Clarion International Association and Clarion Students’ Association will host the
annual Culture Night from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 13 in Hart Chapel. CINTA’s goal on campus
is to provide knowledge and promote awareness of various world cultures.
This year, the organization will do so by representing 14 different countries at its annual Culture Night: Brazil, Canada, China, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Japan, Kenya, Malta, South Korea, Qatar, South Africa, Saudi-Arabia and the United States.
The evening will begin with a special recognition of 20-30 international students who will represent their nation throughout the night. Each student will be introduced with culturally appropriate background music. After the Parade of Students, groups will offer a variety of ethnic performances, such as traditional dances and informative presentations. These will be followed by a Tasty Tour of Countries in Eagle Commons.
"Students send us recipes and we provide them to Chartwells," said CINTA advisor Diana Brush. "Chartwells' professional chefs prepare the traditional food."
Examples of this year's dishes are bite-sized French crêpes, Japanese yakitori (grilled chicken), South Korean shrimp fried rice, Chinese chicken dumplings, Saudi Arabian almandi (roasted chicken), Brazilian carne de panela (pan-cooked meat), African gari pinon (a beef dish) and Egyptian koshary (a rice, macaroni and lentil dish). Each dish will be explained by an international student, who will also present a poster display of his or her country in the dining hall.
Culture Night has been hosted for at least 30 years. Though the times have changed, CINTA treasurer Natalia Naranjo said the event has always maintained its original mission.
"(The students have) changed so much, but it's still been the same cultural night," she said. "(The goal is) to represent different cultures that we have on campus."
Naranjo, three-year CINTA president Madalyn Gordon, and the international students hope to offer an educational, cultural experience for all who come. The community is especially encouraged to attend this event.
"We invite any community member or student at the university to this great opportunity to explore other cultures and tastes through performance and food," Brush said.
There is a suggested donation fee of $5 for adults. University students are free with valid identification. A basket raffle sponsored by campus offices, students, faculty and organizations will be held during the night. Proceeds from the event fund CINTA's annual visit to a major U.S. city to help international students explore American culture.
This event is supported by the Clarion University Office of International Programs. For more information, contact CINTA at cinta@clarion.edu, or email Brush at dbrush@clarion.edu. Hart Chapel will open to attendees at 5:30 p.m.