Festival of cultures at the Centro S. Antonio of Caritas Rheine
Rheine. cpr. “Celebrating together in peace”. This was the motto of the traditional festival of cultures held on Saturday at Centro S. Antonio, the intercultural meeting center ofCaritas Rheine. For many years now, the Centro S. Antonio has been a place where different cultures from all continents live and celebrate together. The Festival of Cultures offers all interested parties from Rheine and the surrounding area the opportunity to talk to many differentpeople.
The festival was officially opened by Stefan Gude, Head of Association Policy and Communicationat Caritas Rheine. “It is always very nice and very special to see so manypeople from so many different cultures. This is the best example ofhow peaceful and friendly coexistence works and is lived in everyday life,”said Gude. In their welcoming addresses, the deputy mayor Birgitt Overesch andthe chairman of the city’s integration council Rheine, Mano Murali, emphasized the good cooperation between the many groups and organizations involved in the integration of people with a history of migration.A colourful stage programme with little dancers was offered beforehand for theyoung visitors. There was also the opportunity to havemake-up done and to dress up to have a funny photo taken of yourself and your friendsand family.A look at the rest of the program made it clear that interculturalityis not only talked about at Centro, but is seen as an enrichment and lived accordingly. Throughout the evening, visitors could look forward to performances by theassociations and groups based at Centro S. Antonio, which put on a great program of dance and song performances. Artists from different nations showed off their skillsand invited the audience to join in. The Kulturhaus Neubürger association, dancersfrom the German-Tamil Culture and Sports Association, Ukrainian musicians, the German-Portuguese choir Alegria, the international SAZ group as well as the Egyptian Tanoura dancer Elsayed Mohamed Morsi and the dance group from Mitte 51 provided intercultural flair.Published byThere was no shortage of food and drink either. International culinary delicaciesfrom various countries were on offer, from exotic spices to traditional dishes – there was something for everyone.”It was a successful evening with lots of intercultural encounters, dancing and stimulatingconversations,” said Elke Zeitner, Head of Migration and Integration at CaritasRheine about the festival. “Rheine is a city that is known for its diversity and openness.The Festival of Cultures is a wonderful opportunity to live and experience these values.It offers a platform to break down prejudices, promote intercultural dialog andmake new friends. Today we celebrated together in peace.”