By Maryam Spahic
GOMBAK, 26 November 2014: Thousands of people from inside and outside of  IIUM campus in Gombak gathered at the Cultural Activity Centre (CAC) on nights of 25 and 26 November 2014 to witness and cheer for the enthralling Global Ummatic Festival 2014 cultural performances.
Countries that performed on 25 November were Malaysia, China, Sudan, Guinea, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Egypt and Yemen.
China wowed the crowd by ending their performances with a fascinating dance by a man in a big panda costume. Malaysia on the other hand did a wonderful martial arts (silat) performance.
Countries that performed on 26 November were Tajikistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Somalia, Singapore, Indonesia, C3 (Cameroon, Central Africa & Chad) and Palestine.
This year, according to the emcee was Tajikistan’s first ever appearance on the Global Ummatic Festival cultural performances.
Syria performed a touching drama on ‘Free Syria’ while Singapore pulled off mind-blowing performances comprised of the Malay, Chinese and Indian dance.
All the performances were assessed by judges and top three best cultural performances received their awards during the closing ceremony on 27 November 2014 at the CAC.***