KWE! Meet with Indigenous Peoples is back this summer in Quebec City!
Press Release
QUEBEC CITY, June 19, 2019 – For the third year in a row, the KWE! Meet with Indigenous Peoples event will be taking place in the heart of Quebec City at the place de l’Assemblée-Nationale from August 30th to September 2nd. This free and unifying event offers a wide range of activities that invite you to discover the cultural wealth of the 11 Indigenous nations in Quebec. The public can enjoy musical performances in the evening in addition to numerous workshops, conferences, culinary experiences, facilitated activities and demonstrations of traditional know-how over the course of the event. Unique in Quebec, KWE! Meet with Indigenous Peoples has become a must-see event for families and tourists who are visiting the capital city during this long weekend.
Exchanges and sharing
Over the course of the four days of festivities, the program includes activities for all tastes and all ages, including:
- Music shows on the evenings of August 30th and 31st featuring A Tribe Called Red, Scott-Pien Picard, KXO, Laura Niquay, Nimuk and Friends
- The Whispering Woods: A space fostering the discovery of the languages of the 11 nations
- The “Indigenous Peoples: Fact and Fiction” space featuring facilitated activities and film screenings
- The First Nations Cultural Hub
- The Inuit space in partnership with the Makivik Corporation and the Avataq Cultural Institute
- The creative space for youth “Crée-à-KWE” featuring makeup as well as arts and crafts workshops
- Storytelling and legend-sharing, conferences focused on raising awareness as to the realities of Indigenous peoples, feature film screenings, weaving and beading workshops and traditional game-cooking demonstrations
- The Librairie Hannenorak (bookstore)
- Indigenous arts and crafts at the pop-up shop
- A march with Dr. Stanley Vollant in partnership with Puamun Meshkenu (The Path of a Thousand Dreams) and the National Battlefields Commission
Dr. Stanley Vollant, Innu surgeon and founder of the organization Puamun Meshkenu, has again accepted to be the spokesman for a third year: “Everyone is invited to celebrate with us! Thanks to the diversity of the programming, it is possible to interact with First Nations and Inuit peoples, discover their culture and enjoy outdoor musical performances; in short, everything is in place to ensure that a wide range of free activities can be enjoyed. This is a unique experience and a great opportunity to open up to each other!”
“Our millennial knowledge and cultures transposed into the realities of today deserve to be known and shared. The initiative aiming to open wide the doors to our aspirations and the expression of our collective pride is fundamental in a perspective of solidarity and friendship with the citizens and communities with which we interact. We are proud to reach out to and invite the public to join us on the path to coming closer together,” said Mr. Ghislain Picard, Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador.
“I am so proud our Inuit culture is showcased this year at the KWE Festival. As Indigenous people of this country, we have a colorful culture and we like to demonstrate our exciting heritage. The world is at a discovery stage like never before because of social media and I’m extremely proud to be a part of the Inuit contingency representing our Nunavik Region,” added Mr. Charlie Watt, President of the Makivik Corporation.
“It is events like KWE! Meet with Indigenous Peoples that foster bringing peoples closer together. It is important for the public to learn more about our realities and the daily issues affecting the First Nations and Inuit. This event gives us the chance to gather in friendship and solidarity and celebrate, but above all, it offers a unique opportunity to get to know each other better. We are hoping for a great turnout,” added the Grand Chief of the host nation, the Huron-Wendat Nation, Mr. Konrad Sioui.
The activities of this third edition of KWE! Meet with Indigenous Peoples will begin on August 30th at noon. The complete schedule is available online at http://www.kwequebec.com and on the event’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/kwequebecenglish.
The KWE! Meet with Indigenous Peoples event is an initiative of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador and the Council of the Huron-Wendat Nation, the host nation.
Many partners have made this event possible: the Government of Canada, the Government of Quebec, the City of Quebec, the Commission de la capitale nationale du Québec, Quebecor, CN, the Fondation Lucie and André Chagnon, Énergir, the Makivik Corporation, the Avataq Cultural Institute, Puamun Meshkenu (The Path of a Thousand Dreams), The National Battlefields Commission, Quebec Aboriginal Tourism, Quebec Native Women, the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse and the Archibald microbrewery.
For further information: Alicia Rochevrier, AR Communication, alicia@arcommunication.ca, 418 929-7880; Alain Garon, Communications Advisor, Assembly of First Nations Québec-Labrador, agaron@apnql.com, 418 254-4620
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