For only $5, students who came to the Bangladesh Culture Night on Wednesday evening got to enjoy a night of food and performances.
At the start of the evening, the International House slowly filled with people mingling over a colorful dish of Polao (Bangladeshi rice), chicken curry and mixed vegetables. Then, after the meal, attendees were seated to watch an array of performers share what their country had to offer through various acts.
This culture night was the first of many world showcases that the International House will host throughout the semester. Maria Lungu, a graduate assistant working at the I-House, spoke about what this event means for her and for the UT student population.
“It’s a good opportunity for students on campus, both international and American, to get a taste of what one country has to represent,” Lungu said.
She outlined the World Showcase events as having three parts: a cooking demonstration, a coffeehouse and a culture night. But the culture night alone allows people to get a real insight into the tastes, history and meaning of the Bangladesh culture.
“(At the culture night) we see the performances and the fashion associated with the country, as well,” Lungu continued.
Getting together a world showcase can prove to be difficult, but the student organizers seemed pleased with the final result. Ifana Mahbub, the president of the Bangladesh Student Association (BSA) and Ph.D student, said most of the members of BSA who acted as the world showcase organizers are graduate students with very tight schedules.
“It’s very hectic. It will take a lot of your time, but it’s worth it,” Mahbub said.
In addition to helping to put together the event, Mahbub also performed both a folk/fusion dance and a classical dance at the culture night. For the occasion, she wore a bright, red sari to represent a national dress for women in her country.
“It’s (sari) a traditional dress that we wear, especially in weddings,” Mahbub said.
Other performances of the night included instrumental pieces, traditional and contemporary dances and even a poetry reading. Christian King, a senior in food science and technology and self-proclaimed “language dork,” expressed excitement about the poetry recital.
“I like to listen to the sounds of language, so getting to hear their language was very appealing to me,” King said.
After the Bangladeshi culture night ended, the crowds left with many praises for the performers.
The next International House world showcase will be the Korea World Showcase on Tuesday, March 1 at 6-7:30 p.m. and Wednesday, March 2 at 1-3 p.m. and 6-7:30 p.m.
Students who attended the Bangladesh Culture Night on Feb. 3 had the opportunity to enjoy unique foods and traditional dances at the International House.
