NOKIA DRAGON HEARTS AND THE SPIRIT OF MULTI-CULTURALISM

Throughout history, boats have played an important role in promoting multiculturalism. In some instances, these vessels were the means by which cultures and people moved across the globe to settle in new lands. The Polynesians are one group that comes to mind as they literally paddled to their new-found homes on the various islands of the South Pacific. In other cases, boats have been used to as a way to learn and explore the world and its diversity. Some famous examples include people like Columbus who introduced the “”New World” to Europe, and Marco Polo, arguably one of the first fusion cooks who brought the Chinese noodle to Italy and transformed it to a most popular dish, pasta. In more recent times, boats brought people from overseas to our shores in search of a new beginning and a better life. People who were raised in a land where almost everyone spoke the same language and had the same customs now had to coexist with a dizzying array of cultures from around the globe.

Today, although boats are no longer essential for exploring the globe, they are still very effective in promoting multiculturalism albeit in a different way. Dragon boating for example brings together a myriad of people. Like our city, the Nokia Dragon Hearts Club is amazingly diverse, with ethnic backgrounds from 13 countries including Australia, Cambodia, China, the Czech Republic, Italy Japan, Korea, Laos, Mauritius, New Zealand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Pakistan. G’Day mate, Lei Ho Ma, Konichiwa, How’s it going eh? These are one of several greetings you might hear at one of our practices in one of the nine languages spoken within our club. It goes without saying that like other boats we are inclusive and you don’t have to be any particular ethnic background to join our team. But our team goes one step further - you don’t even have to be in shape!

Multiculturalism is ingrained in the Canadian identity with the cultural mosaic being the metaphor for our desire to appreciate our differences as part of a larger society. As a team we embrace this philosophy both on and off the boat. When we are on the boat, we are one. Our strokes are synchronized and we work together as a team, striving towards a common goal. We are motivated by a desire to challenge and improve ourselves through sacrifice and hard work. These are similar motivations to those of our immigrant predecessors whose journey made multiculturalism possible. When we are off the boat, we are diverse and appreciate and enjoy our differences. Our members are culturally active and have been involved in activities such as the Powell Street Festival for Japanese Canadians, Asian Heritage Month, Lion dancing, Kung Fu, Latin Dancing, and African drumming.

Our team members share their culture at club social events. The sharing may be as simple as a conversation about what countries we come from or have traveled to. In other instances cultural demonstrations may be more dramatic. At one event, our South Pacific members performed a Maori Haka (a lively dance rich in gestures and vocals which was created by the Maoris of New Zealand). But one of the simplest and most enjoyable cultural exchanges is that of food. David Lam the former Lieutenant Governor of BC once said, “Coming to Canada is like being invited to a pot-luck dinner; if everyone brings leftovers, we’ll have a leftover dinner. But if one spends some of one’s time, picks one’s best recipe, and is prepared to give one’s best, we will have a feast.” The Dragon Hearts have embraced this philosophy in every sense of the word, organizing many of our social events around food. At our potlucks, we have a variety of dishes from around the globe including Yorkshire pudding, Singapore noodles, sushi, Chinese fried rice.

When we formed this year’s team, many of us were new to the club. Like an immigrant to a new country we left surroundings which were comfortable and familiar to us (our homes, our immediate social circle) to try a new activity and meet new people. We shared a common goal of becoming the best paddlers we can be. We were also all crazy enough to endure all kinds of weather and sacrifice early mornings and evenings after a hard days work to just to paddle. Two strong motivations for doing this were exercise and the friendships/social nature of the sport. I will not comment on our fitness progress, but our paddlers have certainly made many new friends in a multicultural environment. Thus, we have formed a Dragon boat “community”. By coming together to paddle we have enriched our own lives through the development of fitness and friendships with people from a variety of cultural backgrounds. These benefits are shared with the community at large when we return “home” to our “regular” lives.

Submitted by Chris Oikawa, Karen Brebner, and Soyon Ahn of Nokia Dragon Hearts.