Cultural Conections Review

Michael Smith, an LMLG volunteer reports on the success of the event:

Well what happened with Cultural Connections?!

It’s over, that’s for sure, and I think we can safely say that it was a resounding success for all involved!

For those that weren’t lucky enough to be there you missed a wild array of activities and messy fun – we had clay, paint, glitter and tissue paper in abundance! We had an amazing response from the local community , with vast numbers of people attending - people were even being turned away at the end! We felt that there was a good mix of people there, with families, groups of young teenagers, adults and children running around excitedly everywhere!

Everyone became really involved with everything that we had staged, from the quizzes to henna and salsa, and it wasn’t just the young ones up and dancing! The atmosphere was infectious.

With brilliant music and singing, and the various rooms we used looked vibrant, bedecked in colourful posters, pictures and displays, all topped up by the grand finale, a piñata hand decorated by the children.

We really feel as if those who attended learnt something about life in Nicaragua and Masaya’s rich cultural heritage. Many people had a look at the leaflets concerning the Link Group’s projects and a few people joined our mailing list, so Cultural Connections helped to raise awareness of the work carried out in both the UK and in Masaya.

The focus on Fairtrade and the Make Poverty History Campaign were clear to all, with the activities, displays and posters all promoting the idea of taking positive action in an accessible, holistic manner. People that would normally be unaware of issues surrounding sustainable development took time to read the fairtrade display, decorate a ‘buddy’ or buy a white band, and the fairtrade fruits and chocolate were a tremendous success with the children! We believe that they have gone away from Cultural Connections a little more aware of the choices that they can make and the power they have to do something to change and enhance people’s lives around the world.

The contributions from Leicester’s twin towns in Rajkot and Europe helped to highlight the city’s cultural links and communities around the world.

The environmental element to the day conveyed the message of personal responsibility for the planet’s future, and enhanced the Link Group’s affiliation with environmental responsibility.

The Leicester Masaya Link Group would like to say a huge thank you to all those involved in the planning, organisation and implementation of the day – a lot of effort was put into food preparation, carting materials to and from the venue, publicity, craft workshops, music and dancing and a whole host of other tasks that would take too long to mention. We hope that all those that came to the day enjoyed themselves and found the experience as uplifting as we did.