OKGN MELA – A festival celebrating South Asian cultures and identities

The first South Asian arts festival of its kind is coming to the Okanagan this Saturday!
OKGN MELA will be transforming Lake Country’s Creekside Theater into a one-day festival withyoung artists celebrating South Asian cultures and identities. The event will have musical andpoetry performances, an art gallery, a market featuring local vendors, and food and drinks fromlocal businesses.
The festival will feature 10 artists from Western Canada. Punjabi singer and poet Robyn Sandhuwill be headlining the musical performances alongside Kelowna’s singing brother duo, theKandola Bros and Vancouver based artist RAANI.
Named a “rising star” by Vogue Magazine, B.C. author and poet Jasmin Kaur will be performingpieces from her poetry collection along with poet Kiran Sandhu.
The art gallery will focus on themes of migration and identity with popular digital illustratorRavina Toor who along with Harneet Chahal completed one of the first murals in Calgary torepresent the South Asian community. The art gallery will also feature artists Gurneet Chahal,Gurpreeth Singh and Gagan Sandhu.
“Growing up, we never saw ourselves represented in traditional art spaces. Festivals likethis allow us to celebrate our art and tell our stories,” says artist Harneet Chahal.South Asians have had a large community presence in the Okanagan since the 1900’s andOKGN MELA is excited to celebrate the rich culture and artists from this community.The event will take place from 3:30 PM to 9:00 PM on Saturday September 17, 2022 atCreekside Theater in Lake Country. Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online.Tickets can be purchased online at:https://calendar.lakecountry.bc.ca/Default/Detail/2022-09-17-1530-OKGN-Mela