Children's Festival celebrating its 25th year
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A 1983 entry, the Spreydon Cultural Group. |
In its 25-year history the Christchurch Primary Schools Cultural Festival has given about 15,000 children an opportunity to express their cultural identity.
This year's festival runs from 21-25 August, at the Town Hall. More than 2400 children are expected to take part. Organisers expect over-all audiences of up to 7000 for this year’s landmark celebrations. The theme this year is "Many faces, one voice… Nga matatini, he teo kotahi".
St Albans School teacher Mike Davey was on the committee organising the first festival in 1981. "The festival's a beautiful event where the younger generation share their vision about the way the world should be," he says. "That the festival's blossomed from that humble first gathering of children to the showcase it is today, is of huge credit to a great number of wonderful people and a great hope for our future."
Its origins were based in the celebration of Maori culture and the festival has expanded to embrace the increasing diversity of multicultural Christchurch.
Each year now, children from more than 10 cultures perform and this year’s festival features groups of children with Maori, Pakeha, Korean, Indian, Scottish, Tongan, Zimbabwean, Irish, Chinese and Samoan origins.
This landmark year will also include a visual and wearable art exhibition and a stage pageant. Alice Makaafi, 10, will perform with the Addington School senior kapa haka group, having been involved since 2004. "It's fun performing and when everyone claps for you," she says.
Manager Ali Nauman, of Creative Events Unlimited, says, "The festival provides children with a unique opportunity to showcase their performance and cultural heritage. It offers children one of the few multi-cultural experiences developed from grassroots level in Christchurch."
- This Council-supported festival will run from August 21 to 25 at the Christchurch Town Hall. Tickets are available from Ticketek.
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