International Club Festival Brings the World to H-SC
by: Basil Panton ‘11
Tables were set up all along the walls of Crawley Forum for the event.
On the afternoon of Friday, April 2, 2010, the campus of Hampden-Sydney College was quiet—a number of students had departed to their homes either to observe the Easter or just to spend the weekend with their families. The hall of Crawley Forum, however, was lit up with impressive exhibitions and cultural performances given by international students from this campus and others. The event that was taking place was the H-SC International Club’s 3rd annual International Festival.
Dubbed as “Celebrate the World,” the yearly festival lived up to its expectations. From the get-go at approximately 6:30 p.m. when the international students—from H-SC to Longwood University to Sweet Briar College—revealed their exhibitions, the celebration started with much anticipation. The unexpectedly large crowd quickly flowed from outside into the hall, and the atmosphere transformed into one of celebration.
As the patrons stepped into the hall and descended the stairs, the first table they came to view was that of Yonathan Tarekegne, a student from Ethiopia. At that table were costumes, carvings, and other memorabilia from Ethiopia. Yonathon’s explanation of the significance of some of the elements on the table enlightened the attendees of the festival.
Next, the patrons moved over to the right where they saw a showcase of Chile. The display was presented by Victoria Marshall from Sweet Briar College. The cards and printings of famous places and tourist attractions in Chile captured what the country on the eastern edge of South America offers. In essence, Victoria gave the audience an exquisite nutshell of Chile in only a little moment.
On the opposite side of Chile was Jamaica. The two representative students at this table were Osric Forrest and Basil Panton. Questions flowed in about the island nation, as people were curious about the politics, the attractions, and the food of this tiny island tucked away in the western shore of the Caribbean. While some found answers from the printings and other displays, others desired oral explanations, which were given to them. At this point, inside Crawley forum was saturated with a readiness for the traditional performances.
The performances began at approximately 7:10 p.m., some minutes behind schedule, and the crowd was buzzing with anticipation. The exploits of the international students came from a wide array of cultures and the students themselves came from as near as Longwood University to as far as the University of Virginia. One of the performances that kicked off the night was a musical rendition from Shannon Rivera of Longwood University. With her strong voice, Rivera gave a polished delivery. After her musical the excited crowd arose and thanked her with resounding claps.
The night continued with multiple dramatizations, acts, and demonstrations. But one of the highlights of the evening came from Uma Ayer of the University of Virginia. Giving meanings of love and care to her illustration of the Indian culture with breadth and class, Ayer put her all in a near ten-minute cultural showcase. From her traditional dance, there were also several interpretations. In the end, however, Ayer earned a standing ovation from almost all of the audience, which praised her style and routine. Needless to say, many in the crowd were astounded at her technical skills and the charm that Ayer brought to the night.
The crowd did not reserve its acknowledgement of art to this single performer: they also poured out some of their gratitude to our own Justin Smith. A native of the U.S., Justin has shown great interest in the International Club since his freshman year. Justin also has international experience from his semester abroad in Argentina, so it was no surprise that he gave four acts over the course of the night. Justin demonstrated his flexibility in the Brazilian Copoeira Demonstration, along with Hampden-Sydney student Jay Artiz, and underscored his musical talent in an African song. All his executions drew thunderous applause from the more than hundred-strong audience. By the end of the night, Justin’s last performance sent all to talking about how beneficial it is to have the International Club on our campus.
The crowd and the international club members agreed that the event was a success. With that large number of attendees, the club members are very grateful that some community members and students took the time to attend the festival. The exhibitions brought the world into one location and the performances “celebrated the world.” Though the festival is done, the International Club and students are still here. The International Club is adamant about “fostering relationship through cultural awareness,” and as such the club members will continue to hold a variety of events on our campus.
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