Oshawa's 2015 HotRoots Soups Festival began with a launch ceremony hosted by Core21 (21 Simcoe Street South).
Our Master of Ceremonies, Mr. Esrick Quintyn, was joined on stage by the lovely and talented Aku Dunyo Richter.
Aku Dunyo Richter arrived in Canada from Ghana in 1996. She came to Canada to join her Canadian husband, Conrad, who she originally met when he was travelling in Ghana a few years before. Aku and her husband continued to work at the family business, Richters Herbs, and lived in Uxbridge when they started their family. Durham has grown and the ethno-cultural makeup of many communities has changed since Aku first arrived. Last year, Aku danced for HotRoots. This year, Aku spoke about the transition from a small African village to the sudden isolation of life in rural Ontario and how she learned to cope.
Below are images of some of the artwork displayed at Core 21 on Feb 20 at the HotRoots launch.