The third annual Pangaea cultural show brought students together on campus to celebrate diversity.
The world came to Durham College recently in the form of Pangaea: Uniting Nations Cultural Show III, an evening of unique performances that showcased the college's thriving on-campus cultural mosaic.
Hosted by Students for Humanitarianism, Action and Respect Through Education (SHARE) in conjunction with Your Student Association, the third annual show was held March 27 as one of many events taking place on campus during Diversity Month to support an environment of inclusiveness that empowers students to achieve their greatest potential.
Spectators such as Luke Follis, a first-year Computer Programmer student at Durham College, enjoyed taking in the sights and sounds of live performances by students representing North America, Africa, Latin America and especially Central Asia. His girlfriend, Kiran Somjee, sang O Canada to open the event and was also a master of ceremonies for Pangaea's fashion show, which represented apparel from regions around the world.
Follis, who grew up in a small southwestern Ontario city, says he did not have many opportunities to learn about cultural diversity until he came to Durham College.
"Through Kiran, I've learned a lot about Indian culture and cuisine, and events like Pangaea give me opportunities to experience other cultures, too," he said. "I'm looking forward to doing some world travel, and Pangaea is a great place to start learning about the other cultures I'm going to see."
Nicole Sarvaria, president of SHARE, was pleased to see a crowd of more than 1,000 on hand in the Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre.
"Each year, we have seen Pangaea grow by leaps and bounds both in terms of those participating, and the number of students who come out to watch," she said.
Sarvaria added that for the first time this year, Pangaea included a performance by non-students when Zahra's School of Middle Eastern Dance from Ajax took the stage.
"One of our goals for next year's show is to reach further into the community," she says. "Pangaea is an ideal way to raise awareness in the communities around us, and attract students to these educational institutions where true diversity awaits them."
Sarvaria was thrilled with the level of participation by so many campus clubs. Singing and dancing performances as well as the fashion show were staged by the Caribbean and African Student Association (CASA); the Indian Student Association (ISA); Ithemba Choir; Pakistani Student Association (PSA); Salsa Styles; South Asian Student Association (SASA); and the Tamil Student Association (TSA), among others.
The show's name refers to the name of the single super-continent that is said to have existed before each of the earth's seven continents separated into their current configuration about 250 million years ago.