Flags, food and friends
Inside Hamilton’s vibrant Kaifusion festival
Pictured left to right: Tute Tui and Dilo Vaka showcasing their traditional Fiji attire. Photo: Cheryl Voss
Cultural performances, food stalls, country flags and different ethnicities all came together under the same roof last weekend as part of Hamilton’s Welcoming Week celebrations.
Welcoming Manaaki Village – A Kaifusion experience, was hosted at Claudelands Event Centre and aims to celebrate the culture diversity of the city and promote a sense of belonging and connection for everyone through the sharing of food and culture.
One of the stall holders was the Waikato Fiji Society, who brought lots of colours to the event with their vibrant display and traditional clothes. Tute Tui, who was working alongside Dilo Vaka, and said the festival was a great way to teach others about their island home.
“We’re here today at Kaifusion just to share our culture with everyone so that we can have a taste of what being a Fijian is like.” Tui said.
Tui explained that family is the most important thing in their culture. “Our values are very family-based. It takes a village to raise a child. That’s definitely what we do in Fiji.”
Tui and Vaka were wearing traditional Fijian clothing including the Kalabata shirt, the Chamba dress for woman that is worn to formal functions, and the male Sulubatanga. The outfits had traditional Seru patterns that look like hair combs, as well as designs of waves and palm trees.
From left, Joricel Abad, Jennifer Gilrice, and Jasmine Abad at the Filipino stand during the third annual Kai Fusion festival at the Claudlands Events Centre. Photo: Cheryl Voss
Others at the festival said they also enjoyed meeting people from different backgrounds. Jasmine Abad, who was at the Filipino stand, liked that the event brought so many different communities together in one place.
“I think it’s very nice that all communities come together,” Abad said. “Because we usually have events, but most of the time it’s just with Asians. This is broader, so at least we can be immersed with our tradition, how they dress and all that.”
Vicki Hayden-Jones, left, and Holly Snape, right, represent community access media station Free FM at the Kai Fusion festival in Hamilton. Photo: Cheryl Voss
“People do better when they’re eating and they’re talking and sharing. It’s about offering a safe place for people to connect”
Vicki Hayden-Jones – free FM
Local community radio station, Free FM, was also at the festival. Vicky Hayden-Jones, the station funding manager and community media coordinator, explained that the event is very important because Hamilton is a city where many new migrants and refugees come to build a new life.
“Hamilton is a welcoming city,” Hayden-Jones said, “So, it’s basically focused on new migrants and former refugees because Hamilton is one of the intake cities of New Zealand for former refugees.”
Hayden-Jones said that sharing food is one of the best ways for people to make new friends and feel safe.
By the end of the day, the festival had succeeded in doing exactly what it set out to do: bring people closer together.
For the stallholders from Fiji and the Philippines, the afternoon was a successful step toward making their unique traditions a permanent part of Hamilton’s local community.
