African food, fashion and fun set for Rotorua this weekend

(From left) Mavis Chikono, Juan Nieuwoudt, Margriet Theron, Samantha Smith and Faustinah Ndlovu will be at the celebration. Photo/Stephen Parker

Food, fashion and fun will be abundant at an event which is a first for Rotorua and all about celebrating the African culture.

An Africa Day celebration is being held tomorrowat the Linton Park Community Centre.

Event co-ordinator Juan Nieuwoudt says the celebration is getting the African community in Rotorua together for a socialising event.

He says Africa Day is celebrated annually on May 25.

Juan says the event will include sharing some lunch which will be made up of traditional food people bring from their different countries, a fashion parade with traditional clothes, and some desserts.

"It's just about having fun together for a few hours, meeting some of the new people that have arrived in the community, and building connections and networking.

He says anyone can come along and be a part of the event.

Juan says this will be the first Africa Day celebration for Rotorua and they thought it would be great to have a celebration like this because the community is growing.

What Juan is looking forward to is catching up with some people he does not see often, as well as meeting new people from elsewhere in the world – "and obviously enjoying the different foods. That's always a highlight".

He says the celebration will be pretty informal - "it's all about fun".

"You will definitely meet some interesting people, taste some interesting food and will see some great African attire that will be on show by some of our African ladies."

Rotorua's Faustinah Ndlovu, who is from Zimbabwe, says she is looking forward to getting all of the African community together and celebrating their unity.

She says although Africa includes many countries they share a lot of their music, food and the way of dress.

"It's just for us to celebrate our identity and showcase our culture, and that's the most important thing."

"We invite all Africans to come and meet each other, and have some great African food.

"The fashion parade, I think, will be the highlight of the event."

Faustinah says her and a friend are also going to do 'My story my way', which is when someone speaks in their language with actions and the audience has to guess what they are talking about.

Other Africans have been invited to do items as well, along with Kiwi friends.

"This is a great start for us to show our African culture and share it with our friends in the Rotorua community."

Dr Margriet Theron, president of the Rotorua Multicultural Council, says the council helps people from different ethnic groups to maintain and celebrate their culture, as well as help local people understand we have cultural diversity in Rotorua.

She says this event ties in with these and gives people from African countries to showcase their culture.

The Details:

- What: Africa Day celebration
- When: Saturday May 26, 11.30am
- Where: Linton Park Community Centre, 16 Kamahi Pl