By Chanel Nardone
What started out as a design on a necktie has exploded into a two-month long celebration of culture.
Scott Quint, director of the International Student ‘ Scholar Institute (ISSI), was first inspired to begin holding an International Carnevale from a Mardi Gras-themed tie he was wearing.
The tie reminded him of Mardi Gras in February and how no student groups sign out the Krentzman Quad. Then, the idea to hold an ice-carving competition set in and the rest, he said, fell into place.
Now in its 10th year at Northeastern, the festival will kick off once again Wednesday night, and ISSI hopes to expose students to diversity through a series of interactive events.
“You get to know so much about so many cultures. Because of International Carnevale, I’ve been able to relate to other cultures and appreciate what they do,” said Nitish Gupta, a graduate student from India studying at the College of Engineering and co-chair of the Carnevale since August 2003.
Each year, as new attractions are added to the carnevale, participation increases, Quint said. This year’s attractions cover a wide spectrum of activities that include fashion, song and celebration.
The International Ice Carving Competition, to be held Wednesday in Krentzman Quad, gives students and staff a chance to embrace the cold as they chisel global landmarks and cultural artifacts from blocks of ice. Quint said each of the six teams usually complete their sculptures in an hour with the guidance of a professional ice carver.
“You don’t need talent, just a vision,” he said.
Local Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants will be providing authentic food for the Asian Lunar New Year Celebration Thursday. The event will also include a martial arts performance by community members and a calligraphy demonstration, as well as other activities destined to ring in the year of the rooster.
The event, which combines aspects of several Asian cultures, is meant to be a “reflection of shared traditions and cultural differences,” Quint said.
Students can watch or take to the runway at the “ISSI International Fashion Show: Mondo Moda” Friday. The show features clothing from around the globe, mixing traditional with contemporary designs as models strut to the beat of music from around the globe.
The show features “cultural clothing from countries students represent,” Quint said. He also added that a student from France may model a kimono or one from Russia model an outfit worn in India to exhibit the welcome diversity of this show.
ISSI’s Ninth Annual Global Games and Stories offers an opportunity to play and learn with second grade children as participants can join in dancing, game playing, storytelling and singing songs from around the world. Classes of students from elementary schools in Dorchester, Brookline and Chinatown will participate in the cultural exchange March 15.
Upon their return to school, the students will write about their experiences and send drawings of their day to ISSI to show their appreciation. Northeastern students are mixed with those from the other schools “to meet each other cross-communally,” Quint said.
“Meeting people from their own country allows them to connect with their heritage,” Quint said of the connection between the second graders and those running the event.
Other events will focus on teaching the history of the countries from which participating students come. “The African Union: Prospects and Challenges” attempts to provide students with an opportunity to gain knowledge of the transition from the former Organization of African Unity to the present day African Union. This will be done with a presentation delivered by Desmond Orsiako, head of the Communication and Information Unit for the African Unity Commission in Ethiopia March 24.
“He is the leading edge on perspective,” Quint said, because Orsiako is from Ethiopia and knows first-hand what the issues are.
The main attraction of the International Carnevale is a night of song, fashion and dance performances by students, staff and community members in ISSI’s Eighth Annual International Gala Night to be held March 31. Quint said the committee strives for equal representation of many of the world’s cultures.
“It is beautiful to learn from other cultures,” said Liliana Lopez, a senior business and political science major from El Salvador. “It is a two-way learning process. Besides academic experience, students get personal cultural experience as well.”
For more information about ISSI or International Carnevale visit the ISSI office in 206 Ell Hall.
