COVID-19 challenges Saskatchewan's multicultural community

COVID-19 brought an end to Saskatchewan's usual festival season this year, affecting two of the biggest multicultural celebrations in the province: Mosaic – A Festival of Cultures in Regina and Folkfest in Saskatoon.

While tens of thousands of people are missing out on food, dance and music from all around the world, the postponements have also created difficulties for cultural groups.

"Mosaic is something that is integral to many organizations' survival," said Nish Prasad, vice-president of the Regina Multicultural Council (RMC) and chairperson of Mosaic 2020.

Mosaic is RMC's best known annual event. Last year, people bought 16,335 passports to visit the 18 pavilions, according to the non-profit organization.

RMC had originally planned to host the 53rd Mosaic in June 2020, but had to postpone the three-day festival to May 2021 because of the pandemic. 

Prasad said he is looking forward to 2021, but is also a bit concerned.

"If we were to be in this situation for another year or so it is going to be very challenging for us and for our member groups."

Social impact

The cancellation of the event also has a social impact on RMC member groups.

"Mosaic is really an opportunity for us to showcase our Italian culture and our hospitality," said Michael J. Cassano, president of the G. Marconi Canadian Italian Club in Regina.

"Our members and our friends and all the volunteers, they look forward to seeing all of the visitors. Some of them only see each other yearly at Mosaic."

Regina's Italian dance group, the Campagnole Italian Dancers, usually start weekly practices in September to gear up for Mosaic, Cassano said. 

Shelly Zhao, board member of the Regina Chinese Canadian Association, said the organization averages more than 6,000 visitors to the Chinese pavilion at Mosaic every year, with many providing feedback to her group and wanting to participate. 

"That helps us to recruit some of the volunteers easily."

Saskatoon Folkfest announces partnership with Jazz Festival

Saskatonians can experience a taste of Folkfest online on August 15, with Folkfest Gives Back – Connecting through Culture: A Virtual Showcase. The event, done in partnership with the SaskTel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival, will feature live music from Saskatoon's Oral Fuentes Reggae Band.

However, the postponement of the in-person Folkfest will negatively impact cultural groups in the city.

Folkfest sold 20,637 passports last year for its 40th annual show, almost 600 more than in 2018, according to a Saskatoon Folkfest spokesperson. With 250,313 recorded pavilion visits, the 17 cultural pavilions and the groups involved received a lot of exposure.

Pritam Sen, secretary of cultural affairs at the Bangladeshi Community Association of Saskatchewan, said Folkfest is one of the biggest revenue generators for the group.

"I think our community, people ... are always very excited about Folkfest. And I have seen people prepare for Folkfest for months," Sen said, "Folkfest rehearsals are a great way to get together with friends and family."

Effect on cultural groups around the province

Even aside from Folkfest and Mosaic, cultural groups in Saskatchewan are struggling with COVID-19 and its consequences. 

"It took away the best part of our dancing season," said Tara Kurtz, president of the Kraplenka Ukrainian Dance Ensemble in Weyburn.

The dance group had to cancel competitions and nursing home performances, said Kurtz.

"Most organizations rely on fundraising to keep costs down for families, and that all has to be postponed or cancelled. So that can make for difficult financial decisions ahead."

She said some clubs and dance studios might not be able to continue.

 "I think if we just try to … stick together as a community and work together, you know, we should be able to hopefully come out on the other side."

Challenges of maintaining buildings, German Cultural Centre closes

Maintaining a clubhouse can be a challenge in regular times, as the Regina Austrian Edelweiss Club's decision to sell their building last year has shown, but COVID-19 has brought additional strains.

On Aug. 9, the German Cultural Centre in Saskatoon announced it would be closing permanently on August 30, 2020 "due to the path that 2020 has taken."

"We have enjoyed celebrating German Culture with you for over 60 years," the centre wrote in a Facebook post. The restaurant will remain open until the end of the month on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings.

The post did not say if the German Canadian Club Concordia will be able to continue as a group after the closure of its building. In 2009, a fire destroyed the original clubhouse and construction work on the new building, today known as the German Cultural Centre, started in 2010. Traditionally the German Cultural Centre has also hosted the German pavilion at Folkfest each summer.

For cultural groups running their own buildings, costs such as taxes and insurance remain, said Cassano from the Canadian Italian club.

"The revenue side of things has really taken a negative impact and that's been huge for all of us."

Cassano said he's optimistic the group will make it through the crisis, despite the challenges.

The Regina German Club runs its own building in the Queen City, with cultural events playing an important role for the group's revenue, according to the club's manager Kerri Van Loosen.

"We are holding on but who knows for how long if things don't start to flip around again," said Van Loosen.

It would be sad for any group to close their doors, Van Loosen said.

"It's so scary," she said. "The city would lose so much vibrancy if a cultural group just kind of disappeared."

Maggie Gilmore, president of the Regina Hungarian Cultural and Social Club, agreed. She said groups need support from members and the whole community.

"We are just managing to get by," said Gilmore. "We are so close to our centennial and we want to make it to that and beyond."

All three clubs offer some form of pick-up food and the German club hosts a bratwurst on the patio fundraiser every Saturday. The Hungarian club has reopened its bar and rents out its space for small meetings.

Helping each other

COVID-19 has also been an opportunity for some cultural groups. 

"We had to get real creative really quick," said Nimone Campbell, president of the Saskatchewan Caribbean Canadian Association.

"Instead of kind of saying, 'You know what. Nothing can happen. Let's just call it a year.' We really bound together."

Besides providing programs online, such as cooking classes, Campbell said her group has been reaching out to the Caribbean-Canadian community to make sure people were doing OK.

According to Zhao, people within the Chinese community have also been helping each other. Volunteers have been getting groceries for people in quarantine. The organization has raised money for the hospital system, Zhao said, and donated medical gloves and masks.

Zhao said people understand the importance of helping each other.

"If something happens in the community nobody is going to be a winner," said Zhao.

"Everybody will be suffering from that."