From left: Bassem Al-Jassem, PR manager at BMC; students dressed in Yemeni attire, Khalid Batterjee, dean of BMC; Ahmed Ibrahim, dean of student affairs; Hassan Shaiba, vice dean of academic affairs; Yaqub Asiri, director of safety and security. — Courtesy photo BMC Sana Abdul Salam Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Students of the Batterjee Medical College for Science and Technology celebrated the “International Day of Cultures” at the college premises Wednesday. The event represented the culture, art, folklore and traditions of 26 countries, and was organized by the students in conjunction with the department of student affairs. The celebration began with a cultural program held in the auditorium. Students represented their cultures through self-created videos, short stage acts and a costume display. This was followed by a cultural fair and the International Food Festival. Ahmed Ibrahim, Vice Dean for Student Affairs, said: “We hold extracurricular activities in high regard because they help construct the students' personality and character.” He explained that the International Day of Cultures added to the college's role of facilitating cultural exchange between their students. Countries participating in the fair included Pakistan, the United States of America, Tunisia, China, Jamaica, Yemen, and Bangladesh. The fair saw students attending to tent-like stalls they created, which displayed traditional handicrafts. Participants dressed in traditional garb and also served attendees with traditional delicacies. “Cultural diversity and enrichment enhances a person's capabilities and teaches him the dimensions of humanity,” said Khalid Batterjee, Dean of the College. He added that cultural exchange does much to widen one's horizons. The countries on display during the cultural fair went by various themes. The theme for USA was Hollywood, and featured students break-dancing to music and dressing up in glitzy costumes. The Pakistani students showcased various colors and traditions of Pakistani weddings while Jamaican students wished to spread the country's message of freedom. “There is a general perception of Jamaica that it is a country ridden with crime and filled with drug dealers. Through our stall we wanted to break this perception, and show people that Jamaica is a beautiful country filled with nice people,” said Anas Al-ghamris, a Jamaican physical therapy student at the college. Al-ghamris added that they played Jamaican music that promoted freedom and peace to emphasize their ideas. Shayane Al-Quraishi, one of the student organizers for the Pakistani stall, said: “Pakistan has the world's second highest mountain peak, K2, and is home to beautiful festivals such as the Basant (kite) festival. So, we put together a video from scratch to show such aspects to the audience.” Al-Quraishi gave credit to all members of her organizing team, and said that it was teamwork that really helped them through the arrangements. “Such events are a great way to promote unity and understanding among different cultures, and I am happy to be able to contribute to it,” said Gamal Bilkadi, a guest at the event. Hailing from Tunisia, Bilkadi contributed silver and glass handicrafts to the Tunisian stall. She attended the event wearing traditional Tunisian attire. This year's International Day was the second event of its kind for the college, and was first initiated last year.
