By Fachri Mirza Muhammad
KUALA LUMPUR, 30 November 2018: The most awaited annual event, Global Ummatic Festival, marked its closing with a joy and excitement of its colours of culture and diversity last night (29 November), ending with a stunning cultural performance from finalist countries, magic performance, singing, and other dance performance.
The event was successfully held for a week from 18 to 28 November 2018 at the IUM Cultural centre (ICC) under the theme “unity and diversity”. It was participated by 23 countries across the globe.
This festival is another effort by IIUM to spread unity among students from different nationalities, cultures and heritages.
Festival activities consist of cultural performances, cultural exhibition, sisters’ cultural night, international talent awards, and international Ummatic sports.
The event brought international students closer to home where they tested their food, and shared the beauty and uniqueness of their culture with local students and the campus community.
The participating countries showcased their culture through cultural dances and exhibits with their cultural items and heritage displayed in their respective booth at ICC.
Here’s the list of winners:
Booth exhibition
1st place: Yemen
2nd place: Sudan
3rd place: Sri Lanka
Consolation winner: Palestine, Egypt, Turkey, Somalia
Cultural performance
1st place: Indonesia
2nd place: Singapore
3rd place: Palestine
Consolation: Somalia & Sudan
The events programme manager, Iman, said, “This is what Global Ummatic Festival is all about, celebrating all the diversity we have, and the differences that we have should not be a barrier to bring us together.
Iman chose to close her speech with a statement, œUnity in diversity: learn, care, and love one another.” ***