Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) celebrated South Asian arts and culture at the third annual South Asian Arts Festival.
A dhol performance.
This two-day festival, held on April 9 and 11, featured drumming, dancing, poetry reading and singing performances by KPU students, alumni and employees.
The events were hosted by Dr. Asma Sayed, who is the Canada Research Chair in South Asian Literary and Cultural Studies, KPU Language and Cultures instructor Gurp Sian, and the Faculty of Arts at KPU.
Sayed, who is also Vice-President for Equity and Inclusive Communities at KPU, says the festival is a way of bringing together communities and learning about South Asian culture.
"We have a large number of students who identify as South Asian and this festival allows them to showcase and celebrate their art and culture, and it makes them feel at home," says Sayed. "The last two years that we have hosted this event, people have come and told me that they have never seen our students as happy as they see them at the festival."
The festival, which was co-founded by Sayed and Sian, started out as a small event in 2022 and has since evolved to incorporate more artforms.
"This year we added a second day, and we hope to keep expanding further and bringing in more students and different kinds of artists such as filmmakers," says Sayed.
The South Asian Arts Festival was funded by Sayed's Canada Research Chair grants.
