Cultural Event: The I Festival

"You can't disregard something because there's not a lot of it. You have to become knowledgeable and respect others"

            This was an opinion wrote in the Orion in reference to Diversity in Chico published days before the International festival. The International festival’s purpose was not just to hold a showcase of ethnic food and music, rather to raise awareness and a message that even in a place like Chico, diversity strives.

            Biking toward downtown plaza on Saturday afternoon I heard a tribal beat what sounded like was out of a King Kong movie. I soon found out after locking my bike up that the tribal sound was coming from a 20 plus drum group that I didn’t catch the name of. They were in clothes of mostly white and red. The first thought that came to my head after I saw their outfits was of the Spanish running of the bulls. They exuded a lot of energy with every member rhythmically moving to the multilayered beat.  I didn’t catch their name but I was really impressed.

There were booths that represented it seemed every culture. I was surprised to see a West African food stand, I had to try. The plate consisted of 2 types of spiced rice, a flavor a consistency similar to Spanish rice. On top they poured a chicken shrimp dark yellow curry. I came too late because I missed out on the fried plantains. But overall the flavor was well worth repeating.

            While enjoying the taste of West Africa, the band Brothers of the Baladi played. They were an older group of men who played a mix between Arabic and new age. In between songs spoke about the Middle Eastern influences they implement into their style. They did a few covers as well. The lead singer sat in the middle with an array of various Middle Eastern percussion instruments. He sang in various languages such as Armenian, French, Arabic, English and more but I didn’t recognize them.

            The people who attended were all over the board, families, students, and homeless, all of many different ethnicities. Many people flaunted their culture, wearing vibrant dresses, head wraps, and jewelry. If I could only explain the festival in one word it would be colorful.