A museum comes to life in AUC’s International Day
Under the theme of “A day at the Museum,” students from more than 27 countries celebrated a diversity of cultures and customs on campus at AUC’s 26th international day. Syria, Libya, Tunisia, Sudan, Qatar, El Salvador, Mexico, Italy, Scotland, Canada and many more offered glimpses of their culture, traditions, clothes, handicrafts, souvenirs and food.
“I enjoyed the Mexican booth this year. The Mexican culture is so rich and similar to Egypt, but unfortunately we do not know much about it,” said Sahar Ashraf, a graduate student.
An overwhelming amount of colors of costumes and decorations covered the BartlettPlaza, as students discussed among themselves the various traditions from the cultures that were present last Tuesday. President Lisa Anderson attended the event and participated with students at the beginning of the day.
The event kicked off at 1 pm with a parade of all the participating countries. International students participating in the event were dressed in traditional clothes, which reflected the theme of a museum.
“We brainstormed with students and we came up with the theme of presenting the ancient civilization of each of the participating countries,” said Sarah Saher, member of the International Student Affairs office.
The Egyptian booth was distinguished with the traditional clothes and jewelry such as earrings, bracelets, anklets, rings and beaded necklaces.
Representing the Nubian area, women wore dresses that had vertical lines and a transparent shroud over them. The dress was tight at the top and became loose around the ankles, while men wore trousers, shirts and vests.
“We were preparing for the event for a month now, but honestly I did not expect this big a number of attendants because it is a Tuesday and many students are not on campus,” said Rana Gouda, a participant representing Egypt.
The Moroccan representatives were dressed in white djellaba, a long and loose hooded gown that the people of the country wore over their normal clothing.
The Nigerian clothing was attention grabbing due to its unique and attractive style. Men wore a loose shirt that goes past the thighs and a traditional cap. A girl in their group, was dressed in a colorful and charming single-piece dress.
In addition to a traditional Egyptian dance by AUC’s Folklore group, performances included a show of Palestinian Dabke, Salsa, Sudanese, Yemeni, and Greek dancing.
“Few dances are not well practiced or organized, but I really like the overall performances, specially the Greek performance,” said Ahmed Ali, a business major.
Each country used a different way of reaching students and presenting their culture. Saudi Arabia offered Kabsa as its most traditional and well known food. Mexico focused on the clothes and appearance, flaunting large round hats called Sombreros. The Canadian booth offered free souvenirs and earrings imprinted with the Canadian flag.
The Sudanese booth used Henna to be more appealing, while the Egyptian booth focused on handmade accessories.
“The International Day is different this year. The idea of representing the ancient civilizations is brilliant and distinguishing,” said Nourhan Haffez, a student in the mass communication department.
