A JAPANESE FESTIVAL: Senior Prof Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff being briefed by a student on the Japanese Obon Festival.

ORANGE UPRISING: Foo Chee Wei (Standing, far left) and his team in front of their Battle of Orange booth that celebrates the downfall of a 13th century north Italian tyrant.

IRISH EXPERIENCE: Sidra from Iraq explaining the history of Ireland’s St Patrick’s Festival.

IRISH BELLES: UCSI students singing a traditional Irish folk song.

AHOY THERE: UCSI’s swashbuckling students at their Gasparilla Pirate Festival booth that celebrates the life of pirate José Gaspar.

KUALA LUMPUR: It was an education that they would remember for a lifetime as the first year students of UCSI University presented some of the most amazing festivals celebrated around the world for the University Life Showcase Day. 

More than 500 students participated in this event that featured over 50 booths, dances, sketches, and food representing famous international festivals. 

From booths celebrating the daring of a legendary pirate to commemorating the overthrow of a village tyrant, from Irish choral singing to Balinese Galungan dances, from Halloween cookies to kimchi, it was an extravaganza of sights, sound and taste. 

Organised by the University’s Centre of Excellence for Learning & Teaching (CELT), the module and Showcase aims to assist students in adapting to university life while learning the interpersonal skills that would be useful in the working world. Most importantly, with UCSI being home to more than 11,000 students from 80 countries, the Showcase aims to groom students to be global citizens with an appreciation for diversity. 

“UCSI is a microcosm of the world and we need to enhance our understanding of each other’s countries, cultures and lifestyles,” explains Senior Prof Dato’ Dr Khalid Yusoff, Vice-Chancellor and President, UCSI University in his opening speech. 

This international outlook is something that the students clearly enjoyed as they went out of their way to accurately portray their selected festivals. From well-known festivals such as Halloween to lesser known ones like the Battle of the Oranges, the students carefully duplicated the festivals at their booths. 

“We spent two weeks making everything ourselves from the booth to the costumes,” said Foo Chee Wei, the team leader for the Battle of Oranges booth. He also explained that the Northern Italian festival celebrates the defeat of a tyrant in the 13th century. The oranges – representing weapons – are thrown yearly at the people who play the tyrant’s army to commemorate this uprising. 

Eager to provide a complete experience of the festivals, the students also prepared food and performances, at their own initiatve. 

Iraqi student Sidra Ammar Abdul-Aziz Al-Talib and her team gave an enthusiastic rendition of the Irish folk song, ‘I’ll tell my ma’ that got the entire hall tapping their feet. She explained that in addition to gaining wonderful insights about Ireland, the Showcase also helped the group learn team work and time management.