Annual festival hosts jam-packed month of free cultural events for all ages
VANCOUVER, APRIL 16, 2016 – The Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society is pleased to announce that this year’s explorASIAN festival, celebrating National Asian Heritage Month, will focus on the Japanese-Canadian community.
Japanese Canadians are one of the oldest, most established ethnic groups in the Lower Mainland with more than 100 years of history on these shores. From mochi rice cakes and sushi, to award-winning author Joy Kogawa and legendary scientist David Suzuki, the Japanese-Canadian legacy has had an incredibly deep and profound impact on our lives.
The explorASIAN festival, now in its 20th year, creates greater public awareness and appreciation of the rich diversity of the Pan-Asian communities in Metro Vancouver by hosting more than 60 family-friendly events across the city during the month of May.
This year’s signature project, “Following the Silk Routes and Beyond in Vancouver,” is an interactive photographic exhibition (on display in the Chinese Cultural Centre Museum) that portrays examples of spaces and commercial networks in Asia and Vancouver, connecting ancient routes to our modern lives.
Other events include a Chinatown shopping tour and dumpling-making class, a PCHC-MoM Society hosted workshop on how to document oral family histories using smart phones, and a screening of a new documentary that chronicles how a group of Pakistani classical musicians created an experimental album combining South Asian melodies with New York City jazz.
Media are invited to join the official festival kick-off on Saturday, April 16 at 10 a.m. at Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre, Simon Fraser University, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver. For more information on our 60+ events please visit: http://explorasian.org
ABOUT VAHMS (Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society)
The Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS) organizes explorASIAN, an annual festival celebrating National Asian Heritage Month in the month of May. This festival creates greater public awareness and appreciation of the rich diversity of the Pan-Asian communities in Metro Vancouver. Our Vision is to build a community where Pan-Asian arts, culture, and contributions are lived, shared and celebrated as an integral part of the harmonious diversity of Canada.
