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Tired of explaining to people that Colombia is more than cocaine and Juan Valdez, for the first time in the event�s 13-year history the Colombian community is participating in the Skokie Festival of Cultures. Gavrilovich, 48, hopes that by joining Skokie�s most beloved event, Colombians will be able to spread the word about their country�s beautiful landscapes and colorful tradition.
�We would like to show another point of view of Colombia,� Gavrilovich said at the festival�s first committee meeting, held Monday night at the Oakton Community Center. �Not just drugs and bad things, but honest, hard-working people who love their country.�
�People don�t know this, but education is very important in Colombia,� said Skokie resident Delly Salazar, who emigrated from Colombia 20 years ago. �Ninety-five percent of the country has at least a high school education, but unfortunately many people are stuck doing menial labor because there are just not enough jobs there.�
It is for precisely this reason � to educate people and celebrate diversity � that the Festival was created in the first place. This year�s installment officially began with a gathering that attendees called �a mini United Nations,� where committee members met to discuss the seven months of planning and organizing that will need to take place to make the event, to be held May 17 and 18, a success.
Almost all of the more than 40 representatives from 17 different ethnic groups who attended the meeting were born outside the United States, and, while they consider themselves first and foremost Americans, they take pride in retaining their cultural heritage as well.
�This is a very exciting time,� said Skokie Park District Director and Festival of Cultures chair Elizabeth Kessler. �It is so exciting to have all these people from such different backgrounds together under one roof. We work hard all year but in the end we have a wonderful event that every person in Skokie and the surrounding community can be proud to be part of.�
One by one the committee members stood, introduced themselves and proudly announced their heritage; Armenian, Japanese, Indian, Taiwanese, Assyrian, just to name a few. Joining the Colombians as the new kids on the block is the Australian community, which pleases committee member and Swedish representative Roy Swenson because he says the committee works diligently in its recruitment effort.
�I tell people that Skokie is known as the most diversified festival in Illinois and that we would like to have more ethnic groups represented. I figure there was about 25 people missing; next time we won�t even be able to fit in this room.�
�We�re very welcoming and we�re always improving to help our size grow,� Kessler said. �We want to see the size of cultures represented increase each year. In fact, membership is open, you don�t even have to be in Skokie to be a part of the planning committee.�
In conjunction with all the planning and organizing, each culture will prepare its individual contribution to the event based on the level of commitment if feels comfortable making. In the past some groups, such as the Indians and the Koreans, have taken a full-immersion approach complete with entertainment, food, dress and games. Other cultures, such as the Jamaicans, have sponsored an informational booth and displayed artifacts and mementos representative of their heritage.
Salazar says that she would like to show a video of Colombia highlighting the country�s multifarious regions, from the coast to the city to the country, to show that, like Americans, not all Colombians are alike.
She also said that she hopes to have CDs of Colombian musical celebrities, such as pop star Juanes for the younger generation and Carlos Vives for the adult-contemporary crowd.
