Cultural Ambassadors
Sanaa Momin - India
Cultural Ambassador
Sanaa Momin
Area(s) of Cultural Expertise: Muslim
Expertise Gained from: Family
Culture Represented/Cultural Identity: Muslim
Global Location: India
Culture’s Primary Language: Gujarati and Hindi
Primary Spirituality: Muslim.
Primary Economy: Agriculture[1]
My History: I came to Canada in 2016, studied, and worked hard so that one day I could make Canada my permanent home. I became a Permanent Resident of Canada through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program in 2017. As I inched closer to my goal, dreams became a reality propelling me into the orbit of success. In this process I left behind all that I wished to escape in India, but at the same time knowingly and unknowingly I left behind my biggest treasure – my parents. I moved to Canada in search of a better quality of life, and ended up being a part of the rich and diverse culture which made me feel like home away from home.
India Historical Summary :[2]
Traditional Clothing: Saree/ SalwarKameez[3]
Popular Food: Paneer/ Biryani
Popular Feasts/Celebrations: Diwali and Ramadan [4]
Recommended Websites for further information: (these would need to be appropriate for kids aged 10-14)
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/history/ramadan/
https://www.galacticfireworks.co.uk/fireworks-knowledge-centre/diwali-and-fireworks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aSkESrxXs4
*Recommended Resources for Culture -General
https://www.diwalifestival.org/
https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/diwali-in-the-classroom-a-parents-perspective
*Recommended Resources for Workshop Topic
Read aloud book- https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/best-diwali-books-for-kids/
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/diwali
Ayesha - Pakistan
Cultural Ambassador
Cultural Identity: Pakistan
Area(s) of Cultural Expertise: Storytelling
Expertise Gained from: Theatre, Filmmaking, Fine-Arts
Historical Summary
Ayesha Mohsin is a Pakistani Canadian artist, she immigrated from
Pakistan to pursue her post secondary education, almost 6 years
back. During her Theatre and Performance Bachelor degree at
University of Regina, she saw the lack of diversity in Regina’s
theatre community, she felt that if she wants to tell her story in her
language then she has to develop a platform herself which was not
already in place. She founded Lexeme Theatre. Lexeme is Regina’s
immigrant language theatre and media company, Lexeme has
successfully produced many multilingual projects in Regina.
Ayesha Mohsin has always been interested in storytelling and how
it brings different cultures together. Ayesha is a Interdisciplinary
MFA candidate at University of Regina. Her travels around the world
has given her an opportunity to understand different languages
and how it affects the traditional arc of storytelling.
Cultural Community of Regina
Ayesha is the artistic director and founder of Lexeme Theatre, she
is also a member of Pakistani student association at University of
Regina. Amongst other engagements, she also serves a position on
the board of Saskatchewan Playwright Centre.
Other:
Lexeme Theatre and Media company is a place for immigrant
stories, it is a place to share your language with the rest of Regina,
it does not matter where you are originally from. If you have a story,
we will produce it! Lexeme is a place to showcase your point of
view and express your ideas and develop your own audience in
Saskatchewan . Anyone can join Lexeme, Ayesha is always looking
for original voices and ready to provide a place to share new
stories in immigrant and English language.
Name: Benji Hazen
Area(s) of Cultural Expertise: Food, Customs, Romanian Canadian History, Traditional Dance, Travel
Expertise Gained from: Driven by personal interest in culture, Benji gained extensive knowledge of Romanian culture from the dance instructors, being married to Monica and from his numerous trips to the land of his ancestors. Since his high-school years, Benji has been actively involved with Miorita Romanian Cultural Society, and in the last 15 years he has been active in the parishes of the two Romanian churches in Regina.
Historical summary: Benji is a 4th generation Romanian Canadian. Benji’s Romanian great-grandparents came at the beginning of the 20h century from the northern part of Romania, Bucovina. One of his dear memories is of his great-grandfather sitting on a rocking chair and listening to the Romanian records. Separated at a young age from the Romanian culture due to familial situation, he became reacquainted with his Romanian roots through dance during his senior years of highschool. Ever since, he has been very active within the Romanian Community of Regina, as well across the prairies.
