Page 34 - QARANC Vol 20 No 2 2022

34 The Gazette QARANC Association
JHG-S International Day:
15 cultures, one unit
JHG South’s International Day in May was part funded by the Association and celebrated the cultural differences within the unit, reports Cpl Kwabenna Ntow.
May saw the welcome return JHG South’s International Day in May part funded by the Association and celebrated the cultural differences within the unit. POMT James and her team organised the event, which was our first since the pandemic.
Unity, inclusion, culture, and diversity were themes which shone through. All personnel should be treated equally, regardless of racial backgrounds and I strongly believe that the best way to do this is to acknowledge the diversity of cultures across the units.
The 15 countries represented at our event were: England, Fiji, Ghana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Malawi, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria, South Africa, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, Switzerland, Wales, and Zambia. Each country exhibited foods drinks and artefacts which were unique to their heritage and tradition.
Amongst the foods were Ghana and Nigeria’s famous jollof rice, Swiss chocolate, Fiji’s Kava drink, Jamaican rice and peas with curry goat, Ireland’s Guinness, Nepal’s Dal Bhat, Momo, Malawi gin, Caribbean Rum Punch and many others.
Speakers included Maj Stephan D’abreu-Hayling, the Army BAME Network Lead, LCpl Kanani RN the Race and Diversity Chair, and ex- soldier turned motivational speaker Samuel Reddy. According to Maj D’abreu-Hayling, the term BAME (short for black and minority ethnic) is outdated and the new multi-cultural network for the Army will take the place of the Army’s BAME Network.
We were pleased to welcome the Lord Mayor of Portsmouth Cllr Dr Hugh Mason and his Mayoress Marie Costa – he remarked it was the most “vibrant, dynamic and colourful” international
event he had ever attended in the city – and Commanding Officer (CO) Cdr McCullough showed slides of JHG’s functions, adventure training, and sporting events. She talked about her experiences of growing up in Ireland, and challenged everyone to address racism, stereotypes, discrimination, inclusion/exclusion.