A Worldfest to Remember: Photos and Video

Photos by Lisa Ventre, Dottie Stover and Lisa Britton. Video by Jay Yocis.

Music, dance, food and food for thought, all are highlights captured in these scenes from Worldfest at the University of Cincinnati. The 2008 Worldfest also celebrated going green on a global scale. The Green Room Lounge & Coffee House Worldfest display in the TUC Atrium featured eco-friendly furniture and art. Workshops led by local business owners and activists focused on various aspects of green living. 

The video highlights of Worldfest captured a spectacular spring day for the International Student Festival on May 1, which included Salsa lessons from Midwest Latino; Arabic Folk and Belly Dancing by Lion of Babylon Center for Arabic Culture; African dancing by Bi-Okoto Drum & Dance Theatre; an Islamic cultural performance presented by the Muslim American Society; a Kendo demonstration by the UC Kendo Club; and Scottish dancing, presented by the Ohio Valley Scottish Society Dancers.

Muthar Al-Ubaidi, one of the festival organizers and professor and department head of the College of Applied Science (CAS) Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology, said the International Student Festival typically draws between 1,000-1,5000 people each year. The sun and spring temperatures on May 1 brought out the crowds.

Booths organized by international student organizations featured food and culture. Mary Palascak, a senior research assistant for the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, and Paramjit Khera, a research associate in endocrinology, sampled some of the food and the Turkish coffee presented by the Turkish Student & Scholars Association. Palascak then heard her fortune from a reading of her coffee grounds by Ezgi Akpinar, a doctoral student in geography. “She said I’d be seeing a lot of people soon who are very close to me,” Palascak said. “She was right. My son is getting married and all of our relatives are coming!”

Additional highlights from the photo slideshow include the Worldfest Fashion Show, sponsored by Ethnic Programs and Services and the African American Cultural and Research Center. The show featured young adult business fashion from around the globe. A new feature to Worldfest this year was the International Phone Booth sponsored in partnership with Cincinnati Bell, in which international students could call home free of charge during scheduled hours of Worldfest.

Worldfest is sponsored by the Association for India’s Development (AID), Center for Area Studies & Programs, Center for Career Development (CDC), Chinese Student & Scholars Association (CSSA), Cincinnati Bell, Classic Fare Catering, College of Nursing, Division of Student Affairs, Engineers without Borders, Ethnic Programs & Services (EPS), Graduate Student Governance Association (GSGA), Hillel Jewish Student Center, Imago, Leadership Lecture Series Committee, MainStreet, Park + Vine, Programs & Activities Council (PAC), the Racial Awareness Program (RAPP), Raymond Walters College, Resident Education & Development (RED), Society for the Appreciation of Bharatiya Heritage (SABHA), Students for Ecological Design (SED), Students for Study Abroad (SSA), UC Student Government, Ten Thousand Villages, Turkish Students & Scholars Association (TSSA), Turner Farm, Sitwell’s Coffee House, Student Activities & Leadership Development (SALD), the UC Bookstore, UC International, UC Parent’s Fund, University Honors Program and the UC Wellness Center.