Multicultural festival a celebration

Vibrant saris, explosive drumming and sumptuous scents drew locals to Invercargill Middle School last week.

The oldest kura in Waihōpai held its first multicultural festival in the school hall, promoting its "We are One" kaupapa.

"One of the motivations for the festival was to give exposure for the students, because it is very important for our kids to learn about their own culture and also other cultures," festival organiser Guna Baskaran said.

"I started the idea of having the multicultural event and then the school principal and the whanau came together.

"Today we celebrated the diversity of Invercargill Middle School."

The school’s kapa haka group opened the festival, followed by tamariki from various nations doing waiata, dances and giving language lessons.

"We had performances from China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and New Zealand and we had a lot of food as well from different cultures," Mr Baskaran said.

Principal Sarah Calder had only been at the school for a short time and was very proud of how the event went.

"With the amount of different cultures at our school, it was time to put on this event and reflect the changing faces at our school.

"I’m proud that we are the oldest school in Invercargill and that I lead a school with such diverse cultures.

"Having the kids perform in their own language, wearing their traditional dress — it’s a celebration of who they are."

Learning to count to 10 in Indonesian, henna painting on hands and a Korean children’s game were activities the children and adults took an interest in, she said.

"In terms of today we had a very good turnout.

"It was our first multicultural festival but it certainly won’t be our last."

Mr Baskaran said the school hoped to make the event a tradition.

A martial arts demonstration by one of the children’s parents was included in the evening’s programme.

He credited the school parents for supporting the event and acknowledged the festival would not have been possible without their team work and involvement.

Ms Calder said she left the festival feeling the first event would make the school all the stronger for the next one.

"The children grow in confidence when they can express themselves in their own language.

"I believe that our first multicultural festival will set a precedent for other schools to follow.

"I thought we’d only get 30 or so people here tonight but there must have been at least 100," she said.