DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver Zoo will celebrate Colorado’s Asian culture in a two-day festival next weekend.
As part of Asian and Pacific American Heritage Month, the Filipino-American Community of Colorado (FACC) is hosting the first-ever Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI+) Festival on May 14-15.
“The Zoo has a long, rich history of working with Asian communities to help save wildlife abroad, and reflecting a variety of Asian cultures in many of the animals and experiences here on our campus,” Senior Vice President for Conservation Engagement and Impact at Denver Zoo Erica Elvove said. “We’re grateful for the support of the Filipino-American Community of Colorado and the many other contributing organizations for their trust and partnership in putting this event together.”
The festival will highlight diversity through dance, music and art focused on the involvement and interaction of Colorado’s Asian community. Workshops include how to make jewelry, kites and origami from local experts and artisans.
The FACC, Korean Academy of Colorado, Spirit of Cambodia, Nguyen Thieu Buddhist Youth Association and Halau Na ‘Olapa Mamao E Malama Hula are major participants in the event.
“Denver Zoo is a perfect location to share the unique and rich tapestry of Asian culture with the community,” Domingo Belen, public relations officer for the FACC and executive board member of the Coalition of Filipino American Chambers of Commerce said. “The Zoo’s leadership has embraced the idea for this festival from the get-go, and its staff has worked with us every step of the way to turn this into what I think will be a very successful event.”
The Denver Zoo has worked closely with partners in Mongolia for more than 20 years to help protect endangered species and aided in increasing the population of the critically-endangered Tonkin snub-nosed monkey in Vietnam.
Several Asian species including elephants, one-horned rhinos, clouded leopards, small-clawed otters and more can be seen in their habitats at the zoo.
Source : https://kdvr.com/news/local/denver-zoo-to-celebrate-colorados-asian-community/
