Hamdia Abdo and Selame BultoEthiopian-Canadian students Hamdia Abdo and Selame Bulto serve smiles — and traditional injera flatbread — from a display during the Celebration of Nations, Thursday in the CAW Student Centre.

Festival opens eyes to colourful kaleidoscope of campus cultures

The Celebration of Nations was a feast for the senses, Thursday in the CAW Student Centre, with sights, sounds, smells, and tastes from many lands on offer.

Hundreds of students, staff, and faculty enjoyed the cultural festival, which reflected the diversity of the UWindsor community with displays of artifacts and colourful dress, samples of foods and drinks, and musical and dance performances.

Anbuja Srikanthan, a second-year social work major, said the event gave her a chance to share her Sri Lankan heritage.

“No one really knows about our culture,” she said from behind a table staffed by members of the Tamil Student Association. “This booth will help us to spread the word about who we are.”

And Somali-Canadian Zaynab Mohamud welcomed the opportunity to counter what she called “negative misconceptions” about the east African nation.

“We are out here to give them a historical view of what Somalia is,” she said, distributing sweet pastries and tea to visitors.

“Peace for Pakistan,” with what organizer Ahsan Muhammad called a great team of volunteers, won an award for best booth.

See more images from the event on the UWindsor Facebook page.