Festival of MixedRoots Arts and Ideas - September 7,8,9,10. 2011
at the Vancouver Public Library, The Roundhouse Theatre and UBC Robson Square
presented by the Asian Canadian Writer's Workshop Society
Hapa-Palooza is about bridging worlds, gathering community, and celebrating our diverse ancestry and cultural heritage. It is the largest festival of its kind in Canada.
Created for everyone whose family roots and communities reach across cultures. Hapa-Palooza's mandate is to cultivate community and dialogue among people identifying as having mixed heritage, to generate public awareness around topics related to mixed heritage, and, most importantly, provide positive role models and venues for discourse for the next generation of mixed youth.
Hapa-Palooza is a new cultural festival that celebrates the city’s identity as a place of hybridity, synergy and acceptance. A vibrant fusion of music, dance, literary, artistic and film performances, Hapa-Palooza places prominence on celebrating and stimulating awareness of mixed-roots identity, especially amongst youth.
I was able to work on this project as the production manager - with an amazing group of passionate artists, writers, musicians, actors, community organizers, activists and families. It is was a powerful inaugural year.
My student drum group 'The Oreres' with Navaro Franco performed a few songs in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery on Robson Street to draw people down to the Robson Square venue where the big festival was taking place.
Check out the website to get involved in the community and the event next year: www.hapapalooza.com