Fredericton gala to honour Asian Heritage Month.

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Sarah Ratchford

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In the name of making Canadians savvier when it comes to Asian culture, the Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick (AHSNB) is holding a gala affair this weekend at the Playhouse.

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The evening will include performances from a variety of Asian cultures. Each year, Asian Heritage Month focuses on one specific country, and this year that country is the Philippines. Filipino cultural performances, mainly revolving around dance, will dominate the evening. However, performances will be made by members of the Chinese, Korean, and Indo-Canadian communities as well.

All of the talent for the evening is local.

May has been Asian Heritage Month in Canada since 2002. The tradition stems from a motion put forth by the Hon. Senator Vivienne Poy in 2001. The motion was passed unanimously.

Once May was finalized as Asian Heritage Month, current Chair of the ASHNB Madhu Verma teamed up with other founding members Cecilia Thi, Ayub Chishti, and Guna Kulasegaram to form the Asian Heritage Month Committee. The basis of this committee was to "organize educational and cultural events that commemorate the legacy of Asian Canadians, past and present," says Verma. The organization has undergone much growth since its creation, and in 2007 it became a provincial entity and was given its current name.

"I came to know of this official declaration through an East Indian newspaper," says Verma. "I was excited about the opportunity to showcase our culture and our contributions to Canadian society."

Vice Chairman David Lee says the goal of the society is to "exchange cultural components between Asian and Canadian communities," as well as enhancing Canadian multiculturalism.

The AHSNB is open to all people of Asian descent, and a main goal of the society is to bring together members of different Asian Canadian communities to foster networking, as well as participate in various projects celebrating Asian Heritage Month.

The society works to share Asian Canadian arts and culture with mainstream Canadians, as well as promote understanding and appreciation of those cultures, says Verma. Currently, it is working in collaboration with federal, provincial and municipal government, as well as school districts and members of various Asian communities, in order to create more "culturally inclusive curriculums" for New Brunswick's schools.

Also at the top of their list is both collection and development of resource materials on Asian Heritage. These are distributed at New Brunswick's schools.

Last year, the AHSNB distributed hundreds of desktop calendars to local schools, highlighting Asian holidays. Each month profiled one "outstanding Asian Canadian".

Other educational events include an Asian Story Hour at the Fredericton Public Library and the development and publication of a memorial book, focusing on first generation Asian immigrants.

The AHSNB also holds a number of cultural events, one of the most prominent being the annual gala. The first gala was held in 2003, and the event will continue to be held in coming years as a tradition.

This year, events similar to Fredericton's gala were held in Saint John, Moncton and the Miramichi. These events were "successful and well-attended" says Verma.

Other endeavors embarked upon by the society include the organization of Explorasians Exhibitions, which involve the choosing of an Asian focus-country and display of educational materials relating to that area. These materials remain on display throughout the duration of Asian Heritage Month.

Like the gala, this year's Exhibition revolves around Filipino culture. Materials will remain on display until June 26 at the Centennial Building, located at 670 King St.

Roundtable discussions are held as well, addressing some of the key issues facing Asian Canadians.

On May 8, one of these discussions was held dealing with the promotion of diversity in NB classrooms. Senator Poy graced the discussion as guest of honour. She outlined developments in this area that have been taking place in other provinces across Canada.

Events and activities put on by the Asian Heritage Society are open to the public, with "anyone who supports our goals and objectives" welcome to attend, says Verma.

She says that there is no official membership protocol because the society likes to leave events open for general participation.

Verma has been excited about the AHSNB since she founded it in 2002.

"I can still remember approaching Mayor Hull during our first year, requesting that he officially declare May as Asian Heritage Month in the City of Fredericton," she says.

"He was very receptive to the idea, and suggested that we hold our first celebration right in City Hall Chambers. We had representatives from all three levels of government, and from various cultural groups and organizations. Over 100 people attended the event," she reminisces.

While the AHSNB is a provincial organization, Verma says that there are 16 cities across Canada celebrating the heritage of Asian Canadians. In Ottawa, Montreal, Halifax, Edmonton and Vancouver, among other cities, groups like the AHSNB put on cultural and educational activities to promote awareness.

One of the main goals of the AHSNB is to open a welcome centre in order to accommodate the recent influx of Asians into New Brunswick, making them feel more comfortable with the move.

"Our events provide newcomers with the opportunity to meet people within the community and to make new friends," says Verma. "We also raise issues affecting the Asian Canadian community, newcomers in particular, and provide a support system for new immigrants."

The welcome centre will provide new Asian immigrants with "settlement services such as language training, including heritage language training, translation services, employment counseling, and support for entrepreneur immigrants," says Verma.

"We hope to also provide a space for social gatherings, cultural activities, and classes."

Lee says the society aims to "deliver tradition, music, fashion, and culture of Asia to not only Canadians, but new immigrants" to help with homesickness. He views the society as a backbone of cultural support for Asian communities.

Fredericton's gala will take place at the Playhouse on Sat. May 23 at 6 p.m., and is expected to run until about 9:30 p.m.. Admission is free, and the event is open to the public.

For more information on the Asian Heritage Society of New Brunswick, check out www.ahsnb.org, or call the society's communications office, located at the Charlotte St. Arts Centre, at 454-4127.