International students are ready for another colorful and tasty celebration of cultures around the world. They are preparing for the Festival of Diversity, a tradition of the International Student Club that brings dances, skits, food, and fashion on stage.
This year's festival is scheduled for March 29 and promises a trip "around the world in eighty minutes." (See calendar section for details.) A ticket includes the international dinner served before the show. Greek musaka, Bulgarian filo dough treats, the Indian dessert gulab jamun, and Mexican chilaquiles (a dish of fried tortillas and tomato sauce) will be among the delicacies prepared by the students. For instance, Fatumata Ngom FP of Senegal will cook yassa (a rice dish with chicken in lime sauce) to represent her country's culinary treasures.
Each continent is represented in the show, and international groups on campus, such as MHACASA and La Unidad, will share traditional poems and dances. Eight Filipina students will perform tinikling, a dance using bamboo sticks and requiring athletic dexterity. Two African dances will be headed by Angela Mbalu '98 of Kenya and Portia Siwawa '99 from Botswana. The show will also include a skit portraying typical Japanese life scenes in crowded urban trains, a Bulgarian dance called horo, and short speeches of historical figures from around the world, along with some surprises.
"We want to make it memorable," says Zia Nariman '98, cochair of the International Student Club. "The show is very popular, especially with faculty and area residents." According to Nariman, one local has been coming to videotape the show annually for the past decade.
The festival will also feature a fashion show of national costumes, accompanied by national songs. "This year we will look like real professionals," promises Bulgarian Nedialka Douptcheva '99.
After the show, there will be a party featuring international dance music in Blanchard Campus Center.
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