HAKA DANCE: Students performing a traditional ancestral war cry from the country of New Zealand during the ‘Melting Pot of Cultures’ showcase.

BRITISH DANCE: All dressed up as British soldiers, the students perform an English traditional country dance during the showcase.

FULL OF DRAMA: An action-packed drama that saw a samurai master fight to protect his loved one during the showcase.

KUALA LUMPUR: UCSI University (UCSI) hosted a cultural showcase recently – one that featured vibrant cultures from 14 countries. 

Rich cultural elements – from the days of ancient Egypt with mummies, pharaohs and queens to Japanese samurais and delectable cuisine like sushi, among others – were the main highlights of this colourful festival. 

Themed ‘Melting Pot of Cultures’, the showcase was part of a semester-based project organised by the Centre of Excellence for Learning and Teaching (CELT) – led by organiser and subject lecturer Norizan Sulong – for UCSI’s first-year students taking the LL101 University Life course. 

According to CELT head of Learning Excellence Sharon Lee, the project aimed to help students from all around the globe make a smooth transition to university life and embrace the nature of a multicultural community, providing them with avenues to learn different cultures. 

“This will help them understand and get along with each other better, which will surely enhance their campus experience,” explains Lee. 

This year’s showcase saw 14 groups putting up eclectic cultural booths and preparing special presentations – in the form of unique and creatively crafted dances and sketches – to represent their respective country and culture. 

As such, each booth highlighted a spectrum of elements within one culture – in terms of food, traditions and history, to name a few. 

Unlike previous showcases, first-year students were given the opportunity to select the country they would like to represent, on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Interestingly, the students did not choose countries they were familiar with but did otherwise and took the road less taken by selecting countries they knew nothing about. 

Students like Lim Chi Yung and Tan Weng Sim – who represented the Japan booth – point out that the entire project taught them more about Japan history, where previously, before the project, they only knew about popular Japanese cuisine. 

Ow Jia Loon, who represented South Africa, adds that their team “had to do a lot of research to find out more about their ‘chosen country’ before they were properly equipped with sufficient information to design and build their booth”. 

And by renting their own costumes or sewing it by hand, the students evidently displayed exemplary commitment to the project. 

“The costumes you saw on us were fully handmade (by us) from materials bought from Kamdar. Our team put in a lot of effort to ensure we were in character on the day of the showcase,” grins Chin Hui Teng who represented the same booth. 

“As you can see, none of our costumes are alike – each one is unique!” 

Promoting educational values and skill development, the project was very much appreciated by the students, so much so that they were keen to do it again if given the opportunity. 

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