The Multicultural Center will be hosting this year’s Unity Fest on April 9 from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. in the University Commons. The event will offer free food and entertainment, as well as an opportunity for students to learn more about different cultures and languages.
“The Unity Fest is a program we’ve had for a long time. This year we’re calling it Unity Fest Showcase: World Languages and Cultures because we’re collaborating with different academic departments and student organizations,” explained Nathnael Tadesse, the assistant director of the Multicultural Center.
The Unity Fest will have several student organizations as well as academic departments and offices with tables during the event. There will be lots of activities as well as cultural displays and information about the organizations and departments at their tables.
There will be live music along with dance lessons and performances to showcase a variety of cultures. There will also be a fashion show to share the attire from many different cultures.
Some of the student organizations are also planning dance performances to share both the different cultural styles of dance as well as the corresponding dance attire from the cultures.
Food will be available from many cultures to offer attendees both the opportunity to try something new and to be able to learn more about the types of food and the cultures they come from.
“Just by tasting the food, you can learn a little bit more about the culture, about the history of the country, or about the individual person’s story too. So those are the kind of things we’re hoping that the campus will learn and really have an opportunity to connect with,” said Tadesse.
The Unity Fest will also be showcasing different languages, including sign language, Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean and more. There will be readings of short stories and poems as well as singing in these languages.
“My hope is that the whole campus will come out when they hear the music and see the dances. We have really rich opportunities here on campus that students bring in and that is also educating for others,” stated Tadesse. “We’re really trying to connect the whole campus through some fun and at the same time educational activities.”
