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PEOPLE |
Heritage and Ethnic Arts
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LINKS |
| Joane Cardinal
Schubert
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Interview with Horst Schmid, Alberta's first Minister of Culture, for Dreamers and Doers. Q: What is the importance of communities keeping their cultural
identities?
A: One, of course to me, of the most important endeavors was to
show how exceptional Canada, Alberta and even Edmonton is and still is by
the way, in accepting immigrants. When
I came to Canada, I was totally amazed.
I was working in a gold mine and I was not once called what was
derogatory word at that time, and that word was a “DP”.
Rather the opposite, people tried to help me speak English, I
didn’t speak a word of English. That
in itself made such an impression on me.
I felt that I had to stimulate and encourage not only the
preservation of all of the cultural heritage that we brought to this
country, that existed in this country, but also to share it with others so
that they would understand it. And
that is one of the main reasons that we now have the Heritage Day act,
which was introduced in Alberta and the first time proclaimed in 1974.
As you probably know they have a big
festival, brings together 51 different nationalities in their tents over
there where they show their cultural backgrounds, they have the ethnic
foods and the dances and all of these kind of things.
Because
without any question, no matter where ever in the world they go, where
ever people understand each other there really is peace and tranquility
and understand of what we endeavor to do in our country.
And after all I think there is no better country to do just that as
an example to the world than Canada. Q: Have you been involved in the Heritage Festival?
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Calgary Aboriginal Arts Awareness Society
Globalfest Calgary www.globalfest.ca
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