Limkokwing University hosted Malaysia’s biggest cultural festival on 20 May at its flagship campus in Cyberjaya.
On its 4th installment, the annual Limkokwing Cultural Festival is a platform for the University’s students from over 150 countries to celebrate their rich cultural heritage with proud spirits and showcase their talents in ethnic song and dance performances.
Themed “Be a Global Citizen” the cultural festival also aimed at helping youth to understand the world better and become active agents for multiculturalism, peace and change.
The festival attracted a culturally diverse crowd of over 10 000 and saw the attendance of international representatives from over twenty embassies, industry guests, local and international schools, members of the media and the general public.
‘Be A Global Citizen’ cultural festival featured 60 booths from different nations exhibiting traditional food, cultural trinkets like jewellery, and other craft designs. Students clad in their traditional costumes mingled with guests to share with them their cultural heritage and traditions through songs, dance and creatively decorated stalls that reflected their countries’ architecture.
The cross-cultural showcase which was the highlight of the festival, featured performers from over 50 different countries including Malaysia’s popular artists; SonaOne, Najwa and Resh.
Director General of Tourism and Culture Malaysia, Datuk Seri Mirza Mohammed Taiyab applauded the University for putting together an event of such magnitude.
“I am impressed yet I am not surprised, knowing it is Limkokwing, the University has a reputation for doing things outside the box, they are not only creative and innovative, they put a lot of effort to emphasise the finer details,” he said.
Ambassador from the Senegal High Commission, Her Excellency Adrienne stressed the importance of culture in education, “I think it is very important to have this kind of activity because it brings students from different parts of the world. They not only study together but they learn more about the culture including music, fashion and thoughts of other countries.”
“I was impressed with the turnout of the students and the showcases of different cultures and countries and I’m glad that the University has invited the ambassadors of various countries so they could see how the students are blending here with the overall population,” she concluded.
For the German Exchange student Mira Marleen Ohm, who is pursuing a Bachelor of Business (Hons) in Business Administration the event gave a platform to showcase her country’s culture and experience others’.
“People in Asia and Africa may not know a lot about European culture and they have own stereotypes. You can clear these stereotypes to show them how it really is. At the same time, you can learn more about their culture too and clear your own stereotype about them.”
Namibian Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Fashion & Retailing student Martha Herman emphasised the importance of multicultural tolerance.
“You can always google another country’s culture, but here at Limkokwing, you get to experience how people express themselves through music, art and performance,” she said.
She also added that cultural tolerance also teaches students to respect others and appreciate different religion, ethnicity and history.
RESH, formerly known as Reshmonu, an established singer-songwriter said, “Multiculturalism allows students to gain experience, stories and connections with people from different parts of the world, we should inculcate creativity among culture and we should start with our young.”
The festival concluded with a prize giving ceremony where the University recognised students’ efforts in sharing their culture creatively. Malaysia bagged the first prize for the most exciting cultural performance followed by China and India.
Proceeds from the cultural event will go towards the Heal the World Foundation; a global peace and outreach initiative founded by Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in partnership with UNICEF to address and raise awareness on urgent global concerns.
Over the years, Heal the World has contributed to various charitable causes and sent aid to support countries such as Palestine, the Philippines, Pakistan and Haiti.
