SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknife's francophone association celebrated its 25th anniversary at the Somba K'e Plaza August 14 and 15 with a party for the community.

Vincent Lumacad, 5 shows off his newly painted face during the francophone association’s festivities on Saturday. - Nikolett Popovics/NNSL photo

Everyone was invited to enjoy the food, as well as take part in face painting, hair braiding and Henna tattooing.

Visitors could also play elastic band hockey and le jeu de l'assiette in a game area, take a hot air balloon ride, or paint fish and various other animals with Yellowknife artist-biologist Dianne Boudreau.

A merengue dance workshop was also held and a performance by Makosso Village, an African drumming group fronted by Jean Pierre Makosso from Congo, was the main entertainment.

"We like when they participate," said Dianne Boudreau about the many anglophones present at the festivities. Boudreau, who's lived in Yellowknife for 10 years, said the francophone community is very tight-knit and supportive of one another through the various French organizations in the community.

"We get together and have potlucks," she said. "Food is something that keeps us together."

Pierre Petiote, program director for Radio Taiga, said while he's only been in Yellowknife a short while—since Thursday of last week—the community has been very welcoming for him.

"So far, it's great, I'm making friends already," he said.

Petiote said he likes events like this because it's a way for all of the cultures of the community to come together.

"Putting on events like this helps to open up the horizons and minds of people," he said.

"It helps to break down barriers."

Marie Coderre, executive director for the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife, said the many activities at the event displayed the diversity of the francophone community in Yellowknife and all over the world.

"It's a way to show that francophones are very diverse and large," Coderre said.

She said while this event highlighted the francophone community, she wanted everyone to be included.

"It's a way to learn from another culture, just as we do from them," she said about the diversity of the event.

"We're all Canadian."

Although this was the first year the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife held an event like this, Coderre said she hopes to plan an event similar next year.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.