Tuesday, 14 November, 2017

The University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) recently celebrated its rainbow of nations with students and staff during the annual Multicultural Festival at its campus in Dubai Knowledge Park. UOWD’s student body comprises of more than 3,700 students from 108 nationalities, representing a true culture of diversity. The three-day festival commenced with a flag parade, bringing together hundreds of students, staff members and members of the UOWD Board, to celebrate the traditions and cuisines from the various nationalities. The festival included activities such as henna painting, a food festival featuring authentic food, cultural performances and interactive performances from the Dubai Drums group. The students had the opportunity to showcase their ethnic backgrounds through cultural exhibitions featuring the flags, imagery, artefacts, paintings, photos and costumes of their home countries with prizes awarded to the most informative, traditional and creative stalls during the festival finale. “The Multicultural Festival enables us to meet different people and to get to know more about their cultural backgrounds, such as their traditional clothing and cuisines”, commented Ahmad Milad, a second year Bachelor of Business Administration student from Afghanistan. Carl Risk, a third year International Business student from Lebanon said: “This event unites different cultures under one roof and it enables us to better understand each other. It just feels great and such an honour to be a part of this event”. The festival concluded with cultural performances, fashion shows, prize giving ceremony, a DJ Performance (Carl) with a Mexican Wave and Mannequin Challenge. The UAE has developed its own unique cultural identity due to its diverse multicultural society. Only 10% of the UAE’s populations are UAE nationals and the remainder is made up of expatriates. Despite the multicultural society, residents seem to coexist without much conflict. UOWD is very fortunate to be home to such a diverse cohort of students. The winners of MCF 2017 are: Stall competition First Place: Afghanistan Second Place: India Third Place: UAE Fourth Place: Egypt & Yemen FIFA Tournament First Place: Ibrahim Tambal Second Place: Benji Third Place: Valencio Fernandes Lucky Draw winners (National Dress) (Gift Vouchers worth AED100 each from Burjuman Shopping centre) Swarnima Chaudhury, Abdul Rehman, Parth Salian and Pratha Gupta