‘Murisanga’ seeks to celebrate the multitude of cultures, languages, and ethnicities that make up the community of Lethbridge. The work highlights the term “Welcome” or similar translations in various languages, including Kiswahili, Dari, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, Tigrinya, and Malay. Grace Wirzba works with newcomers to Canada and has found the process of practicing simple phrases and basics of the many languages rewarding and bridging. In Grace’s words, “There will always be a huge emphasis on newcomers learning English, the least I can do is learn the basics of their home language. Some of my favourite moments with newcomers have been me attempting to learn their language, them teaching me, and me being bad at it! It’s often full of laughter, generosity, and warmth.” In this work, Grace looks to highlight the diverse languages of newcomers who have arrived in Lethbridge in the last number of years.
To have the words of welcome woven into the quilt imagery seeks to integrate the languages into the fabric of our community. Having the work located on 13th Street North is especially poignant, as 13th Street continues to grow and expand with restaurants, grocery stores, and places of worship that expand the culture of our community. Grace would like to thank friends, clients, and local interpreters for helping ensure the accuracy of this project.
