July 30, 2012

Festival of Nations highlights city's diversity

The 10th annual event celebrates Portland's cultures with art, music and, of course, food.

By Eric Russell erussell@pressherald.com
Staff Writer

PORTLAND - The steady beat of steel drums rolled through Deering Oaks on Sunday. A few dozen people -- most carrying umbrellas -- strolled through the park where vendors representing more than 30 cultures had set up shop, peddling their crafts, their artwork and their food.

click image to enlarge

Sadiq Majeed, left, his brother Sameer Majeed and their mother, Hooria Majeed, talk with Susan Adler of Portland about the Afghan food the family is serving at the Festival of Nations in Deering Oaks park on Sunday. The Majeeds moved to Portland from Afghanistan in 2002.

Photos by Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Staff Photographer

click image to enlarge

Laura Huff, 4, dances to the music as her mother, Susan Huff of Dayton, watches a performances at the festival.

It was the 10th annual Festival of Nations, an event designed to highlight diversity in the city. It is co-hosted by the city of Portland, the Friends of Deering Oaks and the Mugadi Foundation.

Michael Okigbo has helped organize the event for many years. His parents are of Nigerian descent, but he was born an American and has lived in Maine since he was 12.

"I don't think people realize how much diversity is here in the city," he said between bites of curry chicken. "Just looking at the restaurants alone you can see it."

One of those restaurants, Haggerty's on Forest Avenue, participated in the Festival of Nations for the first time this year. Saeed and Ghasson Hassoon, a father-son team from Iraq, sampled falafel, beef kebabs and sweet, sticky baklava.

Ghasson Hassoon said the festival was a great chance to get the word out about their restaurant, to show off their cuisine and to interact with other cultures.

The event went on all day Sunday but was hampered by rain for most of it.

Peter Dugas, who lives within walking distance of Deering Oaks, attended the festival with his 2-year-old daughter Theodora. They shared an Afghani dish of rice and meat and exotic spices while huddled under an umbrella.

"It was hard to go wrong," Dugas said of the dish. "Really, I wanted to try a little of everything."

Dugas said many of the faces he saw Sunday were familiar. He doesn't go out to eat often, but when he does, it's usually to a local ethnic restaurant. He likes that there are many choices.

The Festival of Nations has evolved in the last decade to include more cultures, Okigbo said. Compared to other cities, he said, Portland has always been a welcoming place for people of different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

Staff Writer Eric Russell can be contacted at 791-6344 or at:

erussell@mainetoday.com

Twitter: PPHEricRussell

 

Were you interviewed for this story? If so, please fill out our accuracy form

Send question/comment to the editors




Further Discussion

Here at PressHerald.com we value our readers and are committed to growing our community by encouraging you to add to the discussion. To ensure conscientious dialogue we have implemented a strict no-bullying policy. To participate, you must follow our Terms of Use.

Questions about the article? Add them below and we’ll try to answer them or do a follow-up post as soon as we can. Technical problems? Email them to us with an exact description of the problem. Make sure to include:
  • Type of computer or mobile device your are using
  • Exact operating system and browser you are viewing the site on (TIP: You can easily determine your operating system here.)


Most…