GBI Students from all seven participant countries shared their traditions and heritage
July 12, 2017
It is a tradition of the GBI Program to host Culture Night, an evening of performance, dancing, conversation, food, and fun. While Arabic language and Muslim religion are factors that bind these seven nations in the MENA region, each country has a very distinct culture from the others. In the words of GBI participant Haajar El Hamdouchi of Morocco, “So different yet so united.” Culture Night gives each participating country a chance to prepare a 10-15 minute segment showcasing some of their favorite cultural aspects of their home country. Most of the students bring traditional garments with them to wear for this night.
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| Lilia Seba wearing serwal mdewer, Ahlam Aissaoui wearing karakou sweral chela, and Selma Benameur wearing karakou serwal mdewer – all traditional Algerian garments. |
Music and dancing are binding elements for GBI students, and many of the countries chose to showcase traditional dances. The Palestinians and Jordanians both danced the Dabka, Saudi Arabians performed the Khatwa, Tunisians danced the Mezoued, Egyptians demonstrated Raks Shaaby, and Algerians danced the Kabyle. It was striking to see that within each country, despite having grown up in different cities and towns, the students still knew how to sing and dance to the tunes of their national heritage.
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Ahmad Ladadweh leaps into dance, surrounded by the claps of his Palestinian country-mates.
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The event was not only pleasing to the eye and ear, but also to the taste buds – as the Tunisian team brought treats for everyone to try. Marwen Ayari brought homemade Tunisian Rfisa and Makroudh that his own mother made. Marwen says he realized that people love and appreciate cultural gifts, especially foods, so he decided to bring the treats 5,000 miles from his hometown to Bloomington. He said, “These sweets really mean a lot to me, and emotionally relate to many moments in my life since my mother would make them for us every Eid for over a quarter century.”
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| Many of the sweet Tunisian treats, including those homemade by Marwen’s mother. |
The GBIers were not the only ones to showcase performance, however. GBI staff members prepared a few segments to demonstrate a bit of U.S. pride and culture. Lead Program Assistant, Jelani Ince, performed his original poem called “Dichotomy.” This moving piece speaks of the contributions that Black men and women have made to the United States, while simultaneously facing prejudice and racism. Program Cultural Liaisons put on a comical but informative “hamburger taste test,” comparing and sharing about various fast food chains in the U.S. Lastly, the Program Assistants and Cultural Liaisons came together for a choreographed dance to a mash-up of some favorite American dance songs.
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GBI Program Assistants and Cultural Liaisons dancing to “Crank That (Soulja Boy)” in front of the GBI crowd.
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One of the most astonishing aspects of Culture Night occurred, however, after the technical “end” of the event. Once students were ushered out of the room in The Kelley School of Business, a spontaneous drum circle broke out in the courtyard. To the rhythm of a single tableh drum, the GBI students burst into song and dance. While regional accents sometimes make it hard to communicate when speaking, all the student were able to sing loudly and proudly in Arabic. The Kelley courtyard became a flurry of beating hands and feet, as GBIers hoisted one another off the ground and celebrated their rich heritage of merrymaking. In the words of Egyptian participant Mahmoud Abdelwahd, it was, “all the aroma, fragrance, and magic of the East combined in one place and at one time.”
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| Some of the students led sing-along chants, while others responded, danced, and cheered. |
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| Program Assistant Jacques Rozier entered the drum circle in an attempt to quiet students down but found himself hoisted up and welcomed to the dancing. |
This spontaneous demonstration of joy and culture was a serendipitous ending to Culture Night. Cultural Liaison, Allison Yates, summed it up well when she said, “No matter what each one of them presented about, you could see a depth of pride, spirit, and enthusiasm for sharing their love of their home countries with the group. I really enjoyed how throughout the night, I could sense small differences but many similarities between the dances and music throughout the region.” Culture Night served as an event not only for GBIers to identify cultural diversity and similarity, but more so to identify those elements that make us all human. In the words of Cultural Liaison, Alyssa Licquia, “The MENA students gave a lesson in how the celebration of diversity can enrich our lives by inviting everyone to embrace each tradition and by using inclusion to build friendships spanning the world.”
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| Seven nations; one GBI family. |
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