A world without borders - wouldn't that be perfect? Not just physical borders but cultural, lingual, emotional, and mental borders. A world where everyone could appreciate each other and learn to live together while being respectful and empathetic.
Much of the world's progress is through the integration of cultures and using the strengths in each others differences. Celebrating what every corner of the world has to offer to progress as a species has been the bacbone of human evolution.
Netherlands, to give credit where it is due, is one of the most successful countries in recognizing the value of celebrating and utilising the differences of many cultures to progress as a first world country. In the same fashion, Almere, one of the newest cities in the country, often puts together cultural festivals for the residents and visitors to enjoy.
In the heart of the city, the cultural festival took place. Different countries represented their culture freely and welcomed everyone to learn and appreciate it.
I thoroughly loved the Suriname performance, which incorporated Surinamese music and dance to form a modern form of exercise. Now, that's a creative way to welcome people to the culture aspects of Suriname and get fit at the same time.
There were many stalls presenting different countries from African, South American, and Asian continents. Some stalls had handmade artistic goodies, jewellery, books, and even food. I found it really fun to learn about the different kinds of clothes and the history behind each style.
Traditional clothes, which are now staples when talking about cultural imagery, come from all kinds of backgrounds. While some came about as the most cheap way of manufacturing because of poverty and the kind of work slaves did, others came from the easiest and convenient way of covering up from what material was abundantly available around, and there are also clothes that celebrate joy and happiness and have become the dominant show of culture albeit expensive and hard to obtain.
The Ukrainian stall was put together by volunteers who are all refugees in the Netherlands. After the parade, where all country representatives walked around the main city centre, the Ukrainians came together in front of the stall. They took turns singing popular Ukrainian songs and dancing.
At the stall, there were books, magnets, keychains, bracelets, and much more to buy and show support.i wpuld be lying if I said I do not actively search the Ukrainian stall in every event for a bottle of Ukrainian cognac. That stuff is amazing and makes for a splendid gift.
A group of Ukrainian children also performed on the main stage where they sang songs and played the trumpet.
Throughout the day, the main stage hosted different performances from different countries and cultures. There were dances, song performances, and even beauty or fashion shows.
The crowd isn't as huge as you would expect in a bugger city like Amsterdam or Rotterdam. However, Almere is becoming a growing hotspot for people from different cultures to settle into.