In the midst of Gullen Mall today, various campus associations came together in a collective effort to commemorate cultural diversity at Wayne State University.
The 39th Annual Global Festival, formerly known as The International Fair, buzzed with many attendees. The weather cooperated with this annual outdoor event. It was warm, adorned with plenty of sunshine, blue skies, and some unruly bees!
Alecia Duncan is the student advisor and program coordinator for the Office of International Students & Scholars, also known as OISS. Duncan, 27, is a graduate guidance and counseling student.
“This is one of our biggest events,” Duncan said with a huge smile. “Over 4,000 students and community come to the Festival.”
Duncan is the main coordinator for the Global Festival. She chuckled as she expounded on her many duties for bringing the Global Festival to fruition.
“I have a check list of things,” Duncan said. “I do the press releases, the marketing; I order everything, I do the budgeting, spread the word and being the voice.”
There were 12 tents at the festival, each representing a country or culture. One or two campus associations shared tents as well. The main tent was decorated with many flags, representing countries all over the globe. The dances, musical and speech presentations took place under the main tent.
Rhythmic sounds of drums from one tent floated in the atmosphere. Chants in
native tongues went forth from another tent. Plenty of free literature from the Campus Bible Fellowship was neatly placed on their table. The OISS tent had many flyers about their upcoming events, which includes a Cedar Point Halloweekends trip on October 10.
The Slavic Club served up a hefty dish of kapusta and kielbasa, along with other Slavic dishes. Monica Szczerbinski, president of The Slavic Club, smiled cheerfully as she served pierogi. Pierogi is a dumpling filled with potatoes and cheese. “The Slavic Club has been a participant in the Global Festival since the beginning,” Szczerbinksi said.
The Mantra Yoga Club presented a menu filled with many options between samosa, vegetable biryani (rice), sandesh (milk sweet) and many other dishes.
Sara Mahmood is a student assistant for the OISS. “The Wayne State Campus is enriched in cultural diversity and students from all around the world,” Mahmood said. “For 39 consecutive years, the Office of International Students & Scholars has presented a fair which educates students about various cultures while celebrating diversity at the same time.”
Earnestine Lyons graced the audience with an Asian dance. Lyons, an international business student, was dressed in colorful attire with bold hot pink, green and gold. The audience cheered and applauded Lyons as she smiled and danced.
Sam Ilayan entertained the crowd with musical sounds of the dirbekah. The dirbekah is a drum designed in the style of a bongo. Ilayan, 19, is a member of the Arab-American Student Union, a new organization that just started this year. “We got a lot of people to join,” Ilayan said with regards to the Arab-American Student Union. “The Global Festival is pretty interesting, kind of fun.”
Indervir Sandhu has performed at the Global Festival for two years. Sandhu, 19, played the dhol, which is a type of drum. Sandhu belongs to the Punjabi culture and is into Sikh religion. “I absolutely love it (the Global Festival),” Sandhu said. “This is a great way to experience diversity.”
There were many giveaways and games played. Ford Motor Company played a pivotal role in being the major sponsor for the Global Festival.
Duncan gave kudos to the many people and organizations that assisted in organizing the Global Festival, including Chamu Gowrishankar, who sat as Chair of the event. The Cultural Diversity Council, a student group, also assisted OISS in organizing the event.
Managing the Global Festival was tedious, however Duncan enjoyed the experience. “We come to celebrate cultural diversity,” Duncan said. “This is our day to say that this is our voice.”
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