It’s a new festival with a COVID-19-friendly format. The inaugural Northumberland Diversity Festival features six original, 30-minute television episodes that air on Global Peterborough starting Sept. 4.
“This year we are coming with full power, with more acts, more performances and more diversity,” said event organizer Emilio Ojeda.
The Northumberland Hispanic Cultural Club and Northumberland County have partnered for the project, which is meant to cultivate greater community appreciation for diversity and inclusion.
“For me, it is very important because it brings a new set of ideas, a new way of thinking and that helps to progress from the economic perspective to the social perspective,” said Ojeda.
The episodes will feature local artists and musicians showcasing culture through dance, storytelling, music and interviews. The acts range from highland dancing to tango to Inuit throat singing and Indigenous hoop dance.
Local filmmaker Josh Borg, of Full Frame Productions, is filming and producing the episodes and David Newland is the host.
For a full list of performances, you can visit the Northumberland Hispanic Cultural Club website.
Roxana and Fabian Belmonte are an internationally renowned tango duo who are performing in the festival. They said tango has a rich history in Argentine culture and has ties to other countries around the world.
“The Argentine tango was born in Buenos Aires,” said Fabian. “It was an influence of many traditional cultures from all around the world, mixing all of these cultures together, and that is how the tango was born.”
And, they said, it is important to share that history and tradition with others.
“It’s very important,” said Roxana. “We were been born and raised in tango families, and I feel like it is a continuation of my roots and it is rewarding to share it with a Canadian audience and international people.”
Through developing this festival, Ojeda said he has an even deeper appreciation for the diversity of the region and is excited to share that passion and culture with the community.
“I’ve been fascinated learning how different cultures express their stories,” he said. “This is storytelling at all levels.”
Catch the episodes on Global Peterborough starting Sept. 4 at 9 a.m., with a new episode airing weekly for six weeks.
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