As part of Cultural Diversity Week at Conestoga College, Aboriginal Services is hosting the Indigenous Music Fest on Friday. The festival will feature different music styles from a selection of performers, including Classic Roots, Ol’ Child, Sarcastic Onions and more.
“We wanted something more dynamic, something more focused on students,” said Geoff Pereira from Aboriginal Services. “On top of that, something that incorporates an Indigenous angle on the event. It’s really a showcase that features Indigenous art, so there will be different genres and a couple of student performers as well, so that was the impetus for creating the event.”
Unlike other events that are more academic, the Indigenous Music Fest will be more of a fun “night out for students Pereira said.
“It’s Cultural Diversity Week, next week you’re all off, this Friday will be great, right?… There’ll be dancing and drinking, and you know, all that fun stuff that kids do these days.”
Even though it’s an Indigenous culture event, Pereira wants people to know it’s open to everyone.
“This is really for everyone because the Indigenous aspects come from the performers so it doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone in the audience needs to be Indigenous. Although we’d love for our Indigenous population to show up, everyone… especially students [are welcome].”
“I think showing people that we are still here and not just relics, said Robyn Buswa-Eadie from the broadcast radio program. “Indigenous people are still here and are worth knowing more about.”
One of the main objectives of this event, according to Pereira, is to bring students together and get students to go the Aboriginal Services office and learn about their culture.
“We also want to raise the profile in the office because the office is inclusive so everyone can come and it’s not just for Indigenous students,” voiced Pereira. “Anyone that wants to know a little bit about our culture or even just wants a space. . . We have a lot of students, hundreds of Indigenous students that go to Conestoga. Some are self-identified and others are not. There’s a large population in college that we personally cater to but we also cater to every student as well, so yeah, please, come in!”
“We are proud of our culture in many ways, not just in our ceremony, our traditions and our ability to be resilient but also in our arts. And this is one thing that I really like, it’s that it’s focusing on the arts. The music angle will be just one more block on all our arts,” Pereira said.
The Indigenous Music Fest takes place at The Venue on Oct. 19 at 7 p.m. Admission is free and it is a 19+ event. Check out a sample of Classic Roots’ music below.
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