Lessons in culture

The fifth International Day at the University of Sharjah brought together more than 25 student and cultural clubs last week.

The two-day event was inaugurated by Her Highness Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

"The Office of Student Activities encourages extra-curricular activities. Students' skills are not only honed inside the classrooms, but also outside," said Dr Amina Marzouqi, Dean of Students at the university.

"Moreover, we want the students to learn about each other's cultures, especially in this country where we have a mixture of nationalities."

According to Marzouqi the university has more than 30 nationalities on campus.

"The history, geography, traditions… all are important to be highlighted and celebrated," she said.

For the day students had decorated stalls to reflect the heritage of various country.

The event began with a national dance and fashion show. Shaikha Jawaher toured the exhibition area and listened to students give a brief about their countries.

Algeria

"Algeria is a very large country. Traditions in the east are different from those in the south or the north. We also have Berbers living in Algeria and they have their own customs and language. We tried to show all of these different aspects in our stall through clothes, pictures, food and even furniture."
- Mariam Aqasem, law, sophomore

Libya

"You do not see a lot of the Libyan culture in the UAE so it is nice to showcase what it is all about. For example, we've shown the various attire of people in different areas of Libya. Also, the gold, bangles, anklets all differ from one area to another. We also put up pictures of certain important festivals and events in Libya. For example, when a child takes his or her first steps, we have a special celebration there. During the spring, we boil and colour the eggs and go for picnics and things like that."
- Surour Shahat, dentistry, freshman

Egypt

"We divided the stall into two sections. One to reflect the lives of the pharoahs, while the other shows the traditional life of people in rural areas such as Sa'eed. We will be talking about Cleopatra. Also, we've decorated the stall with the lights and fabrics used during Ramadan, mourning, weddings, etc."
–Sara Darwish, computer science, sophomore

UAE

"Our stall is divided into three sections. We have a part that illustrates the life fishermen used to lead, the boat and fishing nets. The second part shows the traditional shops and houses. The third section showcases some of publications authored by His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. We wanted people to see beyond the tent and camel idea they have about the UAE."
–Mariam Dha'en, history graduate

Palestine

"In our stall we wanted to make sure people know the difference between the Al Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock because poeple always mix these up. We also showed some of the handicrafts of Palestine, the clothes, which differ from one area to another, and the food. We also wanted to highlight the Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails."
- Fatima Barqaji, television and radio, sophomore.

Chad

"We've put up some of the things Chad is known for like leather work, traditional food, fashions, which differ according to the area you come from. For example, in the middle and south of the country the majority of the population is Muslim. In the South, there are Christians and some with no religion."
–Haram Ahmad, business, freshman