THUNDER BAY — Bato’o is an annual event that allows guests to travel around the world in just one evening.
The multicultural event, hosted by The African Boutique, was held on Saturday evening at the Da Vinci Centre, for it's third year.
“Today, we have food from Cameroon, from Afghanistan, from Italy, and we also have food from Canada and we also have a few local vendors,” said Liliane Breiland, organizer of Bato’o.
Breiland said there is lots to experience at Bato’o.
“What we're expecting today is that fabulous fashion show. You're going to see models rocking the runway with diverse costumes and clothes, and we also have local entertainers that are going to entertain us during the evening, which is what made the difference on how the event is taken by the community.
“Here is the third year, and you can see everybody is so happy to come back because they want to travel around the world and they want to see this vibe,” she said.
Breiland, who is the owner of The African Boutique, said Bato’o is important, especially as a newcomer.
“I came here in 2016. From 2016 to now it's something different.
“The demographic is growing and so many people are coming from diverse countries. It's a way to celebrate the togetherness, it’s a way to show what we can all bring as culture from each part of the world and just celebrate it in one evening.”
The African Boutique, Perfect Fit Lingerie, Little Mermaid, Mamakeesick Roots, Sister Bear Designs and Loop Clothing all had models walking the runway.
There were also multicultural performances by Dame Más Dance, Djembe drumming, World Cultural dance and more.
“It has been growing, because we started at Goods and Co., and we moved up at Moose Hall and because the capacity was growing, we came this year at Da Vinci Centre so we can have a bigger room,” she said.
“I'm thanking the community of Thunder Bay who has always been supportive on everything that we do.”
