Montreal soccer festival empowers Black communities, promotes cultural immersion
Posted August 30, 2023 2:40 pm.
Last Updated August 30, 2023 2:42 pm.
Montreal’s newest soccer festival saw participants compete on the pitch while also immersing them in each other’s cultures off of it.
The first edition of SOKAFEST, which took place over the weekend in the West Island, featured Montreal’s Haitian and Rwandan communities going head-to-head.
The match was won 4-1 by the Haitian team.
“The experience was very good,” Haiti coach Ben Toussaint said in a news release. “We meet new people, new culture and we have fun.”
Inaugural edition of Montreal’s Sokafest Aug. 26, 2023. (Submitted by: Festibec)
The festival was designed around cultural immersion – from food to dance to language. It was also meant to empower Montreal’s Black communities.
Participants reflected on their cultural differences but also their similarities – despite a large geographical gap between both countries.
Organizers are already planning the biannual festival’s second edition, which is set for February 2024 – coinciding with Black History Month.
The festival was organized by the non-profit organization Festibec Afro-Black Web TV.