Benji and his wife Monica have 8-year old twins and all of them are actively involved in the Romanian cultural community.
Cultural Community of Regina: Since his senior years of highschool, Benji has been very active within Miorita Romanian Cultural Society in Regina, and in the past 15 years with many of the organizations in the Romanian communities across western Canada.
Benji - Romanian
Germany - Cheryl and Sheila Aldous
Name: Sheila & Cheryl Aldous
Cultural Identity: Canadian German
Area(s) of Cultural Expertise: German Karneval and Bavarian Dancing, German Karneval
Expertise Gained from: Our knowledge continues to grow with our involvement with the German Karneval group. Being involved with the group has taught us the German Karneval traditions and has brought us in contact with German Club members who share their German traditions.
Historical Summary: After moving into Regina, Cheryl and Sheila attended the Regina Multicultural Council Mosaic event. They than became member of Karnevalsgesellschaft a subgroup of the German Club. They became in involved and began our learning first by joining the dance group and attended their monthly meetings. After some time, they took on the dance instructor role and joined the board (known as the Elferrat).
Cultural Community of Regina (include websites or FB groups if appropriate for students and or teachers): Cheryl and Sheila have been active within the German Club by assisting with events held by the Club. They have attended Western Canadian Mardi Gras events in Winnipeg and Edmonton. In addition, they have helped organize the event in Regina. As instructors of the Karneval dancers, they attend culture events around the Province with the K. G. Harmonie German Dancers.
Culture Represented/Cultural Identity: German/ Canadian German
Global Location: Germany is a Western European Country
Culture’s Primary Language: German, though most Germans speak English also.
Primary Spirituality: Christianity. Most German Christians are not catholic. So, they are Protestants (Lutheran to name one)Primary Economy: Germany is a Western European Country with a landscape of forests, rivers, mountain ranges and North Sea beaches. Germany’s principal industries include machine building, automobiles, electrical engineering, chemicals, and food processing.
Historical Summary: German has over 2 millennia of history. Berlin is the capital of Germany. Berlin is home to many sites relating to WWII. During WWII the city of Berlin was reduced to rubble. Berlin is home to the Brandenburg Gate which is now a national symbol of peace and unity. Germany is also home to the European Central Bank which is responsible for policies of the member countries which have adopted the euro currency.
Traditional Clothing: Lederhosen (are short or knee-length breeches) and Dirndls (dress with blouse and apron)
Popular Food: Roast Chicken, Schweinshaxe (roasted ham hock or pig knuckles), Bratwurst (sausage), Pretzels, Knodel (potato or flour dumplings) Kasespatzle (Cheese noodles), Potato pancakes (they can be the main meal with a salad or a dessert served with apple sauce), Sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) \
Popular Feasts/Celebrations: Oktoberfest (Munich), Karneval (Cologne), Asparagusfest and Onionfest (Schwetzingen & Weimar), Rose Monday (Rosenmontag)(Rhineland)
Recommended Websites for further information:
10 Festivals In Germany Worthy of any Bucket List https://www.mybucketlistevents.com/german-festivals-bucket-list/
History and Tradition of Karneval Orden https://germangirlinamerica.com/history-and-tradition-of-karneval-orden/
India - Suparna Ghosh
Name: Suparna Ghosh
Cultural Identity : Indian
Area(s) of Cultural Expertise:
Painting, fabric art, Mehendi (Indian traditional body art), classical dance form, ethnic food, festivals of India, traditional event planning and organization.
Expertise Gained:
Suparna has acquired more than 7 years of formal art training and diploma from renowned art university in India. Her art skills primarily involve in-depth knowledge of east Indian traditional art techniques but also carries extended experience of various art forms from all over India. Having more than 6 years’ exposure into art teaching and event artistry experience in 3 different continents, Suparna is now involved with local cultural community in Regina called "Tero Parbon Cultural Association" with contribution towards artwork creation for cultural events.
