UN Day program showcases talents, represents several countries

Many visiting campus during Family Weekend did not expect an Albanian wedding dance to be among the activities that could entertain them.

But this dance was showcased as part of Whitman’s annual “UN Day” event, planned by different diversity clubs and hosted by the International Students and Friends Club (ISFC).

United Nations Day was officially declared in 1948 and honors the anniversary of the United Nations Charter. It is an internationally recognized observance, falling yearly on Oct. 24. Whitman’s celebration of the event always coincides with Family Weekend.

“The UN Day event is a showcasing of different talents from around the world performed by the student body. We try to incorporate anything; the point of it is to be all-inclusive,” said junior Leor Maizel, ISFC treasurer. Maizel was an MC for the event this year, along with senior Alan Waxman.

Maizel estimated that about 40 students were involved in planning and implementing the approximately hour-long event this year. Performances in the event ranged from musical pieces to dances and theater.

Sophomore Neda Ansaari, ISFC co-president with sophomore Ashma Basnyat, estimated that about nine to 10 different countries were represented during the event, specifically mentioning Zimbabwe, Romania, Burma and India.

“Our main goal was to make people aware of different cultures, but it’s kind of hard to do it in one hour,” Ansaari said.

In order to acknowledge more countries, different countries’ flags were hung along the ceiling of Reid Campus Center. These flags were either requested or donated by Whitman students or were provided by the Intercultural Center, Ansaari said, and represent different presences at Whitman.

“There was a really good turnout, and it was a lot of fun for the people participating,” said sophomore Ana Salazar-Walsh. Salazar-Walsh, the president of the Whitman dance club, participated in the Albanian wedding dance.

“Personally, I feel like it was really good but I was sort of disappointed with the number of people that actually came,” Ansaari said. “A lot of parents came, and I saw a lot of international students in the ballroom, but talking about American students, I only saw a couple of them.”

Ansaari recognized that the event overlapped with other activities taking place for the Family Weekend, including a soccer game, but hopes that future years will yield more student attendees.