Dr. Hussein Hassan Hussein
The Annual Culture Festival of the Islamic University of Madinah portrays a world map of cultures and heritages. Students from various nationalities present their national traditions and lifestyles in terms of food, clothes and social events. The students revel in showcasing their cultures in live folklore demonstrations, artistic galleries and irradiating photos about past and present history. Donning their national costumes, the students further charm the audience with folklore narratives highlighting key historical events and notable national characters, thereby acquainting the audience with the realm of everyday life in the cities and villages of their homelands.
The festival is anually attended by numerous nationals, residents and visitors of Madinah, who enjoy the live showcase of world cultures and the heritage exhibits across the halls. Over 180 nationalities from 63 countries participated in the last Fifth Annual Festival.
Organized by the Student Deanship at the University, and is widely attended by the ambassadors and consuls of Arab and Islamic nations.
Variety, Competition, Acquaintance
The formal cermonial opening at this event includes playing the national anthem of each participating country as well as hoisting flags and displaying national currencies and costumes. Documentary films are also played to introduce cultures and civilizations along with brochures and introductory booklets. Visitors would enjoy tasting the cuisine of each nation in addition to tea, coffee and drinks. A day is dedicated to competition between the culinary styles and main dishes of the participating countries. The festival, moreover, displays the handicrafts of each nation. The visitors are able to view traditional games in a space specially prepared for this purpose.
One of the striking features of the festival is the competency of students to mingle Arabic language with their own native tongues, such as Swahili, Hausa, Bengalese and the like, and reciting poems written in different languages.
In fact, the festival endeavors to attract all sectors of the society, with certain components addressed to children. Likewise, women are able to have special sites to demonstrate the theme of the festival which is: ‘Global Cultures Coming Under A Single Roof’.
Although competition is sparked by the festival among students to excel in their organizational capabilities, yet the end-result of the event is to instill a sense and spirit of fraternity and closeness between the participating nations. This is ultimately combined with greater exchange of expertise, skills and knowledge among students as well as the audience.
Al-Madinah’s Traditions
In the Saudi pavilion, children, in the national costumes, participated in receiving guests. They presented folklore songs starting with those from Madinah. The guests were also offered Madinah’s cusine su
ch as boiled beans, basboussa and beans. The pavilion demonstrated a miniature of the traditional primary school in which a teacher applies the rote method to enable the pupils to memorize by repetition the alphabet or numbers written on slates.
The Yemeni Zamil and Wedding Songs
The Yemeni students received their guests with gusto and enthusiasm. This special welcome is known in Yemen as the “Zamil”, a choral song inherited from the far past. It is a simple song that can be easily performed by the group in harmony.
Within the Yemeni booth, the most important aspect was the celebration of the wedding of a Yemeni student, who was greeted with the Sana’a’s traditional procession of the bride and groom, followed by folklore renditions from students of all nationalities.
The Tajik Reception
Tajik students met their visitors and their guests with a big smile and apparent delightful postures. In accentuating such generosity, the Tajikistani booth displayed a sample for a reception hall in Tajik home where a person would receive his quests. It is of a nice design of harmonized components and delightful colors: green, yellow and blue surrounded by fountains and a quail in a cage to warble for guests, as expounded by the booth’s superintendent who spoke fluent in Arabic.
Malaysian Colorful Booth
Students from Malaysia welcomed their visitors in their colorful , national, regional and tribal costumes. The most famous masculine dress was the colored baju kibaya , the Indian sarie and the Chinese cheong sam. In this booth, the display included the most renowned varieties of food such as the satti tongue, chicken soup, nasi kong and the Malaysian mushroom. The booth also displayed a miniature of the national heritage in terms of popular games, musical instruments and women ornaments.
Afghani Generosity
“Who would blame us for affection when manifested”? With these nice words, spoken in plain Arabic the Afghani booth received their guests, thus proclaiming their linguistic competency. This exhibition reflected richness in terms of national dresses, heritage, relics and products, such as peanuts, saffron, and carpets. Further, the booth displayed the Afghani home and its unique architectural components that combine functional and aesthetical features.
Mosques from Eretria
In this section of the fistival students donned costumes to depict the various tribes in Eritrea. In Massawa, the oldest mosque Ras Madder was built by the Prophet Mohammed’s disciples. There were also other older ones. The Eritrean students were proud to illustrate these Islamic landmarks through magnified photographs.
Comoro Islands’s Sea Life
The Comoros’ booth reflected a way of life connected to the sea through lifestyles, and popular food varieties. Comoro islands are made up of four main isles of Ngazidja, Mwali, Nzwani and Mahouri. The big mosque in Moroni is the most significant landmark. Coconuts and bananas are the primary products with numerous usages enumerated in the brochures.
Bahraini House
Bahrain’s participation was a distinct one. The Bahraini booth displayed the national civilization of the island, starting with a projection of the unique design of the traditional Bahraini home and its architectural aspects. Photos of the Bahraini scholars along with brief biographies for them were also in display. A special mention was accorded to the graduates of the Islamic University of Madinah who took high-level posts in their homeland.
In a final note, as the festival drew to conclusion, a student considered the festival an unprecedented experience that allowed him to participate in both the design and implementation of the booth of his country.
