Indigenous pavilion among others unable to participate in 2023 Mosaic Festival | 24CA News
Regina’s largest cultural celebration of the yr, Mosaic, is returning to the Queen City in only a matter of hours.
But this yr’s version of the competition gained’t embody quite a lot of pavilions folks have grown accustomed to over time.
Just days earlier than the beginning of Mosaic on June 1, it was introduced the Indigenous pavilion wouldn’t be a part of this yr’s competition. The choice left these on the pavilion unhappy they wouldn’t be a part of it.
Joely BigEagle, a member of the pavilion, mentioned there are a selection of causes they will’t take part, together with the price.
“Having access to a big enough location is one of the issues and it’s really expensive,” BigEagle mentioned. “It’s a lot of organizing, time management and volunteer recruitment.”
A variety of different international locations will even not be represented, together with Ireland, Cambodia, Serbia, Chile and a few French-speaking international locations.
BigEagle mentioned one more reason this yr is tough to handle, is the shortage of precise objects they promote in years earlier.
“We were the only pavilion that did not sell alcohol and a lot of the other groups use the event as a fundraiser, whereas we didn’t have any expectations to make money,” BigEagle mentioned. “It was a break-even expectation.”
In an announcement, Mosaic mentioned it reached out to all of the cultures, however solely 17 confirmed they might be capable to attend. The others mentioned that resulting from monetary difficulties or lack of house, they don’t seem to be in a position to verify their attendance, and thus wouldn’t be a part of this yr’s celebration.
The Mosaic competition has been a convention in Regina since 1967, however has been cancelled for the final three years as a result of pandemic.
Despite the less pavilions this yr, Mosiac continues to be a time to indicate off the huge cultures Regina is dwelling to.
The competition kicks off Thursday.
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