On Friday night, Nov. 22, Weyerhaeuser’s lecture hall saw a massive eruption in participation, with the 39th International Festival (IFEST) bringing in thunderous screams, laughter and applause from both local students and international students alike.
Hosts Michael Majojo and Doug Fitzpatrick introduced the representatives from over 30 different countries such as Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Mongolia, American and Western Samoa, South Africa and Ukraine.
Each representative placed their country flag at the end of the stage, creating a huge rainbow-like wall of Whitworth-unified countries. The hosts described this bit as a “unity of togetherness.”
The festival displayed many performances from multiple countries, which mainly included cultural dances, music solos, singing and presentations. Participants were highly engaged during these performances. In one of the folk songs at the beginning of the event, students spontaneously began to start a light show with their smartphones. In another, an international student began rapping, which led participants to cheer wildly and call for a record label to take him in.
Near the end of the event, two brothers from South Africa performed a smooth, lounge-like guitar duet. Following this, a student sang a Mexican folk song for her own mother, then, another student sang a Bulgarian song, accompanied by a video of traditional Bulgarian celebration dances.
At one point during the event, a group of Arab students performed a skit, which aimed to compare the differences between an American and Arab wedding. The key differences? Arabs aren’t in a rush and feel that the wedding will start whenever it needs to start. In addition, they appear to get right to dancing and celebration, which may be perceived as less “formal” than the traditional American weddings that most Whitworth students may be used to. This skit ultimately highlighted the collectivistic culture that is present in Arab cultures.
Zora Anetor-Ebhabha made a presentation about Nigeria, which addressed different facts about the country. For instance, while there are roughly 500 languages in Nigeria, English is surprisingly one of the most common languages. Anetor-Ebhabha continued to discuss the three main tribes of Nigeria, which are the Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo tribes. She went over the distinctive styles, languages, food and clothing that each tribe has, adding that it is “expected” of people in Nigeria to outdress one another. She ended the presentation by encouraging participants to visit the country.
Students Debora Geneti and Deborah Teressa talked about Ethiopia, where they, alongside social and cultural contributions, highlighted the role the country had in the coffee industry. They said that coffee originated in Ethiopia, after a farmer noticed how hyper his goats became after eating “coffee berries.” After this discovery, the farmer shared his findings to some monks, who then discovered the effects of coffee, which has ultimately led to the multi-billion-dollar coffee industry today.
Split among the presentations and performances were some “breaks” provided by Fitzpatrick and Majojo. One notable game they created was called the “Australian slang quiz.” Participants were split between two teams, each team having two representatives. Trina Allen, the organizer of “IFEST,” said this was the first time the hosts have done anything like this. “We wanted to have more of an official MC interaction with the audience to break up the performances,” she said. There was lots of laughter, confusion and engagement, with the teams trying to figure out what terms like “Yeh nah the car park is choc a blockers” means in American English.
At the end of the event, students representing different African countries came together and performed an Afro Fusion dance, which is a mix of several styles across different genres. For Jordan Collins, one of the dancers, she said it was an immersive experience that allowed her to get in touch with her cultural background, despite being an American student. “It was a great experience being able to immerse ourselves in our own cultures, and to share it with other people,” she said, adding that the audience reaction to the dance was “sweet and heartwarming,” and that it opened the door to show students the abilities of their peers.
Joseph Vigil, a professor at Whitworth, said the atmosphere was grand and the event was unforgettable. “The entertainment was beautiful; The diversity of cultures that were displayed here was something to behold,” he said. “It was neat to see our students coming out and participating, giving voice to their cultures.”
After the event, Trina Allen affirmed that it is one of the loudest, most engaging and supportive spaces one can find on campus, all because of how embracing Whitworth is to diverse cultures. “I love to see these young people being proud of their culture, proud of their language, proud of who they are, and comfortable to share it here,” she said. “They know that they’re embraced and listened to and that’s huge.” This embracement ultimately ties into the heart of Whitworth, and the values it places on students. “Christian or non-Christian, the values and missions are in the mind and heart,” Collins said. She ended by saying she feels “really secure” knowing that these students are the future leaders of the world.
The 39th “IFEST” continued to bring love and energy towards the diverse cultures that embody the Whitworth community; there were a large variety of ways that this was shown in the event, and the festival will likely continue to move and inform students in the years to come. For Scott McQuilkin, president of Whitworth, “IFEST” and the international students that embody it are an irreplaceable and incredibly valued part of Whitworth and makes the school far richer and more meaningful.
As Scott McQuilkin said to the international students during the event: “Whitworth is a far better place with your presence.”
