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Above: Student bands kick off Multicultural Week 2005 in the Student Centre |
Multicultural Week, one of the most anticipated events of the year at York’s Keele campus, will begin next week. The four-day shindig, celebrating the diversity of York students, kicks off on Monday, Feb. 5.
The goal of the event is to provide students a platform for cultural expression and an opportunity to educate themselves about other cultures. Most importantly it brings everyone under a common umbrella to enjoy food, music, dance and other arts from all around the globe.
The opening ceremony will be held Feb. 5 in the red-carpeted CIBC Lobby of the Accolade East building, followed at noon by the Multicultural Parade. The York Samba squad will be one of several bands to march around the Keele campus to kick things off.
Once everyone has worked up an appetite, the parade will end at the Multicultural Food Fair at 1pm in the basement of the Underground at the Student Centre. Participants will get a chance to indulge their appetites with tasty delights from various parts of the world.
Scene from the 2006 Multicultural Week
Tuesday, Feb. 6, the Cross Cultural Workshops, where students can sample other languages and take in the Global Fashion Show, will be held at the Student Centre from 10am to 3pm. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to say a few words in Spanish," said Anas Saiyid, a third-year accounting major. “Cross Cultural Workshops give me a chance to do that and more in only a day." The fashion show will be held in the centre of the Food Court while the workshops will be held upstairs.
“Multicultural Week, for me, has always been the most exciting week of the year,” said Farhan Ali, York is U signature events director and a major in human resources management. “Ten months of tireless dedication of the MCW team is about to be staged and, as much as I am biting my nails in anticipation, I am sure of its massive success. All eyes in Toronto will turn to York for the week of Feb. 5."
Feb. 7 to 8, the Global Village exhibits will showcase the best from all over the world with more than 50 York cultural groups represented in the CIBC Lobby.
Member of the York Ukrainian Students Club at 2005 event
On Feb. 8, in the new Sandra Faire and Ivan Fecan Theatre, Accolade East, dozens of student cultural organizations will perform their hearts out on stage to help York students celebrate diversity. “I can travel the world in a matter of hours; stage shows are the crown jewel of the festival,” said Reta Franci, a fourth-year psychology major at York.
Students attending the event will receive a “Passport to the World” in which they can collect stickers from each event of Multicultural Week. Those who gather the minimum number of passport stickers and submit their entry will be eligible to win prizes such as roundtrip airfare to Montreal, a desktop PC, one of several Apple iPod players and other prizes.
This story was submitted to YFile by Haider Nawab, York is U community outreach director.