We Are Here

City: St. John's

Genre: Lifestyle

Join host Santiago Guzmán in We Are Here to discover how Newfoundland and Labrador has always been culturally diverse. Follow along as he visits local sights and interviews members of different local communities, highlighting the presence of immigrant people in our province with historical facts from our past.

To watch We Are Here:

If you are already a Bell Fibe TV customer, go to channel 1, or watch it on demand with the Bell Fibe TV App.

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Episodes

Episode 1- Mexico Lindo

Learn about the impact of immigration on our city as Santiago shares his journey all the way from Metepec, Mexico to St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. With invited guest, Cinthia Paulina Herrera Wozney (co-owner of Frida’s Riverside Café), he chats in his mother tongue: Spanish!

Episode 2- Quandong to St. John’s

Learn about the history of the Chinese community in St. John's as Santiago visits a monument that commemorates a notorious government head tax that they paid to live in Newfoundland and Labrador, following the story of the not-so-distant Chinese heritage of William Ping (Author) and Ken Pittman (Chef and Owner of Seto Restaurant).

Episode 3- Trading Salt Fish for Jamaican Rum

Explore the origins of Screech and its influence from Jamaica, as well as similar traditions between “the rock” and “Jam-rock”. Santiago meets Didan Ashanta (Resilience Strategist & Migrant Integration Expert), a local Jamaican/Newfoundlander and Labradorian to discover what she has learned in her time in St. John’s.

Episode 4- Traditional Fish and Ships!

Uncover the vast Portuguese heritage and their presence in Newfoundland and Labrador since the 16th Century. What has remained from those early fishing voyages? Shawn Silver (Artist) tells us the story of his grandfather, Antonio da Silva, who arrived at St. John’s from Portugal as a youth and never returned.

Episode 5- Making History

Discover the impact of Nigerian immigrants in St. John’s and their contributions in areas of food, social justice, and community advancement. Guests include Opeyemi Bamgboye (Masters Student), Christiana Emmanuel (Chef and Co-owner of AfroKitchen NL), Chioma Ezera (Vice President of the Nigerian Canadian Association of Newfoundland and Labrador) and Precious M. Familusi (Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter NL)

Episode 6- Fit for a Banghra Dance Class

We learn about some of the different religious communities from India practicing in our City- Hindu and Sikh- and their respective annual festivities. Featuring Akash Deep Singh (Dancer/Student), who teaches Santiago some “simple” Banghra dance moves.