World Refugee Day will feature 18 nations in Pocatello
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The first-ever World Refugee Day in Pocatello will celebrate local refugees’ cultures and traditions from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, June 20 at Lookout Point.
The event will have these countries represented: Ukraine, Armenia, Philippines, Mexico, Burkina Faso, Haiti, Ghana, Taiwan, Venezuela, Greece, Ivory Coast, Afghanistan, Poland, Japan, Moldova, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Laos.
Lena Contor, the organizer behind the event, recently returned from a service trip to Ukraine where she helped distribute bread and flour while serving those in need.
For Thursday, she is partnering with Bridges Idaho, an organization which has contemplated bringing World Refugee Day to Pocatello for a long time, as it is often a part of other larger cities’ yearly events.
World Refugee Day was first established on June 20, 2001, by the United Nations. It recognizes those who have fled their countries because of conflict, persecution, war and more. Many of the refugees have come seeking to live a better life. The commemoration puts a face to the plight of these individuals and shows their resilience and courage.
Contor has felt a universal nudge telling her she needed to bring it to Pocatello. The day she returned from Ukraine six weeks ago and stepped off the plane, she began to organize World Refugee Day for Pocatello.
Contor has organized events for Ukrainian refugees in the past, as she is closely associated with the strife and problems in her homeland. However, she had no idea where to begin to find people from other cultures in the area.
“I was stuck,” she said. “How can I make it multicultural?”
But when she reached out to the community to find participants, within three days her entire program filled with performers, people willing to cook local cuisine, and others offering games.
“I knew it wouldn’t be canceled because of the amount of people who volunteered,” Contor said.
The event will have traditional foods from 17 countries for people to sample.
“I want people to know that this event will be full of information,” Contour said. “Many people might not know that these countries have had refugees come here. We will have booths with information about the destruction and issues these countries are facing.”
Contor is adamant that she wants the whole community to come together.
A big part of cultural heritage for Ukrainians is their cuisine. Contor believes that people who come together to share a taste of their country, play games, and watch performers, will help to soften the edges around international conflicts and misunderstandings.
Contor hopes that participants will be able to forget about the conflicts surrounding their culture for the evening.
“We are all trying to make a new home here,” she said. “We will all be on the same ground, learning together. Come have fun for a few hours. We don’t need to bring it with us.”
This event promises fun for the whole family. The evening will have performances, tastes of different cuisine, games and activities from all over the world. Most of the event is free, but there will be crafts that can be purchased from refugees of these countries.
