Night of cultural inclusivity | The Star

UNIVERSITI Sains Malaysia (USM) students organised a Chinese New Year Charity Festival Night which showed off the diversity of the nation.

USM’s National Unity and Integration Secretariat organising chairman Kok Kai Chee said two months of preparations went into staging the event.

Performances included a lion and dragon dance, wushu, Chinese orchestra, Bollywood dance, traditional and fusion bharatanatyam, 24-festive drum performance and a jazz number.

Kok said the event was staged at Dewan Utama Desasiswa at USM’s Gelugor campus weeks before the festive period as students would be sitting for their exams later.

“We had the idea to do something different and collaborate with students from other cultural backgrounds.

“There are students from China at USM and since they cannot go home to celebrate, we thought this event would be nice for them as well.”

He said proceeds would go towards students in need at USM.

(Top) A fusion bharatanatyam dance at the CNY Charity Festival Night.

Secretariat chairman Cheong Guo Bin said it was established last June with the aim of helping students develop their social skills while encouraging cooperation and teamwork among those from different backgrounds.

“We aim to create a learning environment that fosters positive attitudes and values.

“We are committed to encouraging friendships among students regardless of race and religion.

“Through various activities, we hope to foster skills that the students will surely need in their future careers,” he said.

MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, who was guest of honour, praised the organisers for nurturing unity..

“Living in a multiracial and multicultural country, we have the privilege of learning about all the major festivities celebrated by various communities.

“It is important to hold such events which show that despite our different backgrounds, we can live in harmony and feel included,” he said.

Also present were USM deputy vice-chancellor Prof Dr Shaharum Shamsuddin and MCA vice-president Datuk Tan Teik Cheng.