On March 22, children and their families gathered together to engage in the Multicultural Children’s Festival hosted by WPSU. From 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., the State High South Building was filled with laughter as over 1800 people celebrated culture, diversity and community. 

The event featured many interesting activities including Ukrainian doll making, crafting with African wooden beads, Chinese character writing, playing Korean ddakji and scarf drawing with The Print Factory.

Attendees watched performances and danced with the Black Cat Belly Dance and the Penn State Asian Classical Dance Group. Kids of all ages enjoyed participating in the various stations.  “Making a flag was my favorite,” seven-year-old Ruth Flohr said.

Not only was the festival enjoyable for kids, but it was meaningful for the hosts. Ewurabena Yeboah explained what made the event special for her. “I get the opportunity to share my culture with other people, especially in this town, because it’s not really common to see stuff like this,” Yeboah said.

Clubs and communities in State College had the opportunity to promote their culture. Maanasa Renga, a member of the Penn State Indian Dance and Music club, shared her thoughts.

“I think it’s truly benefiting our club and it really helps us portray what we are to the people… there are so many interests out there that people have,” Renga said.

The meaning of multiculturalism was experienced by the guests, and moreover, by the children who took part in organizing. 10-year-old Owen Peters helped create the WPSU station.“Cultures from all around the world come here and have fun,” Peters said.

One of the sponsors of the event was Kish Bank. The bank’s stand was packed with children looking at the money from around the world, as well as coloring. Kish employee Briana Benson shared why the bank chose to participate.

“This is a testament to supporting the communities that we aim to support and what a great way to get out here and see people face to face. We are a relationship bank, so having that warm connection and developing and investing in relationships is what we are all about,” Benson said.

Additionally, the cafeteria was filled with a mixture of smells coming from the international foods that were served. Favorites included the Thai mango bubble tea and stuffed cabbage rolls from the Middle East. Standing in a long line was worth the amazement of kids who tried worldwide dishes.

Many nations were represented during the festival. However, the understanding of culture goes far beyond countries. Host Tamra Fatemi expressed her wishes for expanding the festival.

“We try to pull in as many different countries and cultures as we can, but I also want this to be not just a country’s culture, I want all cultures. So, in the future, I would love to have a disabled community table, an LGBTQ table. We are talking about all types of cultures, not just international,” Fatemi said.  

With new knowledge and warm memories, attendees left the festival. If interested in joining the next event, learn more through the WPSU social media pages.