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Over 60 students have participated in organizing the annual Extravaganza sponsored by the International Students Association and Lafayette Intercultural Networking Council, a week-long celebration of world cultures that will be held April 8-13.
Individual world regions will be showcased 11 a.m.-1 p.m. each weekday in the Landis Atrium of Farinon College Center, featuring artifacts, clothing, music, brown bag discussions, and other activities. Lunch will be provided free of charge at brown bag discussions, which will be held noon-1 p.m. in the Limburg Theater of Farinon College Center, with the exception of Thursday, April 11, when Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall, will be the venue. Weekday activities conclude with an award-winning foreign movie, screened free of charge 7 p.m. at the Black Cultural Center, 101 McCartney Street.
International cuisine will be served 4:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, in Marquis Dining Hall. An International Expo with a campus-wide barbeque will take place 3-7 p.m. Friday, April 12, on the Quad. Activities will include henna skin painting, sheesha smoking, meringue lessons, and wine tasting.
The Grand Finale will be held 6-9 p.m. Saturday, April 13, in the Marquis Hall Bergethon Room. It begins with a free buffet of appetizers, dishes, desserts, and beverages from around the world. Students and faculty do most of the cooking. The concluding event continues with a choreographed international fashion show featuring student models adorned in native costumes on a catwalk complete with music and lights. The last segment of the Grand Finale features music performances and native dances that range in movement from slow and graceful to swift and energetic.
“The ISA’s annual Extravaganza has evolved rapidly over the past four years,” says ISA President Edward Asiedu ’03, an A.B. engineering major from Accra, Ghana. “We are very appreciative that it is so well received. This year, we are continuing the trend of improving this stimulating cultural exposition. Over 60 international and American students have invested a lot of time and effort to make this happen.”
The full schedule of events:
April 8
Showcase: Asia. Landis Atrium, Farinon College Center.
Brown bag: “Religion: Bridge or Barrier?” — Faculty and students will share their thoughts and experiences on the guidance, social barriers, and conflict associated with religion. Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center.
Film: Eat Drink Man Woman (Taiwan, 124 minutes) — Writer-director Ang Lee’s 1994 Oscar-nominated film tells a family story about a chef and his three daughters through the meals the chef prepares and serves his family. “This touching, dryly funny story of a family coping with their personal lives and the way those lives intersect with the family relationships captures a shift in generations in Taipei. A subtle, amusing — and mouth-watering — comedy of impeccable manners.” Black Cultural Center, 101 McCartney Street.
April 9
Showcase: Mediterranean and Mideast. Landis Atrium, Farinon College Center.
Brown bag: “Dating and Marriage in the Middle East” — An informal discussion will focus on men, women, relationships, and marriage. Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center.
Film: Color of Paradise (Iran, 90 minutes) — A fable of a child’s innocence and a complex look at faith and humanity. “Visually magnificent and wrenchingly moving, the film tells the story of a boy whose inability to see the world only enhances his ability to feel its powerful forces.” Black Cultural Center, 101 McCartney Street.
April 10
Showcase: Europe. Landis Atrium, Farinon College Center.
Brown bag: “Globalization: Good for Business, Bad for Culture?” — Aspects of globalization will be covered, with input from faculty and students from around the world. Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center.
Film: Ponette (France, 92 minutes) — Four-year old actress Victoire Thivisol, who also played Anouk in Chocolat, won Best Actress for her portrayal of Ponette at the 1996 Venice Film Festival. The main character is a young girl who has lost her mother in a car accident. The film follows Ponette through this painful process of loss, disbelief, belief, faith, and childhood perception of life, death, and the afterlife. Black Cultural Center, 101 McCartney Street.
April 11
Showcase: Africa. Landis Atrium, Farinon College Center.
Brown bag: “Perceptions of Beauty across the World” — An interactive survey will explore what people across the world regard as “beautiful.” Interfaith Chapel, Hogg Hall.
Special event: International cuisine, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Marquis Dining Hall
Film: Lumumba (Congo, 115 minutes) — This gripping political thriller tells the story of the legendary African leader Patrice Emery Lumumba, who rapidly rose to the office of prime minister when Belgium conceded the Congo’s independence in June, 1960. “His vision of a united Africa gained him powerful enemies: the Belgian authorities, who wanted a much more paternal role in their former colony’s affairs, and the CIA, who supported Lumumba’s former friend Joseph Mobutu in order to protect U.S. business interests in Congo’s vast resources and their upper hand in the Cold War power balance.” Black Cultural Center, 101 McCartney Street.
April 12
Showcase: Latin America. Landis Atrium, Farinon College Center.
Brown bag: “Case Studies in Drug Legalization” — A discussion will tackle whether legalization is a viable solution to the problem of drug abuse. Limburg Theater, Farinon College Center.
Special event: International Expo and campus barbeque. The Quad.
Film: Central Station (Brazil, 115 minutes) — This Oscar-nominated film is the story of Dora, a retired elementary schoolteacher, and Josue, a young boy. To make ends meet, Dora writes letters for the illiterate in Rio’s central train station, though rarely actually sends them. One day, Dora writes a letter for Josue and his mother to the father he’s never met to inform him of a visit to the outer reaches of Brazil’s frontier. Moments later, Josue’s mother is killed by a bus, leaving the child to fend for himself. Thus begins the story of two individuals thrown together by fate and their journey into parts unknown. Black Cultural Center, 101 McCartney Street.
April 13
Grand Finale: 6-9 p.m., Marquis Hall Bergethon Room.
Extravaganza 2002 is held with the support of ISA adviser Amale Gaffney; the Offices of the Dean of Students, Dean of Studies, Student Residence, Scheduling, Public Information, and Recreation Services; the Asian Cultural Association, Hispanic Students League, and Lafayette African and Caribbean Students Association; and Kappa Delta Rho fraternity and Pi Beta Phi sorority.