Every year, the Office of International Programs (OIP) hosts Culturefest at the New Balance Student Recreation Center, with this year’s event held Saturday, Nov. 7. The floors of the basketball and hockey courts were filled with tables, banners, food and guests milling about. Other than career-related outreach programs, Culturefest seems to be the most heavily attended event of the year, and certainly an anticipated one.
“Everyone likes food,” said Riley St. Pierre, a fourth-year civil engineering student and the president of the Franco-American Resource Opportunity Group (FAROG). St. Pierre was tabling for the group and flipping crepes when I walked over. “It’s such a great event because you get to try food from every culture. Lots that you would never get to try otherwise.”
St. Pierre talked about how food is not only the center of many world cultures, but it manifests in the everyday lives and routines of regular people.
“You know, we’re not from across the world, we’re from right here. But it can be equally as important. We’ve had a lot of people come by and say things like, ‘Oh my god — I’m from Northern Maine’ or ‘I’m from wherever and I used to eat this growing up.’ Sometimes it’s trying new things and sometimes it’s reconnecting with part of your culture that you haven’t seen represented,” said St. Pierre.
Other groups like Diaspora Pa’lante Collective hoped to turn the heads of University of Maine students towards issues they would not naturally encounter.
“My name is Black Wolf; black like the color, wolf like the animal,” said one of the two members behind the booth introducing themselves. “We are an organization that struggles for the independence of Puerto Rico. The majority of information we have here is about the history of that struggle.”
Wolf explained that the group had been invited to Culturefest for the first time this year and that they were excited to table somewhere that young adults could hear their message.
“I don’t think that I’ve had any negative interactions regarding our booth and what we’re trying to represent here. I think our booth has been very educational for people and a lot of people are opening their eyes to the struggle for independence [in Puerto Rico],” said Wolf.
One of the pamphlets on the group’s table drew connections between the experiences of people in Maine, Puerto Rico and Gaza. It highlighted how something that might be an inconvenience to some, such as a power outage, can have life-or-death consequences for others. And if Culturefest is about anything, it is about remembering the diversity of experiences around the world.
A few tables away, the Bangor Chinese School tabled with one of their students excitedly at the front.
“I am Brianna Walton. My Chinese name is Wan Yana, and I’ve been a student since I was in first grade. I am now in seventh grade,” said Walton.
Walton began at the school because of her interest in learning a new language, and her appreciation for the culture grew from there.
“I can tell stories in Chinese, I can play Chinese instruments — I went to China a couple of years ago with my sister and my mother,” Walton said. Because she has no Chinese heritage, Walton’s exploration of Chinese culture has been less based on a set tradition and more related to following her own individual interests.
These three moments of conversation at Culturefest give a disappointingly small glimpse of the real experience. Even in my short time there, much more ground was covered than I could hope to explain to anyone. The scent of food, the many children playing, the looks of excitement on the faces of those behind tables sharing something they care deeply about — it is a very multifaceted event that anyone would benefit greatly from attending.
