By Felician Masumbuko

It was like being in New Delhi and watching a traditional show. It was the International Fiesta, a cultural show organized by the Buffalo State College’s International Students Organization, each year in April.

“It is another way to bring all international students together and make them feel like they were home,” said Wilkenson Fervilus, from Haiti, and the outgoing president of ISO.

According to Fervilus, the ISO takes a moment to present the culture, music, dance and food from all the corners of the world.

“We bring together the unity and internationalism through culture diversity,” said Sheetal Anand, from New Delhi, and a computer information system senior.

“We are different in cultures, but we come together as one,” said Sonia Vargas, from Honduras, a business administration major.

“It is a small way for us to convey a message of peace, understanding, warmth and love,” said Jean F. Gounard, director of International Student Affairs.

“It’s a way to get a taste of what is around us,” said Vargas, “a way to appreciate your cultures through others.”

According to Vargas, the fiesta helps people understand the world’s cultural diversity.

“I am carrying on the traditions and am doing my share of educating people around me about different cultures,” said Nedim Slijepcevic, from Bosnia and Herzegovina and a senior in CIS at BSC. He said that people get to know a country’s taste by the dish.

Preparations begun back in September and the ISO organized shows from almost each part of the world.

“All of us have something to share and to learn,” said Simeon Konan, from Ivory Coast, and a graduate student at BSC.

Preparations began with the following small presentations:

• Asian night
• African and Middle East night
• Caribbean night

Konan said that fiesta was considered a way to promote culture and to bring people closer.
The show was introduced by Daniel Velez, coordinator of Latino services at BSC, and Danielle Johnson, a graduate student at BSC.

Some of the performances were:

• An Indian dance called Cathak
• A Middle Eastern folklore dance
• A Punta dance
• “Mama is the best in the world,” a song that glorifies moms. It was performed by Chinese children Youth aerobic (they are all between three and six years old), they performed

The show started with different dances and the audience, almost 200 people, was introduced to different folklore dances and music.
Among the guests, there were:

• Muriel A. Howard, the president of BSC
• Hal D. Payne, J.D. vice president for Student Affairs
• Jean F. Gounard, the director of the ISO
• Eleanor Blackburn known as mother of all international students because of her never- ending help to the international students.

• cultures are us, 2001
• wide wild world, 2002

At the end of the show, people gathered in the student union for a taste of international cuisine.
Some of the foods were:

• Indian food
• Thai food
• Chinese food
• Greek food
• Latin American food
• Caribbean food.