Culture dinner sells out; nationality booths added

Culture dinner sells out; nationality booths added

by Sneha Pradhan
The Wartburg Trumpet
March 20, 2007

Wartburg celebrated Culture Week with the theme “The world comes to Wartburg” this year. The main event featured cuisines, cultural exhibits and performances by international students from more than 30 countries.

The exhibits showcased 25 countries and the performances included traditional dances and songs from more than 12 countries. The Wartburg International Chorus, a choir for international students, sang the Wartburg Loyalty song and “We are the world” with the audience.

“Even though it’s Culture Week, in a sense it’s international week,” Kevin Roiseland, director of international programs, said.

An Indian movie, “Ashoka,” along with two documentaries based on human rights violations, called “Between Two Fires” and “Outlawed,” were shown by Americans for Informed Democracy. International students also painted the windows of the student center with facts about other countries.

“As international students, the best we can do is to show a portion of our culture and practices,” Ashenafi Mamo, president of International Club, said. She also said the performances and different foods help people understand cultural differences.

Pastor Ramona Bouzard conducted a worship service for culture week. Kathy Traetow, office coordinator for the global and multicultural studies office, also spoke.

Culture Week attracted more than 200 guests from the community and the college. The host families of international students usually make up the majority of the guests.

“Sometimes the broader community is so much more enthusiastic than the domestic students themselves,” Roiseland said. “I think because there are lots of families, there is an ulterior motive. They want their kids to be introduced to different cultures, and this is one of their best ways to have their kid’s mind opened up.”

According to Roiseland, the college has been supportive and would like to see more events promoting different cultures. However, he also pointed out that people are not “really hospitable in the international sense.”

“Sometimes we are afraid of offending people and how they are going to react. We do not want to take that risk. That’s not a bad thing to be afraid of offending a person,” Roiseland said. But it can be misinterpreted as a lack of interest or dislike of the person, Roiseland said. “You don’t want to make a mistake, but you also don’t want them to think I’m taking an interest in them just because they look different.”

Culture Week was sponsored by the International Club and the international programs office.

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