The Latin American community in Manitoba is starting a new chapter in its history. On Sunday, the Latin American festival in Manitoba welcomed community members to Centre culturel franco-manitobain in Saint Boniface. The event featured music, dance, food and more to celebrate the community’s cultural and community spirit. Alberto Velasco Acosta said the festival was the first in Manitoba and the idea came naturally as October is Latin American Heritage Month. “Here in Manitoba, we didn’t want to just let that pass. We wanted to commemorate that Canada seeing the importance of the Latin American heritage to build in this great country,” Velasco Acosta said. “We got a culture that unites us, and we wanted to show that to everyone else in Manitoba.” He said Latin American culture might be something people are already familiar. “They’re listening to the music – salsa, reaggeton, mariachi music. Or, they are eating some of the food. They’re eating tacos, full-size empanadas,” Velasco Acosta said. “It brings in the cultural context of the things that maybe many Manitobans are already enjoying.” He expressed his excitement with the growth the Latin American community is seeing. “We’re seeing more people coming from our countries to Manitoba. You might be hearing more Spanish when you go to the supermarket, down in the street, or walking downtown. “We’re very excited about that because that shows that our communities are being represented and important here.”
