THE VISION
The One People Festival was born from a simple conviction: racism cannot be confronted by silence. It must be met with creativity, courage, and community. Set in the heart of Edmonton, this festival will bring people together through music, art, film, and food, not as separate audiences, but as neighbors, friends, and allies standing side by side.
The name comes from Lucky Dube’s timeless song “Different Colors, One People.” His words remind us that unity is not about erasing difference, but about recognizing it as strength. That same spirit shapes our vision. One People Festival is not designed to be just another event on the calendar. It is meant to be a gathering where cultures are celebrated, hard truths are spoken, and the joy of being together becomes its own form of resistance.
WHAT THE CITY OF EDMONTON HAS INVESTED IN
Racism cannot be confronted by silence. It must be met with creativity, courage, and community.
One People Festival is an annual, free, public gathering in Edmonton that brings people together through music, art, film, food, and dialogue. It is not designed as entertainment alone, but as a space where cultures are celebrated, hard truths are spoken, and shared joy becomes a form of resistance.
The City of Edmonton has committed $14,300 to support the One People Festival.
This public investment affirms:
the festival’s relevance to Edmonton’s anti-racism goals
its value as a community-led cultural initiative
its credibility and readiness for broader partnership
With City support secured, Vision de Loin is now inviting corporate and community sponsors to help complete and grow the festival’s impact.
THE SOURCE OF THE IDEA
The idea for the One People Festival is rooted in both the Vision de Loin Chair’s personal experience and generational reflection.
As a person born with albinism in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, he has lived the sharp edge of discrimination. He knows what it means to be marked as different before speaking a word, and to carry a body that becomes a symbol for other people’s fears and myths. Those experiences have given him not only scars, but also conviction that racism and discrimination cannot be met with silence. They must be answered with courage, creativity, and community.
At the same time, he believes that each generation is the harvest of what was planted before it. The choices, values, and silences of one generation shape the world inherited by the next. Racism, left unchallenged, becomes part of that inheritance. But so can resistance, art, and solidarity. The One People Festival is an act of planting music, dialogue, and stories that can become the seeds of a more just future.
This is why the festival exists. It is not only an event for Edmonton, but also a response shaped by a life lived across continents, carrying both the pain of exclusion and the hope of unity. It is a way of saying that the next generation deserves better soil to grow in, enriched by celebration, courage, and the unwavering belief that, in the end, we are different colors, one people.
THE FOURFOLD PURPOSE OF THE FESTIVAL
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First, to celebrate the beauty of cultural expression, giving artists a stage where their voices speak directly to the struggle against racism.
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Second, to create spaces where honest dialogue can happen. Where people listen as much as they perform, and where communities can reflect on what anti-racism truly looks like in daily life.
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Third, to put youth at the center, not as an afterthought but as leaders in shaping a future different from the past, while ensuring that the wisdom of elders grounds and guides them.
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And finally, to foster collaboration among organizations, artists, and communities, recognizing that combating racism is not the task of one group alone but of an entire city, walking together.
The One People Festival is more than a celebration. It is a call to action, wrapped in song, story, and shared meals. It is where hope meets responsibility, and where Edmonton can show what it truly means to be different colors, one people.
Let’s Work Together
Get in touch so we can start working together.
