Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams on Wednesday urged all New Yorkers to take part in his fifth annual International Day of Friendship on Sunday, Aug. 5, celebrating the hundreds of cultures and ethnicities that he says make Brooklyn “an unparalleled center of diversity.”
Adams – who has emphasized the importance of valuing Brooklyn’s diversity as one its greatest assets and has made his ‘Embrace Your Hyphen’ campaign a central pillar of his borough presidency — said Sunday’s festivities will consist of a series of cultural features, beginning at 1:00 p.m. with a Unity Parade of Flags.
That comprises flags of 195 member-states of the United Nations marching down Fulton Street from its intersection, with Flatbush Avenue toward Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Following the parade, a cultural performance will take place at 2 pm at the main stage in Columbus Park Plaza, featuring many of the borough’s most talented performers.
The program, which will be MC’d by Radio 103.9’s Roxie, will run through 5 pm and will include a series of artistic and cultural performances from a wide variety of groups.
The program will also feature a taste of ethnic cuisine from an array of local food trucks, such as A Taste of Greece, Deli N’ Dogz Pastrami Truck and Makina Café MC; and a global dance party where attendees will be able to showcase their dance styles in the Columbus Park Plaza by the tunes of London-based global garage music DJ EZ and Dwana Smallwood Performing Arts Center, Inc.
“There are not many places in the world that could say that they have more than 200 languages spoken throughout their municipality every day and that more than 40 percent of the people living there are born in a different country,” Adams said.
“As Brooklynites, this is our greatest strength, and something we should embrace and celebrate,” he added. “I am excited to be hosting our Fifth International Day of Friendship celebration, so that we can come together as a community and learn about each other’s stories, struggles, and strengths.
“This celebration is not only about embracing our own hyphens, but also learning from others,” Adams continued. “By embracing our own and others’ hyphens, such as Italian-American, Jamaican-American, and Russian-American, we can all be a part of One Brooklyn.”
The artistic and cultural performances taking place at the main stage will include Nuevo Milenio, a folkloric Panamanian dance group representing the Americas; Harambee Dance Company, an African dance group representing Africa; Ajna Dance Company, an Indian dance group representing Asia; Braata Productions, a Caribbean performing arts company representing the Caribbean; Brooklyn Ballet, a non-profit dance organization representing Europe, and Ori Manea, a Tahitian dance school representing Oceania.
Following the success of last year’s Global Village, Adams said he was pleased to announce its return at this year’s International Day of Friendship celebration, featuring tents from countries around the world, including Barbados, Belarus, China, Egypt, Ghana, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Panama, Poland, Russia, South Africa, and Turkey.
Adams said visitors will be able to have “an interactive experience in each of these tents to feel, hear and see unique cultural artifacts and stories.”
Community and cultural organizations that will be representing their respective countries include the Consulate of Barbados, Consulate of Belarus, Consulate of Ghana, Consulate of Guyana, Consulate of Haiti, Consulate of Mexico, Consulate of Poland, Consulate of South Africa, Consulate of Turkey, Egyptian American Arts and Cultural Organization, Mongolian Heritage Foundation, Moroccan American Council to Empower Women, Panamanian Community of Brooklyn, Sino-America New York Brooklyn Archway Association, and Sunflower Center, Inc.
