We Are One Festival brings together African, Caribbean and Latino communities
Sarah Georges is one of many Manchester residents who has been eagerly looking forward to Saturday’s We Are One festival. She is the coordinator of this year’s festival and said that it shows a side of Manchester many New Hampshire residents don’t see most of the year.
“The We Are One is the oldest festival here in Manchester,” Georges said. “It is literally a time when the African, Caribbean and Latino — all of Manchester’s communities get to come together and enjoy a different culture, just enjoy different people who are on the stage showing their talents, whether it is someone who is born and raised right here in Manchester and have immigrant parents, or they are from far away themselves. And then, we have food and different organizations that come out every year to share their services, let the people know what they have here to help out, whether it is for housing, whether it’s for after-school programs, whether it’s for the parents themselves.”
One of the biggest draws for the We Are One festival is the food, Georges said.
“That’s my favorite part; I’m not going to lie,” she said, ”I always show up for the food.”
“I am Haitian and African, but I was born and raised right here in Manchester,” Georges said. She said Manchester has a wealth of small family restaurants that fly under the radar sometimes.
“What I love about Manchester,” Georges said, “is the fact that there are so many different types of food here. And when you see a white person come into an African restaurant and order something like fufu [a West African dish made from cassava], or collard greens, or they’re ordering pondu [a stew from the Congo], or if they’re ordering empanadas and rice con pollo, it is so great for them, it’s so great to watch them eat, because it’s like watching a child for the first time trying food. … It’s like that experience that comes to them like an old friend.”
The event also promises art, music, dancing and live performances, according to the event’s Facebook page. According to Sarah Georges, some of the performers at We Are One will include Colombian dance troupe Barranquilla Flavor, dance group Mill Advised,singer Xyomi, and performer Kay Richie.
We Are One Festival
This is a free, family-friendly outdoor event celebrating Manchester’s multicultural, African, Caribbean and Latino communities with live music, dance, art, food vendors and cultural performances.
Where: Veterans Park in downtown Manchester
When: Saturday, Aug. 15, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
More: Food vendors will include Don Quijote Restaurant (362 Union St., Manchester, 622-2246, donquijoteunion.com) and Soel Sistas Soul Food (30 Temple St., Suite 202, Nashua, 943-1469, soelsistas.com)
Featured photo: A previous year’s event. Courtesy photo.