Community enjoys Diwali and Cultural Festival

October 10, 2013

Community enjoys Diwali and Cultural Festival

Threatening clouds didn’t dampen the enthusiasm of those attending the Albany campus Diwali and Cultural Festival on Wednesday.

Students, staff and members of the local community flocked to Student Central to sample food from numerous stalls, try out different activities and enjoy the stage performances that took place across the day.

Albany campus registrar Andrea Davies says the festival reflects the diverse community that now lives on the North Shore.

“The diversity amongst Massey University’s students and staff reflects the wider Auckland community, and we’re delighted that we can share different aspects of each other’s cultures through food, art and performances.”

Professor Peter Lineham welcomed attendees to the campus, followed by a traditional Bollywood performance.

Cultural groups and performances included Glenfield College Bollywood dancers, Vietnamese students, a Chinese seniors dance group, the All Star Infinity Cheerleaders, a Korean tea ceremony and several singers.

People could also try their hand at Weetbix-eating contests, a Diwali-themed scavenger hunt, traditional name art and henna body art.

Student life co-ordinator Sarah Francis says the festival was a great opportunity to experience other cultures.

“It was great to see so many members of the community mingling with students on campus, sampling the food from all the different food stalls, and enjoying the performances. It was so colourful and everyone had great fun, despite the weather.”

The audience was mesmerised by performances by six-year old dancer Medha – who performed several dances. Festival organiser and Albany campus librarian Tom Vadrevu says Medha has been dancing since the age of three.

“She goes to an Indian dance school, but she has so much natural talent she’s ahead of all the others in her age group.”

Radio Humm FM was on hand to support the festival, playing music for the performers and in the breaks.

ENDS

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