10/24/2006 7:48:00 AM Orono event celebrates community's diversity
By Kelly Westhoff
More than 20 nations will be represented
Renata Stephens wishes more Americans were better informed about her native country, Brazil.
"Brazil is not a very well-known country to many Americans," she explained. "People know it's in South America, but they don't really know where. Actually, Brazil is the biggest country in South America. And in Brazil, we don't speak Spanish. We speak Portuguese.
"Unfortunately, the worst parts of Brazil are what people know," Stephens said.
Photos of the favelas, or shanty towns, that ring the country's largest cities appear in American newspapers with captions about street children, drug use and poverty. Many Americans have heard that Rio de Janeiro, while glittery and exciting, is a dangerous place.
"But Brazil is a wonderful place," she added quickly. "It is so rich in so many aspects. Brazil is very rich in natural resources and beautiful places, but the people are rich also. Brazil is full of warm and happy people. Brazil really is a melting pot. Our culture is influenced by Africa and Europe."
Even though Stephens is now married to an American man and living in Minnetrista, she often thinks of her homeland, especially now that winter is coming. "When I came to North America, the culture shock was so big," she laughed. "The worst part was the weather."
While Minnesota's dark and chilly winter days don't score many points with Stephens, she has nothing negative to say about Minnesotans. "I have not met one bad person here in America," she said. "The people are friendly, helpful and curious.
"I wanted to find a way to give back to this community that has given me so much and made me feel so welcome," she said. "Now, I will have that opportunity."
Along with a group of community members and Orono-district parents, Stephens has helped organize an International Festival. The event will take place this Friday, Oct. 27, in the Orono Intermediate School Gym between 6 and 9 p.m. The activities are free and open to the public.
Booths from 20 different nations, including Argentina, Malaysia, India, Korea, Ecuador, Persia and Egypt, will be set up in the school gym. Booths will be staffed by people who are originally from each country or informed travelers.
At each booth, participants can read fast facts about that county, see pictures of exotic cities and countrysides, sample a favorite traditional food, learn a few key phrases in a foreign language and try their hand at a new craft.
Booth organizers hope participants will ask questions about each country, as well. Plus, upon arrival, every participant will receive a passport. With a stop at each booth, they will collect a new stamp.
In addition to the country booths, a troop of performers from the Ethnic Dance Theater will put on a show at 7 p.m. The troupe will perform a variety of dances from other countries while dressed in ethnic costumes. At the end of the performance, the dancers will teach the audience some new moves.
A bagpiper will contribute his instrument's haunting tones to the evening.
Ambily Kuruvilla, a local Orono High School student, will perform a traditional Indian dance. Aline Leite, a foreign exchange student from Brazil attending Orono High School this year, will help staff the Brazil booth.
Some Orono teachers are offering extra credit points to students who attend the event. An area Girl Scout troop will attend and work towards earning an international patch.
"We really hope that people will gain an appreciation for the cultural richness of the world, but also of our community," said Megan Bennett, an Orono parent and the originator of the International Fair idea.
"Participants can learn about other countries straight from people that are from those places. We don't want people to walk away with a clichˇd impression of other cultures. We want to shine an authentic light on other traditions," Bennett said.
"So many Americans are nervous about approaching a person from another country and asking questions," she added. "We don't want to embarrass them or ourselves. This International Fair is a chance for us to talk to immigrants that live among us in our community and learn from them about their countries.
"Right now, immigration is a topic at the forefront of so many people's minds," Bennett said. "Sadly, immigration comes across with such a negative tone in the media. But we are a country of immigrants. And immigrants don't just live in the city. They live in our community, too. There is diversity among us, and appreciating that diversity is really what this evening is all about."
If you go
What: International Festival.
When: 6-9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27
Where: the Orono Intermediate School Gym
How much: Activities are free and open to the public
