Southeast Missouri State University will host Carpe Diem on Saturday to celebrate cultural diversity among Southeast students with music, food and performances.
Carpe Diem, which means "seize the day," is an event held twice a year by the Office of Residence Life. The event will include a fashion show held by various international students to showcase ethnic garments and pieces from other countries. There will be musical performances from members of international student organizations as well as a performance by Osuwa Taiko, a Japanese drumming band from St. Louis.
Taiko, which literally means "big, fat drum," is a combination of the performers using bachi, or drumsticks, and various stances to strike the drum, called kata.
Graduate assistant Theekshana Jayakody of Sri Lanka has been a part of the past two Carpe Diems and said that each semester the turnout has improved.
"Last fall we had it in the UC [University Center] and we still had a turnout of about 400-500 people," Jayakody said.
This time the event is in the Student Recreation Center-North in the east gym in order to hold more people, Jayakody said.
Shalini Amaya and other students from Sri Lanka will perform the first dance in order to welcome guests. The "Pooja" is a dance that consists of the performers wearing white saris while they hold candles.
"This is a good opportunity for us to show our culture and where we are coming from," Amaya said.
Raphael Pellenard is a resident assistant and has participated in the last three events by helping organize a fashion show and showcasing a dance.
"I participate in Carpe Diem because it is a really fun event, which celebrates the great diversity on campus," Pellenard said. "Everybody should participate because the best thing about Carpe Diem is that you can learn so much about another country and other cultures while having fun, eating good food and making connections with people from all over the world."
This time Pellenard is showcasing a dance from France called Senegalese, which will be performed at the end of the event. The easy dance will encourage students to get up and join in the routine, Pellenard said.
According to Jayakody, one student will perform Tai Chi, which is a form of Chinese martial arts, and some members of the dance department will showcase a piece.
After the performances, everyone will be able to write their names in another language as well as to take their photo in front of a green screen and then choose a famous landmark for the background for a postcard souvenir to take home. Students also can receive henna tattoos, which are becoming increasingly popular among college students, Jayakody said.
Delicacies from other countries will be available for everyone to try. The coordinators of the event chose about eight different recipes and gave them to Chartwells for it to make. The food will consist of an assortment of entrees, sides and desserts. Some of the food included this year is Thai fried rice, tandoori chicken and a Spanish dish called patatas.
The event starts at 7 p.m. with the performances ending around 9:45. After the performances, people are encouraged to stay and interact with each other until the event ends at 11 p.m.
"It's a chance for everybody to meet," Jayakody said. "We bring all of them together so they can interact."
