A colorful captivation of music, food and pure talent – that was the theme of Stenden University’s cultural day. The annual event organized by the Student Representative Council, better known as SRC, the students proudly showcased their countries’ culture, music, dance and food. The countries represented were Qatar, The Netherlands, Egypt, Lebanon, India, Pakistan, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Germany South Africa and Costa Rica. Each stall competed for the prizes of best decoration, best hospitality, best food and were backed by performers who gave their best during a talent show. The talent show opened with Farhan Al Suwaidi who gave a beautiful guitar rendition and paved the way for his colleagues, the stage was truly on fire and it only got better and better with each performance! India had its share of the spotlight: the Indian community at Stenden started with a fashion show displaying the different traditional outfits of each region, and later demonstrated the true Bollywood spirit with a colorful dance performance. The Middle Eastern nations were represented by Mohammad Daibes and his friend Suapi who rapped in honor of Lebanon. Lebanese singer Jamal Mansour gave a special tribute himself while the students danced the Dabkeh to the powerful melodies. Hailing from Syria, Ahmad Abaisad’s beat-boxing had the audience stunned and sent to their feet. Everyone, irrespective of their nationality, was dancing. Qatari graduating senior student, Abdullah Al Ghanim, left the audience laughing and asking for more with a satirical one-man-show that set light on the differences between men and women. Abdul Rauf gave a unique performance with his guitar honoring the Costa Rican love of music. Finally, the MC’s of the evening, Lynn and Mohamad, announced the last performance, Pakistani band ‘Raakh’ (Ashes of Life). When the four members stepped on stage, little did they know that their performance would mark the best part of the evening. Their heart-warming performance made all students. Regardless of their nationality, stand up and join them in singing and dancing. It did not matter what the lyrics meant. It did not matter where they came from. They just stood together and displayed a beautiful message of tolerance that showed how easily we can get past cultural differences and language barriers and simply have a good time together. The successful evening ended with the winners of the talent show receiving their prizes and the students filming a ‘Harlem Shake’ video. - ILQ News -

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