Afghan Village made its debut at Carrousel of the Nations this year, adding an Afghan cultural presence to one of Windsor-Essex’s longest-running multicultural traditions and offering visitors a glimpse of Afghanistan through its food, music, language, art, and hospitality.
The Afghan Village tent, set up and run by volunteers of Hindara Educational and Social Development Inc., was located at 850 Division Rd. alongside the Indian, Korean, and Iraqi villages.
Hamdullah Arbab, a renowned Afghan painter from Ottawa, welcomed visitors in the cultural display section of the tent, where he introduced Afghan artwork, handicrafts, and other cultural elements of the Afghan community.
In the hospitality section, visitors were served Afghan cuisine, including Kabuli Palaw, charcoal-grilled kebab, mantu, and other traditional dishes.
Mr. and Mrs. Yousafzai, visiting from Toronto, performed traditional Afghan music on the rabab and tabla, both on stage and inside the Afghan Village tent.
Some visitors celebrated their cultural roots, while others shared personal memories and emotions connected to Afghanistan. One woman, who had moved to Canada from Afghanistan decades ago, said she was deeply touched by the scene and felt as though she wanted to hug everyone in the tent.
Another visitor, a veteran who had served in Afghanistan in 2006, brought an album of photographs from his time there. He shared the photos with volunteers and explained the stories behind them as he passed them around.
Zamir Saar, one of the organizers of Afghan Village, expressed his gratitude to the Multicultural Council of Windsor and Essex County for providing the opportunity, saying, “It felt absolutely amazing to be at the heart of this cross-cultural exchange.”
Founded in 1974, Carrousel of the Nations is one of Windsor-Essex’s longest-running multicultural events and has been voted Ontario’s top festival for three consecutive years. Afghan Village was honoured to become part of this celebrated tradition and to contribute to its ongoing story of cultural exchange, community connection, and shared hospitality.