The 25-year-old Cultural Festival will be celebrated Sept. 21 on Dunlap Terrace.
UPDATE: Because of a forecast of Saturday thunderstorms, the Cultural Festival has been moved to Glennie Gymnasium.
MONMOUTH, Ill. – Monmouth College’s popular Cultural Festival turns 25 this year.
The annual event, scheduled for 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sept. 21 on Dunlap Terrace, will showcase countries that are represented by Monmouth’s current international students. The rain site is Glennie Gymnasium.
Free and open to the public, the festival will include food sampling from 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and cultural entertainment, some of it provided by Monmouth student organizations.
“The Cultural Festival has become a wonderful tradition for the College and the Office of Intercultural Life,” said Director of Multicultural Student Service Regina Johnson. “More importantly, it’s an opportunity for students to celebrate where they come from. While not all students participate in tabling, they still share via their traditional dress from their countries or by their talent reflecting tradition in dance, song or poetry.”
Five of Monmouth’s first-year international students will participate in tabling: Nyasaina Angela Kwamboka of Kenya, Sreya Roy of India, Gabriela Madu of Jamaica, Ali Sabtain of Pakistan and Rediet Tesema of Ethiopia. Ghanaian students Naa Commey ’21 and Justin Opam ’21 will also have a table, as will Monmouth student organizations Umoja and Raices.
The College’s Colorful Voices of Praise will perform shortly before noon, followed by a traditional Indian dance by Roy. Abierre Minor ’21 of Chicago will present a spoken word piece at 1:10 p.m. Monmouth’s Highland Harmonizers will sing at about 1:20 p.m., followed immediately by a singing performance by Madu.
Two groups from Chicago and another from the Quad Cities will also take the stage. Chicago’s Mariachi Show Sol de Oro will perform at 11 a.m., and the Potts and Pans Steel Band will play at 12:20 p.m. The Teranga Dance and Drum Circle from the Quad Cities will perform at 1:40 p.m.
Director of Multicultural Student Services Regina Johnson (pictured) previews Black History Month activities planned for campus; Sports Information Director Nathan Baliva on Fighting Scots athletics (interview begins at 9:00).
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<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> We’re no stranger to winning. Last year the Fighting Scots won Midwest Conference championships in Football, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Basketball and Men’s Track and Field. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthscots.com/" target="_blank">Fighting Scots</a></li></ul></div></aside>
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<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College covers the cost for all current students to get a U.S. passport. Unlock access to over 198 different countries! We’ll even help with the paperwork :)</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/academics/study-abroad/" target="_blank">Study Abroad</a></li></ul></div></aside>
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<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> 98% of Monmouth graduates were employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduation.</p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/wackerle-center/career-services/" target="_blank">Career Preparation</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p><strong>Monmouth College is the birthplace of the women’s fraternity movement. Pi Beta Phi, the first such collegiate women’s organization, was founded at Monmouth in 1867. It was followed three years later by Kappa Kappa Gamma. The two pioneering organizations today boast a total of 275 active chapters nationwide.</strong></p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_page"><a href="/student-life/sororities-fraternities/" target="_blank">Sororities & Fraternities</a></li></ul></div></aside>
<aside class="factoid-item"><div class="factoid-item-text"><p> Monmouth College offers several international trips each year during 2-week Scots Terms in January and May. Recently students have traveled to Botswana, Greece, Scotland, Japan, and more. </p></div><div class="factoid-item-links"><ul><li class="lw_related_urls"><a href="https://monmouthcollege.edu/offices/global-engagement/" target="_blank">Scots Term</a></li></ul></div></aside>
