Can you name the capital of Morocco? Have you ever tried to master the Kendama? Or tasted Basbousa?

Students stopping by the atrium of MUSC got a taste of new cultures — and cuisines — this week at Cultural Fest, a celebration and showcase of some of the cultural clubs that are part of the McMaster Students Union.

Visitors stopped by club tables, tried activities and treats, and learned about other students’ cultures. (The capital of Morocco is Rabat.)

Cultural Fest is part of International Education Week, an annual celebration  of the rich diversity of experiences and perspectives members of the McMaster community bring with them. International Education Week is organized by the Student Success Centre and delivered in partnership with the Office of International Affairs, faculty offices and a number of MSU cultural clubs.

We chatted with a few students about what they learned, the cultures that influence them, and the things they’d like to share. Here’s what they had to say:

Nicole | Year 1, Social Sciences | Brazil, Venezuela, Brampton 

Nicole gravitated to Cultural Fest because she likes hearing about peoples and cultures.  

“Canada and even campus is just so diverse. Everyone has a different story, and experiences and lifestyles. And I just find it so fascinating to see.” 

One of Nicole’s parents is from Venezuela, and the other from Brazil, and she lived in each of those countries before the family settled in Brampton.  

“In Venezuela, Christmas is very big: We have our own traditional music called gaita. We throw parties called parrandas and it’s just a really big deal and every year my family takes it very seriously. Even though it’s only a fraction of me. It’s such a beautiful culture.”  

“And Brazil, well, I lived there longer than I lived in Venezuela. So in some way, Brazil is more home. The culture’s beautiful, the food’s fantastic, and we have Carnival! We have the biggest carnival in the world and we do it better. Sorry, guys, we do.” 

Tyler | Year 3, ArtSci | From Israel and Toronto 

Cultural Fest visitors received a custom bingo card, and each table had an activity or experience for them to try to get their card marked.  

“It’s a nice way to kind of get everyone involved in learning about cultures,” said Tyler, who tried many of the activities. “It’s really good because you actually have to learn and interact.”  

For starters, Tyler learned that Giza is not the capital of Egypt; Cairo is. 

“And I learned that Sudan is an East African country with a deep, rich history. And I knew nothing about Sudan before or the Sudanese people.” 

He also just enjoys learning about new people, places and cultures, he said.  

“I think that especially with all the wars going on in the world right now, that learning about people and different cultures is super important. It causes people to actually humanize each other, instead of viewing each other as an enemy. And once you know something about someone, you instantly have that connection, and it’s way harder to kind of write them off. So I think this is really important to actually make a cohesive society and population.” 

Abby | Year 4, Neuroscience | From Ontario  

Abby stopped by Cultural Fest after hearing about it from her friend Mohamed, who was running the Moroccan Students Association table with his brother Ali.  

“It’s cool because there’s this bingo card that they give you when you walk in. You have to play a game, so these games are interactive with stuff specific to their club. So you learn some fun facts.”  

“It’s good to promote awareness of cultures and the clubs that might not get recognition, especially if they’re a smaller club.”  

“This is a nice central area where people can just see it. Walking by, they can see something that piques their interest or something they identify with. It’s a nice open area, it’s not too high stakes. You can just feel relaxed and interact with everybody and their things.” 

Ana | Year 1, Social Sciences | Armenia and Hamilton 

Noor | Year 1, Medical Radiation Sciences | Saudi Arabia and Burlington 

Ana spent a lot of time at Cultural Fest. “I adore it,” she said, with a big smile. “I think it’s so important to  show people different cultures, and to represent what you’re a part of. I think that’s really important and valuable.” 

While Ana spent most of her life here in Hamilton, her family is from Armenia and she visits the country often.  

“I do consider Armenia home as well,” she said. “Every time I go back, I love everything about it. Right now I’m feeling that ache in my heart to go back. I’m missing everything about it, so hopefully I’ll make a trip again soon. So seeing my country and my culture and my nation being represented in the central place [at Cultural Fest], where a lot of students go, it makes me feel really proud and happy.” 

Ana speaks multiple languages. “I’m able to talk to my grandparents because I speak Armenian and that means the world to me,” she says.  

“It means that I can have these connections that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to. It helps me better understand the parts of my culture that make me Armenian.” 

“It’s almost like there are two homes for me,” said Noor, who has lived in Ontario for 10 years, and still has strong ties to her original home in Saudi Arabia, where most of her extended family lives.  

“One thing I would bring here is just the social aspects of life there that I miss here. Everyone here is really diverse, really supportive of everyone’s culture and it’s great. But there are also just some things there that I miss. It’s very much home, even though I barely go there, it still feels like home to me.”