset to treat every race, language and religion as equal. Learn more at the workshop.
  
  Guest lecturer: Asjad Bukhari is an information management professional with a Masters in Library & Information Science and is currently working for the public sector. He is also an amateur broadcaster and community activist on social and human rights issues, and a strong believer of multiculturalism and progressive viewpoint in society.