Stereotype-o’rama

Are some Folklorama pavilions missing the point?

LIAM BRENNAN

As the second week of Folklorama begins, thousands of Winnipeggers and tourists will be scouting out which new pavilions to attend. However, after visiting the Celtic Ireland Pavilion last week, I, for one, will not be attending another pavilion this year.

The problem is that while most pavilions are extremely organized and well-produced, right down to the food and dancing, there are those select few such as the Celtic Ireland Pavilion that seem to miss the point. While the dancers are fantastic as always, and the volunteers are as friendly as ever, there still exists a stereotypic air surrounding the pavilion of my homeland.

Contrary to popular belief, the people of Ireland are not all leprechauns with severe drinking problems who eat nothing but potatoes while singing, “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” But take one look at the Celtic Ireland Pavilion and this is exactly the kind of age-old stereotype that one can expect from an Irish exhibit.

The problem is evident right from the time you walk in, with a middle-aged man dressed as an overgrown leprechaun greeting you at the door. As if that weren’t bad enough, one is immediately served a plate of potatoes and carrots, and then pointed toward a makeshift “Irish pub” to pick up a pint. While you are attempting to take in this so-called Irish experience, dated drinking songs are played over the audio system before the dancers perform a watered-down version of Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance.”

While the dancing is extraordinary and very entertaining, it’s hard to believe that while other exhibits such as the Korean Pavilion display traditional drumming and martial arts displays, the only Irish cultural tradition presented is Riverdance. Surely there is more to my heritage than these pigeonholed characteristics. It’s actually amazing that there aren’t pictures of Colin Farrell and Liam Neeson draped on the walls.

Then again, that might be as close as they come to referencing Michael Collins and the Irish revolution of 1919.

This is certainly not the case for every pavilion involved in Folklorama, or the select few I have been privileged to visit in the past week at the very least.Imagine heading out to the Cuban Pavilion and being handed a cigar and a beret, or attending the Greek Islands Pavilion and dancing to the soundtrack of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. No one would tolerate such a display.

But why do we allow this to happen? People leaving the Celtic Ireland Pavilion will surely depart with these stereotypical views associated with Ireland firmly implanted in their minds. Yet this impression of Ireland could not be further from the truth. Take a trip to Donegal or Dublin and you might just be surprised to find that there is an abundance of culture and history ignored by the pavilion.

Of course, the shows are a mere 45 minutes long, and cannot and should not attempt to give a succinct account of the past, but as an Irish descendent I would hope that visitors to the pavilion left with a true sense of what it actually means to be Irish. This might include a mention of the troubled history and prevalent spirit of the Irish people, and perhaps a look at our tremendous sporting history.

Unfortunately, this is not the case and those attending the second week of Folklorama will be met with yet another Ireland Pavilion that boasts about its entertaining leprechaun on the Folklorama website. Surely the organizers of each pavilion could come together at some point in the future and work to build a truly amazing “Ireland Pavilion” that displays several different aspects of Irish culture without resorting to leprechauns.