ONE WHO SPEAKS ONLY ONE LANGUAGE IS ONE PERSON, BUT ONE WHO SPEAKS TWO LANGUAGES IS TWO PEOPLE.
‒TURKISH PROVERB
As a bilingual person, this has always been my creed. I actually enhance the proverb by adding, “One who appreciates only one culture is one person, but one who appreciates and understands and learns from more cultures becomes more than one person.”
In my various professional and personal life I’ve had the opportunity to participate in as well as plan, organize, and implement community events focused on multiculturalism and international awareness. These events have included but are not limited to the following:
Experiencing International Night market Atlanta
Last weekend my husband, my mother, my son and I decided to attend the Atlanta International Market Night at North Point Mall in Alpharetta, Georgia. It was a 3-evening cultural event, but I wasn’t able to go on Friday so Saturday became my target night. It was the first cool evening of the season and we weren’t prepare for the cool, brisk wind, but was glad that it wasn’t the 90 degrees temperature we had a few days prior. Thank God we are a family that keeps sweaters, jackets and coats in our car because of events we attend at conference centers, hotels and even because of the temperature in some of the restaurants.
The organizers of the night market said they designed the event “to showcase the foods, crafts, talents, customs, and people making Atlanta’s international community one of the greatest in the world.”
“Inspired by vibrant outdoor markets popular throughout Europe and Asia, night markets are social outdoor events where food, retail, and educational vendors offer a variety of fresh, local street foods, arts & crafts, and other culturally-relevant and family-friendly fare. These roving festivals would highlight unique finds, foods, wares, and entertainment that could be found nowhere else during the day.”
For the two weeks prior to Market Night and even while there, I couldn’t stop my mind from trying to brainstorm the name of a book that best complimented the inspirational evening. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to think of one. I checked out the library and still couldn’t find what I was looking for, probably because I didn’t have a title in mind. Then today while unpacking some boxes that had been stored for years, I found the book that spoke out to me upon sight, People written and illustrated by Peter Spier in 1980.
I love this book and wholeheartedly and emphatically recommend it to all age groups. Below is a reading of the book. This version is a different version from mine because on the second paragraph of the first page my book reads, “There are now over 4,000,000,000 human beings on earth,…” in the version read below it states, “There are now over 6,000,000,000 human beings on earth,…”
Further differences come in the third paragraph where my book reads, “By the year 2000 there will be 6,000,000,000 people on earth. If we all joined hands, the line would be 3,805,871 miles long and would stretch 153 times around the equator.” In the version below it reads, “By the year 2050 there will be 9,000,000,000 people on earth. If we all joined hands, the line would be 5,708, 806 miles long and would stretch 229 times around the equator.”
Another difference in the two versions are the numbers in the fourth paragraph. The version below reads, “Or twenty-four times the distance to the moon. More than 6,000,000,000 people…” whereas the version I have reads, “Or sixteen times the distance to the moon. More than 4,000,000,000 people…”
As you can tell from the reading, this book is full of concepts that not only teach differences and tolerances, but which can also lead to understanding and appreciation. Spier did an outstanding job in his writing and illustrations to address everything from our outside appearances as it relates to size, shapes, colors, hair texture, clothing, to our characteristics, personalities, feelings, talents, skills, preferences hobbies and pastimes.
Spier included places to live, feast, holidays, food, religion, professionslanguages, hierarchies, ranks, grades, socio-economic classes, contributions, and history.
That is where I believe events like the Atlanta International Market Night makes their impact. The experience related to international food and food preparation, ethnic apparel, art, wares, music, dance, and entertainment was inspirational and impressive.
International Night Market Entertainment Schedule
Main Stage
Friday
Mahealani’s Polynesian Entertainment / Melon Drop / Simeon Felicien / Moksha / QingMu / DJ Ezzy / El Kartel
Saturday
Anh Ho / Daniel John / Diabolo / La Candela Company / Lunar – K / Lupita Sosa – Smith / Atlanta Persian Cultural Center / Claudia Castillo-Rosales / Hetal Mehta / Nicholas Lamontanaro / Taiwanese School of Georgia / Gergo Eles / Apu Inka / Morgan Garcia / Mexican Aztecas
Lantern Area – Chinese Acrobats
Friday – 7pm, 8:30pm, 10pm
Saturday – 7pm, 8:30pm, 10pm
Sunday – 5:30pm & 7pm
Sunday
DJ Ezzy / ROSA Atlanta / Chandra Dance Acadamy / Elysian / Amruta Giri / Nikki Brooks / Colibri / Indian Classical Dance Acadamy / Danske / Transcendance Band / Elizabeth Vicathep / Bharatha Darshana / Orquestra Taboga
VIP Stage
Friday – Performances from Latin America
Saturday – KPop Performances
Sunday – Caribbean Performances
International Cuisine
A new cultural experiesomence for 
An authentic dining experience
Cultural Opportunities in the International Village
Attendees headed to cafe area to eat 
Stopping by one of the market place stalls to look at jewelry
As we explored the market and village taking in the sights and sounds, enjoying the community, diversity and culture, we were inspired. The organizers did an exceptional job making sure that the festival offered something for everyone. They managed to address needs, interests and curiosities.
Although we didn’t attend the VIP tents for an extra cost, we were impressed by the opportunities afforded the attendees and with many the philanthropic intent. For example, on Sunday the VIP stage featured Caribbean performances. All proceeds benefited the recent victims of the Hurricane that was catastrophic for the Bahamas.
What a fun evening! This blog does not share a fraction of what we saw or what we did not experience. I had hoped to return on Sunday but was not able to return; however, thanks to other attendees, I am able to share some other pics and videos. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to attend this extraordinary event and celebrated my wonderful city’s community full of diversity, culture, and creativity, I enthusiastically wait until next year with the goal to attend on multiple days.
Get Engaged & Connected
- Learn songs from other cultures and if possible, perform in front of an audience.
- Learn cultural dances and if possible, perform in front of an audience.
- Become acquainted with multicultural and ethnic dances.
- Host an international fair. Invite guests. Involve people from multicultural groups and/or communities.
- Organize and host an international/multicultural expo. Involve people from multicultural .
- Interview people from other cultures.
- Create a multicultural/international fashion show. If you have people. from other cultures in your community, invite them to participate.
- Organize an International/Multicultural art/craft event.
- Host an International Night Pot Luck Dinner
- Visit an ethnic restaurant
- Make and/or create multicultural arts and crafts items, organize a market and sell the items.
