In our city of over 1,070,000 people, 13,410 are Latin Americans. This number has skyrocketed since 2001 when there were 8,605 Latin Americans in Calgary and 6,545 in 1996. What geographical area do we mean when we say Latin America? According to Fernando Aramburu, president of Hola Calgary, Latin America consists of, “Any Spanish speaking country in the Americas, that is what it literally means.” From Mexico to the tip of Chile including the Caribbean is commonly thought of as Latin America.
Fernando Aramburu moved to Calgary ten years ago from Mexico City and started Hola Calgary when, as a Calgary Realtor, he was bombarded with requests for information. “Hola Calgary is a Latin portal with the purpose of promoting unity between Hispanics in Canada and to reinforce their cultural roots. It was created to meet a need to help the community to grow, connect, and help each other. It is hard to move into a new country and feel you don’t connect. With Hola Calgary people are finding what they need and that part of them that needs to feel that they are not as far from their hometown or family as they think.”
Latin American Culture in Calgary
And like all cultures, Latin Americans bring parts of their heritage when they move to Calgary. Education in Calgary has also been impacted by the Latin American influence. There are several Spanish immersion schools in Calgary and a handful of Spanish bilingual schools. At the higher education level, the University of Calgary has a Latin American Research Centre which focuses on research on and in Latin America and enjoys an international reputation on their excellence of studies of the region. The U of C also hosts a salsa club and there are over a dozen salsa clubs in the city, many offering dancing lessons in Spanish. There are salsa schools and instructors such as Salsa De Cuba, Havana Cuban Dance Studio, Latin Soul, and the Latin Corner Dance Studio.
Latin American Resources in Calgary
The Calgary Police Service has responded to the importance of fostering goodwill and trust with the Latin community and created a specific section called the Caribbean and Latin Americas Diversity Resource Unit. As the police unit shows, Latino resources for all ages abound in our city. Calgary is home to the Hispanic Youth Resource Centre, the Miss Sun and Sand Beauty Pageant, and the Calgary Hispanic Senior Services Society (CHSSS), among many others. Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in NE Calgary offers services in Spanish. Stores serving the needs of the Latin American community and non-Latin Calgarians are thriving such as the El Bombazo Latino Market. And in the Heritage Market Place, there is a mini-strip of four Latin American stores, a market within the market; Kids Store which sells children’s clothes and toys and three places to get food - Colombian Flavor, UniMarket Latino, and Taqueria, El Mariachi Loco. Latin Americans are firmly entrenched in Calgary and are giving us a culture kick!
Latin American Restaurants in Calgary
Latin American eateries have exploded onto the Calgary dining scene in recent years. An incomplete list includes Bolero Fire Grill, Si Senor Pizza Corp, La Pachanga Latino, Blue House Cafe, La Casa Latina Restaurant, Fantina, and Rincon Latino. Most not only offer tapas dishes but dancing and/or Latin entertainment.
Latin American Festivals in Calgary
Speaking of dancing, Fiestaval Latin Festival made its debut in Calgary in 2007 and had over 25,000 attendees. Fiestaval’s mission every July is to give people the opportunity to experience Latin American arts, rhythms, and flavours. Jennifer Rempel and Christian Greiffenstein, a transplanted Colombian, helped organize the event and Greiffenstein has been surprised by the festival’s success. “We were thinking it would be a small festival but people seem to like the Latin American culture. Outdoor festivals are a big part of Latin American culture so that’s a big component. A lot of people go to Fiestaval and realize it is amazing. ‘Look at the music and this fantastic food. I’ve never had this before.’ Attendees realize that our city is a beautiful thing and Latin Americans are a part of it.” Fiestaval was even more successful in 2008 – Greiffenstein estimates attendance around 45,000 people.
Fiestaval is not the only Latin American shindig in Calgary. The Latin American Literary Association of Calgary hosted the Night of Artist Hispanoamericano to celebrate artists from Latin American countries. Expo Latino is a three day festival held at Prince’s Island Park and includes live bands, a food fair, beer gardens, art market, and dancing; it’s been held every year since 2002. There are numerous Latin dance parties featuring bands and orchestras from Latin America. As Aramburu points out, “The aspect of arts and entertainment such as the Latin Festivals, concerts, and bands in restaurants just make Calgary more lively and cultural. Music is a big part of Latin culture.”
Latinos in Calgary
How has the Latin American culture meshed with Calgarians? It appears to be a relatively smooth transition. Aramburu shares his thoughts, “I would say, generally speaking, Latinos are well accepted by Calgarians. Calgarians want to know more about Latinos and they take an interest in the culture.”
Greiffenstein is happy with how Calgary has embraced his culture and says the worst that happens is, “Sometimes we get a weird look because we are having fun dancing or something but that is okay, that’s part of life.”
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
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