Orientalys Festival celebrates 14th edition at Montreal’s Old Port

The 14th edition of the Orientalys festival is underway in Montreal’s Old Port.

The four-day festival is dedicated to the meeting of eastern and western cultures of at least 15 countries participating through shows, workshops, entertainment and exhibitions to celebrate diversity.

“It is one of the greatest events for the Arab and orientalist cultures,” said Seyid Seyid, from the Mauritanian stand at the festival. “When you are visiting these stands, it’s like you are visiting 32 countries without paying your ticket.”

“Culturally speaking it is very rich because there is cultural diversity when you visit any stand,” explained Seyid. “You will learn a lot, about the unique character of that culture.”

The festival transforms Montreal’s Old Port into a small village, where visitors are taken on a tour — learning about different countries.

Some communities who participated for the first time in the festival, were eager to tell visitors about their heritage. 

“It is our first appearance for Kyrgyzstan and we are a new community,” said Aiza Ismailova, volunteer at the Kyrgyzstan stand. “We would like to present you our culture, which is a Central Asia culture.”

“Here are many of our artisanal products that we are making or brought from our country,” she added. “We are very happy to be here this year.”

“There is a lot of diversity in Montreal,” said Hayat Ali, social affairs officer for the Yemeni community in Quebec. “As a Yemeni community in Montreal we love to present our generosity, our hospitality.”

“This is very important for us to let people know all this information about Yemen.”

The festival runs until Aug. 11, for more information visit their website.