Moncton’s Mosaïq Multicultural Festival has announced their full lineup for their 2019 rendition of their celebration of diversity. Featuring two full days of activities for all ages, the festival promises to bring a fun-filled international atmosphere to the downtown Moncton area as they celebrate fifteen years of Mosaïq.
This year will feature the second annual Parade of Nations, which will decorate Moncton’s Main Street with a multitude of cultural floats and colour patterns.
A special photography exhibit will also be featured, displaying the work of Stephen Conrad, a dedicated volunteer for the Multicultural Association of the Greater Moncton Area (MAGMA). His work has documented several milestones and past events of the organization, and especially highlights the importance of the festival to the community.
This exhibit will be free of charge, and will also feature an interactive activity for visitors, which will allow them to participate in the creation of a “data map,” which will aim to reflect the cultural identity of the Moncton community, according to who participates.
There will be no shortage of children’s entertainment either. In addition to the popular international arts-and-crafts activities and dance workshops, children can participate in “Splash Mosaiq,” where a large canvas will be subjected to thrown, paint-filled balloons. Masking tape will be placed in a tile pattern prior to the event, and will be removed afterwards, which will reveal the “Mosaïq effect.”
Headlining this year’s festival is Caleb Rimtobaye, the main force behind the project AfrotroniX. Originally from Chad, Africa, the Montréal-based guitarist combines African rhythms with electronic beats to create a futuristic image of a renewal of Africa’s role, and perception, in the public imagination. Having toured for the last decade in southern Africa, Korea, Switzerland, Canada, and Australia, AfrotroniX hopes to revived marginalized ways of life through his inter-genre musical project.
Also headlining is Imarhan, a desert rock band who aims to bring the Touareg genre of music to the public eye. Inspired by their home of Algeria in Western Africa, their music reflects aspects of folk Saharan art with their interweaving of guitar riffs, pop melodies, and pan-African rhythms.
Elswhere, DA CRUZ promises to deliver a dance-filled performance, as Mariana Da Cruz mixes Kwaito, Afrobeat, and hip hop to bring you the vibes of modern Brazil while also exploring her African roots, and the Ivory Coast’s Bobo William, an internationally-revered dancer and artist who has performed across Canada, will entrance crowds with his Afro-Reggae music.
The festival will take place in Moncton, New Brunswick from July 19th to July 20th.