Celebrating West Prince’s diversity
Displays, food, music and dance featured at special event
Greeting visitors from behind a display table, Leti Larosa seemed to take on a motherly role among the more than twodozen Filipinos at the Rural Action Centre’s Neighbour-to-Neighbour Festivity on Saturday.
As one of the first Filipinos to arrive on Prince Edward Island about 40 years ago, it seemed fitting for her to be on hand to explain the many items from the Filipino culture on display, including food items for sampling.
Larosa has seen the Filipino population in P.E.I. swell to 2,000 in recent years, including many living and working in Prince County, since she and her husband settled here.
After studying at Memorial University in Newfoundland, he had accepted a federal position in P.E.I.
She recalls needing to travel to Halifax to purchase food for cultural dishes, but said those days are long gone as supermarkets and specialty stores are responding to the need.
The Spanish and then American influences in the Bing Yaio, a dance teacher from Charlottetown, performs a Chinese dance during the Neighbour-toNeighbour Festivity hosted at the Rural Action Centre in Alberton on Saturday. The program was held to celebrate the cultural diversity that’s present in West Prince. Philippines, she said, have helped her countrymen and women adapt to life in P.E.I.
She’s proud of their contribution to the workforce.
It was members of the Filipino community who first approached the Rural Action Centre last summer for help in organizing a cultural day.
The event was then expanded to celebrate all cultures present in the community.
Larosa said she was happy to help organize the Filipino display for the festivity.
Other cultures, including Mi’kmaq, Acadian, Chinese, Mexican, Polish and Italian were also on display and celebrated.
Program co-ordinator and emcee Sean Doyle said close to 200 people attended.
“There were conversations taking place and learning happening,” he observed.
Happy with the turnout and the sharing, he anticipates there will be more such events in the future.
“There were conversations taking place and learning happening.” Sean Doyle