When I first started attending Mankato State, I dove into the vast array of cultural nights that were offered on campus. They were great opportunities to explore food, clothing, traditions, language, and other flashy aspects of certain cultures. After each cultural night, I would go back to my dorm room and discuss them with my roommate. I attended Americas Night and Africa Night, and they were great experiences that aided in the initial development of self-awareness of my culture and privilege as well as skills in asking questions about other cultures.
Americas Night was very exciting, because my roommate identifies as Mexican-American, and she was very excited to share some aspects of her culture with me through this event. There was a small assortment of foods available from Central and South Americas, and it was fun discussing them and whether or not they were authentic in my roommate’s experiences. We listened to Mariachi music, and we watched children perform traditional Ballet Folklorico at the event. It was very bright and fun, and it was a great conversation starter about global citizenship and culture between my roommate and I.
Africa Night was my next experience, and I was invited by the student who I was tutoring in the Intensive English Language Program (IELI). He was from the Ivory Coast, and he was very eager to tell me about all that there was to offer. Before the event, I attended a question and answer session in the Honors Lounge, in which Ali Oku talked about his culture and what he wanted us to learn about Africa from the experience. We watched traditional dances from around Africa, including traditional dancing from Somalia. At the end, there were speakers who urged us to avoid knowing a “single story” about Africa, and for us to seek opportunities to learn more about the vibrant culture.
Through cultural nights such as Americas Night and Africa Night, I was able to explore the surface aspects of cultures, such as dress and foods. Those enabled me to develop competency so that I could ask start asking questions about cultures, as well as seek out interactions with those who were different. I also started developing self-awareness of my own culture and its boundaries. They were very enlightening experiences that helped shaped me as a global citizen.
Cultural Nights: Africa Night and Americas Night
Ballet Folklorico at Americas Night at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Traditional dancing from Somalia at African Night at Minnesota State University, Mankato