Mother-daughter team shares Ecuadorian culture for Langara Latin America Week

Reported by Cass Lucke

A mother-daughter duo taught Langara College students about their Ecuadorian heritage and the importance of discovering new cultures.

Colours of the Andes, a presentation by Dolores “Lolita” Gambroudes, assistant department chair of modern languages at Langara, and her mother Rosario, showcased stories, instruments and food from South America as part of the college’s annual Latin America Week.

“We are proud of our rich culture,” Rosario said, adding that they try to represent that pride in all aspects of life.

She also believes that Vancouver could gain a lot from her Latin American heritage.

Latin American Week is a way to encourage diversity on campus

“There’s a respect for diversity and nature that I wish people here would adopt,” Lolita said. “South Americans managed to maintain culture and diversity instead of one culture completely dominating the other.”

Students who attended the event said exposure to the culture helped to better understand themselves and society.

“The culture is so different from ours; I think the only way to learn more about yourself and our species is to explore all the different ways we interact,” Ayan Abdirahman, Langara social work student, said.

Jessie Smith, coordinator of Latin American studies and creator of Latin America Week at Langara, uses events like this to help students recognize the culture’s history, economics, politics and bravery against injustice, aspects she has always loved.

“A lot of Canadians think of Latin America as Mexico, but there’s a lot more to it than that,” Smith said. “Events like this, where we bring a little extra like delicious food, help make an important and interesting culture more prominent on campus.”

Smith hopes students will attend further multicultural events on campus and register for more Latin American studies classes. She feels that this will help students discover more about the world and the many cultures, communities and people in it.