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Ethnic Village finding gold
Games have brought plenty of good will
By Jerry Johnston
Deseret News staff writer
Being a winner at the Olympics is a feat. And Utah's ethnic communities count themselves among the fortunate. The Games haven't been a financial windfall — yet. But from a public relations standpoint, they have been golden.
"It's been all we hoped it would be," said Gerry McTernan, executive producer of the Discover Navajo Pavilion. "There have been no shocks, no surprises. And the pavilion has been a 'must see' of the Cultural Olympiad."
Like Salt Lake City, McTernan says, the Navajo Nation will have to take a wait-and-see attitude about business dividends down the road, but for now he calls the exhibit "a public relations coup." Already the cities of San Diego and Scottsdale have shown interest in bringing the Discover Navajo pavilion to town, and McTernan is still upbeat about taking the show on the road to Europe.
"Navajo businesspeople have handed out a lot of literature," says Malcolm Benally.
Over at the Ethnic Village, success is being measured in different ways. At one point it looked as if the village might be forced to close up shop, so just getting through the Olympics has been a victory of sorts. And despite a fire, a temporary loss of utilities and other mishaps, those involved say just achieving a higher profile for blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Pacific Islanders and American Indians has been worth the headaches.
"It's been good for the Tongan community," says Sione Kaisa Lui, president of the National Tongan/American Society. "They have been able to share their culture with visitors and the local people."
The islanders' biggest hit?
"I think the food," says Lui. "People have really enjoyed the island dishes, things they expect to find in Honolulu but not here."
The Ethnic Village is still scrambling to meet the demands of creditors, but large crowds during the week have helped with donations and given NAPAH, the sponsoring organization, a shot in the arm.
Marvin Jones, black vendor, says the experience has been "very positive" and has given him a good feeling about future business ventures.
As for the Hispanic community, many Latinos feel they took it on the chin just before the Games when undocumented workers were arrested at the Salt Lake City International Airport. And a hastily planned strike never did materialize. But despite a bitter aftertaste, many Hispanics feel the Games will eventually prove to be a boon.
Martin Torres, the new Mexican consul in Salt Lake City, arrived in town the day before the opening ceremony. But over the past two weeks, he has seen some positive signs.
"For my part, I can say the Olympics have been helpful," he says. "The team from Mexico has allowed people with Mexican roots to feel a lot of pride. And I would assume it is the same for the teams from Brazil and Argentina. I think just the injection of activity in Salt Lake City has been positive and will have a long-term benefit for the economy."
In other words, if good will, new friends and a positive experience can be counted as gains, Utah's ethnic communities have found, when it comes to the Olympics, all the glitters is not necessarily gold.
E-mail: jerjohn@desnews.com
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February 22, 2002
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