OSLO, Norway.- Thousands of miles from the Dominican Republic, a group of Dominicans decided that their traditions could serve a purpose beyond remembering the country they left behind.
The community organized around St. Olav Catholic Parish in Oslo and turned a Dominican-themed day into a fundraiser for an institution that is part of the religious and community life of the Norwegian capital.
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The event was promoted by members of the Association of Our Lady of Altagracia together with Father Joel Salas of St. Olav Parish. Yedimil and Manuel, representatives of the association, had previously appeared on Radio Latin-Amerika to invite both Dominicans and other Latin American residents of Oslo.
The event was held on August 9 at Menighetshus, also known as Kirkekafé, inside the parish located on Akersveien in central Oslo.
It was not simply a gathering.
Organizers offered a loppemarked—the traditional secondhand market found across the Nordic countries—along with Dominican food, traditional sweets, drinks, raffles and other activities. All proceeds were earmarked for the St. Olav Parish fund.
That detail made the event different.
Dominican food and traditions served as a bridge to support a Norwegian institution and welcome people of different nationalities. The invitation was not limited to the Dominican community; it was also extended to Oslo’s Latino and Spanish-speaking population and nearby residents.
Norway is not among the historic destinations of Dominican emigration. The Dominican presence there is considerably smaller than in the United States, Spain or Italy, making the effort of small communities to preserve ties among their members while integrating into their new home more visible.
In Oslo, that integration took a simple form: cooking, organizing a market, bringing families together and dedicating the proceeds to a common cause.
The story also shows a part of the Dominican diaspora that rarely makes international headlines. It is not associated with an arrest, an immigration problem or a tragedy. It appears organizing, collaborating and becoming part of the social fabric of the city where people chose to settle.
In that corner of Oslo, the Dominican flag needed no grand ceremony. It was present in the food, the conversations and, above all, in a community that found a concrete way to give something back to the country that is now also part of its history.
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