Celebrate diversity with CultureFest
By Malka Jampol · The Johns Hopkins News-Letter · November 6, 2003
With your head buried in a textbook on B level since the beginning of the year, you probably have not had the chance to notice and appreciate the diversity of the student body here on the Homewood Campus. However, if you were to crawl out of the depths of the MSE and look around, you might become aware of the many cultures and races represented in the students at Hopkins.
JHU boasts an undergraduate population composed of 20% Asian students, 5% African American students, 4% Hispanic students, and 3% American Indian students.
In addition, Hopkins has many active religious and cultural groups including the Jewish Student Association (JSA), the Hindu Student Council (HSC), the Muslim Students Association, and numerous churches and Christian groups.
Despite the presence of many different religions and cultures on the Homewood campus, some believe that students can be largely apathetic and uneducated about those different from themselves.
"I think a lot of people here are naive when it comes to religion and culture other than their own," said junior Alethea Duncan. She believes that students tend to limit their involvement in cultural and religious activities. "People tend to segregate themselves based on their own cultural experiences," she said.
As Co-Chair of CultureFest 2003 along with junior Erik Espinosa, Duncan hopes to change this. "We hope to bring light to the differences and diversity (in the student body) at Hopkins," she said.
CultureFest is an annual event at Hopkins that has been celebrated since its inception nineteen years ago. It seeks to unify the community in diversity and to celebrate different cultures.
This year's theme is "Understand, Embrace, Celebrate." CultureFest is scheduled to begin on November 6th and run through November 15th. "Our goal is to promote the appreciation of other cultures," Espinosa said.
The opening ceremonies in the Glass Pavilion on November 6th, will feature speakers such as Dean Boswell, Dean of Student Life, and Sharon Kugler, the University Chaplain. There will also be performances by student groups including Capoeira, a Brazilian dance team.
There are many exciting events planned for the following week. On Friday, CultureFest and the Resident Advisory Board are cosponsoring performances at Coffee Grounds, which will feature Misamerica, a JHU campus band and tribal world music by Naked Jungle. The CultureFest show in Shriver at 7:00pm on Saturday will showcase over fifteen student solo and group performances including belly dancing, fan dance, and even erhu (Chinese stringed instrument) playing.
Espinosa hopes that the different events will educate students about the different cultures and religions present on the campus. "We aim to have many clubs and religious groups participate to educate the community about the different cultures on campus," he said.
On Sunday, movies including hits such as Monsoon Wedding and No Man's Land will be playing all day at the Arellano Theater, McCoy, and the AMR multi-purpose room. Monday's event in the Great Hall of Levering at 7:00pm will be a workshop on Sankofa African Dance sponsored by the Black Student Union and the African Students Association. The dancing will continue on Tuesday with the Indian Classical Dance Show in Shriver at 7pm.
CultureFest features three large events on Wednesday, November 12th. During lunch, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Center for Social Concern, and the Office of Special Events will sponsor a concert by KR3Ts, a band that blends together ballet, tap, jazz and many more styles of dance and music.
After the concert, the CultureFest International food court will feature free food in the Glass Pavilion from 5pm-7pm provided by over fifteen cultural and religious groups. "I'm so excited for the international food court because we will have many different religious and cultural groups bringing different food and a live steel band," said Duncan.
In addition, the MSE Symposium along with CultureFest and the Student Movement for International Relief (SMIR) are sponsoring an event featuring President Nelson R. Mandela, a Nobel Peace Laureate and former president of South Africa as well as the African National Congress. Nelson will speak to students and members of the community via telecom.
"By having President Mandela speak to Hopkins, we are taking the school and the surrounding communities to the top in terms of exposure to great people and living legends of our time. There is no question that his (Mandela's) life has been a symbol of beating odds and challenges, and he will undoubtedly be an inspiration to students to fight for what they really believe in," said Saul Garlick, president of SMIR.
On Thursday, November 13th, the Caribbean Cultural Society's beauty pageant, "Faces of the Caribbean" will hopefully change the perception that all students at Hopkins are extremely unattractive. The Society hopes the pageant will show how many cultures can coexist and appreciate each other while maintaining their differences.
Ole and CultureFest will cosponsor Salsa Dance Lessons on Friday, November 14th in the Great Hall of Levering at 7pm. Later that night, E-live will bring a Reggae Concert in the Great Hall and in E-Level.
The Closing Banquet on Saturday, November 15th, will reflect upon the different experiences of CultureFest and will feature (for $10) authentic cultural cuisine and student performances. Duncan and Espinosa hope that if anything, students will learn from the various cultural activities and learn to become more aware of the diversity of the student body. "We want?people to learn something and to attend a great event," said Espinosa.