As the drums echoed throughout the ballroom of the Union, biochemistry sophomore Aakif Mdjalil took the stage along with a group Malaysian international students to perform a dance that once used to be performed in front of kings.
Mdjalil and his friends were performing a traditional Malaysian dance called Dikir Barat at the Global Festival on Sunday at the Union.
“I was nervous because it was my first time performing it in front of (an) audience, but it turned out to be fun,” said Mdjalil, who is in his first year at MSU.
The festival, which now is in its 24th year, offered students on campus and residents of the Lansing area a chance to explore cultures from around the world, said Peggy Arbanas, co-chair of the Community Volunteers for International Programs, or CVIP, which sponsored the event.
“We have more than 5,000 international students on campus and we have so many interesting people from around the world that have so much to offer to the MSU community,” Arbanas said. “It’s an opportunity to share with others but it’s also fabulous for us to allow kids to get exposure to different cultures.”
The event featured a world gift shop, where attendees could buy items donated from countries around the world. The proceeds will go toward funding scholarships for international students, Arbanas said.
Representing Pakistan, computer science and engineering graduate student Zubair Shafiq said the festival was a way to reach out and inform others about cultures they might not understand.
“For most people coming to an event like this, it’s the first and probably only exposure they’ll ever have to these specific cultures,” Shafiq said. “This is the opportunity to make a lasting impression on them for the rest of their lives.”
Shafiq also said being able to show others the similarities between cultures also helps in bringing people together.
“What people don’t realize is that a lot of cultures are actually very similar to others and this event gives people the chance to find those similarities,” he said.
Finance senior Ruslan Mursalzade, president of the International Students Association, said he liked that the festival gave students the opportunity to express their pride in where they came from.
“There are a lot of incorrect stereotypes out there and something like this is a great way to get people to overcome those barriers,” Mursalzade said. “Our goal is to make sure that everyone’s voice is heard here.”
In her second year in the U.S., social work graduate student Dasha Shamrova chose to go from Russia to MSU to study because it represented a warm and welcoming environment that respects different cultures.
“We have huge amounts of diversity here and this is one way that we can celebrate it,” Shamrova said. “It gives the chance to communicate in one universal language and it’s empowering to individuals to be able to share their culture with others.”
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