PHOTOS: WorldFest Woburn 2012

Sunday afternoon, May 20, 2012 from 1-4 PM, Social Capital Inc. and the YMCA International Learning Center held their annual WorldFest Woburn in downtown Woburn on the lawn of the Woburn Public Library. It was wonderful to see so many people and families out celebrating diversity. What struck me, as I walked around to all the different international vendors, the children activity stations and watched the performances, was how it is our internationalism that really makes us Americans. If we were all one nationality, we would lose so much of what it means to be a citizen of the United States of America. I love the fact that I can get a different kind of ethnic food every night of the week. What would we do without our sushi bars, our Indian restaurants and our Italian pizzerias? I also enjoy that we as a nation, incorporate traditions and holidays from all over the world into our daily lives. because I think it gives children a broader worldview and an appreciation for people who come from different backgrounds than themselves. The WorldFest Woburn was a fabulous way to celebrate our differences and our unity at the same time.

It was so fun to watch the children run from all the activity stations to get their passports stamped so they could get a free m&m cookie from the Roma’s Bakery and Deli booth. At the origami table there was a whole assortment of animal and alien shapes, the chalk station had WorldFest in bright chalk dusty colors, and the bubble station had the young and old creating a multiplicity of prismatic bubbles that floated all day through the crowds. There were a bunch of healthy exercise clinics for the kids to do also. There was a Karate instructor from the Academy of Traditional Karate, who had them all jumping and chopping the air. The soccer clinic was exciting to watch as the former professional, soccer players from Brazil showed off and taught their best soccer moves. The North Suburban Y also had them playing some fun international games which were a hit. Witnessing the joy on the faces of the little ones, as theyspent their day mingling with other children, from all different walks of life and nationalities, was the best part of the event for me.

The performances were excellent. They started out with the Taiko Drumming group by Odaiko New England; they performed their Japanese drumming that had many people in the crowd dancing and the beat of their music was palpable. The passion that the Odaiko group plays with makes a person want to see them again and again. You can check out the schedule of their events at www.onetaiko.org . Then there was the graceful Chinese dancers in their costumes of red and white performing a traditional fan dance. Next up, was the group Coco Torres - Buena Vista Social Club Style Music playing Cuban music that had the crowd rocking. The lovely children from Eastern Star Children’s Choir, had about twenty sweet young voices singing Chinese songs that had  the parents and adults saying how adorable they all were and how well they sounded. The Thai dancers from Dancers of Wat Boston wore their beautiful, brightly colored, costumes and performed their mesmerizing Thai dance. The last group to perform was Amadou Kane of Butu International and they did African drumming with their unique drums and instruments. The crowd really enjoyed their music, and later, the group did an encore with drumming, a guitarist and singing.

There were quite a few international vendors, who really brightened up the event, with massive amounts of colors and their interesting wares. The African table was laden with unique musical drums and instruments, one of which was made from small white shells and a gourd. There was an entire menagerie of beautifully carved wooden African animals as well. The Woburn Guild of Artists was at the event with several artists, who were painting throughout the day, one of which was Diana Sironi, www. dianasironi.com. Diana painted a lovely canvas of the event. The smells Indian food from Indian Express, and Italian food from Roma’s Bakery, wafted trough the air and those booths were quite busy all day. A big hit with the kids was the T&E Italian Ice cart with their frozen treats and big umbrella. One booth had jewelry made by the women from El Triunfo, Guatemala, the pieces were absolutely stunning. All the proceeds from their beaded jewelry go to helping support their families and community there in Guatemala. If you would like to support their cause and add to your jewelry box, check out their website at http://lasmujeresdeltriunfo.com/index.php . There were many other booths, as well, all with a fun international flare. If you missed this year’s WorldFest Woburn look for it next year around this time or check out the Social Capital Inc. website at www.sciwoburn.org.