Historical Summary:
Suparna Ghosh, is originally from eastern part of India from the city of Kolkata. Advocate by profession but an artist from heart since childhood. She moved to Uruguay (South America) in 2015 and spent about 3 years there having rich cross-cultural experience and spreading flavours of Indian cultural aspects in local communities. Her nomadic soul then brought her here in Regina back in 2018 and since has provided art classes to kids of different age groups and actively involved in the local cultural community. For more information on Bengali cultural community in Regina, please visit following website: www.teroparbon.ca
Culture Represented: Indian
Global Location:
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world.
Culture's Primary Language:
India has 22 major languages which are recognized by constitution as scheduled languages and more than 1600 regional languages, dialects and sub-dialects. Languages spoken in India belong to several language families. Indian Constitution both Hindi and English as official languages as per Official Languages Act (1963). Apart from that all the states are free to choose their own regional languages for respective state internal systems. Suparna's primary language is Bengali (Bengali is the fifth most-spoken native language and the sixth most spoken language by total number of speakers in the world).
Primary Spirituality:
According to the 2011 census, 79.8% of the population of India practices Hinduism, 14.2% adheres to Islam, 2.3% adheres to Christianity, 1.72% adheres to Sikhism, 0.7% adheres to Buddhism, and 0.37% adheres to Jainism.
Primary Economy:
The economy of India is characterised as a middle income developing market economy. It is world's sixth-largest economy by nominal GDP and the third-largest by purchasing power parity Historically. India was the largest economy in the world for most of the two millennia from the 1st until the 19th century.India is the world's largest manufacturer of generic drugs, and its pharmaceutical sector fulfills over 50% of the global demand for vaccines. The Indian IT industry is a major exporter of IT services. in 2020, India's ten largest trading partners were the United States, China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, Germany, Hong Kong, Indonesia, South Korea, and Malaysia.The long-term growth perspective of the Indian economy remains
dependency ratio, healthy savings, and investment rates, increasing globalization in India and integration into the global economy.
Historical Summary:
India is a land of ancient civilizations. Indian history begins with the birth of the Indus Valley Civilization and the coming of the Aryans. These two phases are usually described as the pre-Vedic and Vedic age. Hinduism arose in the Vedic period.
Traditional Clothing:
Clothing in India is varies upon the different ethnicity, geography, climate, and cultural traditions of the people of each region of India.
India also has a great diversity in terms of weaves, fibers, colours, and material of clothing. Sometimes, color codes are followed in clothing based on the religion and ritual concerned. The clothing in India also encompasses the wide variety of Indian embroidery, prints, handwork, embellishment, styles of wearing clothes. A wide mix of Indian traditional clothing and western styles can be seen in India.
Popular Food:
Indian food is a vast constellation of culinary influences and traditions from all over the Asian continent. Traditional Indian food is built from the same flavor foundations. However, dishes vary widely between North Indian and South Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine is one of the most popular cuisines in the world. Some of the most popular Indian dishes incorporate a whole palette of flavors – sweet, sour, spicy, tangy – all at once. A few popular Indian dishes are listed below:
Biryani (A rice dish layered with rich and spicy meat with onion based gravy and occasionally with added eggs and potatoes based on which prvince you are in)
Dosa.
Butter chicken/Butter paneer.
Tandoori meats, vegetables and bread.
Samosas.
Chaat.
Daal Makhni.
Lamb kebabs.
Popular Feasts/Celebration:
India is a country full of vibrant holidays and festivals. Whether it's a Hindu celebration, Islamic holiday, or regional festival, you will find that there is almost always something being celebrated in India. Indian festivals have always drawn travelers from around the world not only because of their gorgeous colors and boisterous participants but also because they are a great way to have meaningful experiences with the local people and see the country at its most joyful. Some popular festivals and Celebrations of India: Diwali, Holi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja, Navaratri, Dussehra, Eid al-Fitr, Onam, Pongal, Pushkar Camel Fair, Raksha Bandhan, Makar Sankranti, Mahashivratri, Janmashtami.
Recommended website for more information:
https://www.incredibleindia.org/content/incredible-india-v2/en.html