Afro Calypso comes with rhythm and passion!

   By Culturae Mundi journalist, Galya Dimitrova

With the temperatures rising because of the approaching summer, so are the passions on campus. Why? Because of the upcoming Afro Calypso – an event created by Culturae Mundi and the African Society. It will aim to present you the real face of Africa – zestful, colourful, and rhythmic.

 23^rd May is when you will be absolutely blown away by the beats, the colours and the taste of Africa! The show starts at 6pm at Square One, The Hub, and from 8-9pm you will enjoy a freestyle event of music and food. More surprises are awaiting you on the day.

For the price of £4 you will be able to see the best of the African, Nigerian and Ghanaian societies, representing their amazing cultures.

Come and see the inimitable Africa in its whole glory! See it, hear it, taste it, feel it!

Afro Calypso – heated by the African spirit! Guaranteed emotional feast!

Diamond Awards and World Poetry Night

By Culturae Mundi journalist, Galya Dimitrova.

Last week students of Coventry University who achieved outstanding accomplishments on their courses or for extracurricular activities had the chance to crown their success with prestigious student awards. The sophisticated Diamond Awards and World poetry Night was held on 25^th April at the Britannia Hotel and it was a delightful and elegant evening for the guests and performers.

The performances ranged from individual acts with Alexandru Berteanu and Indumini Siriwardana, to group ones that included dancing, singing and poetry recitals. There was even a theatre act from the play “Stars Never Abandon Their Orbit” by Tavo Theatre, a project which is a part of their degree show.

A presentation on the achievements of the members of the East Asian Film Society (CUEAFS) was given by the Treasurer of the society Marina Gogeanu. This displayed their international experience at the Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.

 Amongst the numerous accolades given were Student of the Year, Entrepreneur of the Year, Final Year Student of the Year and many more.

 One of the MCs for the event, Filipp Prokofjev, described his role on the night as “…very nerve racking at first but really fun once I got used to it”.

 “I enjoyed being part of it and I enjoyed all the performances. It is really nice to do something for the University and as a journalism student, I feel it is a relevant experience”, he added.

By Culturae Mundi journalist, Iffat Malik. 

Join us on Thursday night! We have some exciting entertainment ready for this spectacular evening.  The Diamond Award ceremony is supported by the Students in Business organisation. The event will be at the Britannia Hotel at 7pm. However, it won’t only be about the awards. Culturae Mundi have many entertainers in store for you. These will include music students, Yasmin Awome and Indumi who will be singing away all evening and Alex Scott who will be the guitarist on the night.

Poetry will also accompany the diamond awards and a screening of an East Asian Film will take place. This is a short film about the Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy. Exciting gifts are waiting for you as well, as a raffle will take place. A special prize will be given to all ticket buyers and the winner will be announced on the night. Tables of ten will be available so if you are coming in a group or with family you better reserve your table and enjoy it together!

Tickets are £7 and are available online or from the Culturae Mundi stand in the HUB. They are limited to 120 tickets due to the venue so buy your tickets, grab your seat and treat yourself to a glamorous evening.

By Culturae Mundi journalist, Galya Dimitrova.

Last Saturday, Belgrade Theatre hosted the long awaited Afro Bacchanal – the sophisticated black tie and upscale event that presented African-Caribbean culture at its best. The organisers were Coventry University’s African Caribbean Society. They provided a varied programme which included glamorous fashion shows, astounding drama presentations, touching music performances, passionate poetical recitals, breath-taking dances and much more.

Lagz, one of the popular hosts from the student radio station CovTalks interviewed the guests before the start of the show. This definitely contributed to the high spirit and good mood of the evening.

The night started with a welcoming speech by Terry Catherine who later recited poetry as well. The President of ACS, Oluwaseun Bamgboye introduced every other act. He told Culturae Mundi that the event had been planned for a year; it was aimed to be one of the biggest celebrations in Coventry. He said: “The whole idea was to bring some sophistication and class to Coventry. It is an event for everyone. As a society we try to promote the African and Caribbean culture in every way possible.”

The fashion shows filled the programme with colour and tasteful style. Designers such as Buki, Ny Designs, House of Asem and Clare put their work towards the variety of styles and textures that the models exhibited to the crowd. Trinity design collective, which is known for making carnival clothing, electrified the crowd even more with their florid costumes.

Along with the bright and vibrant colours, the guests could enjoy the beautiful voices of the singers such as those of Naya, Jodi Ann, Kemi and Sophia. Coventry University’s choir; Gospel Rhythms, also sang their hearts out, followed by Teejay Vocz, an upcoming singer, rapper and producer.

What made the audience burst into wild applauses every time were the dance performances. CSD, Unique Silver Dancers and Street Dance Comedy set the rhythm of the night with some trendy music and unique movements.

The big surprise of the evening was the comic interruption by Abigail Moronkeji. This was perhaps the ace of base, leaving the spectators more than entertained. She demonstrated very good comical interaction with the audience, which is probably why the audience thoroughly enjoyed her act.

The fun-filled programme combined with the classy choice of venue at the heart of the city created a perfect ambience which provided great entertainment for all. It showed what the ACS is capable of putting together a brilliant red carpet event which shows off the best of their skills as a society. It was an exciting and enriching experience for those who attended it and it definitely justified the hard work that ACS put towards fulfilling it.

It’s Islamic Awareness Day!

                                By Iffat Malik, journalist at Culturae Mundi.

Learning about different cultures and religions is always interesting, especially when you get an insight into what they do and how they do it. That’s the way we wanted people to feel about our Islamic Awareness event.  It was about creating awareness in an entertaining way by having lots of visualisations around to help you with the intake of it all.

As soon as you entered Square One, you could feel the humble atmosphere of a spiritual environment. White material was used to decorate the hall. White, a colour that we all know to symbolise purity and peace. People walked around in their traditional clothes, flaring with charisma and adding to the atmosphere.

Rich smells from delicious Middle Eastern and Asian cuisine wafted around the room. Outside the venue you could smell henna, yes henna because we also had people designing the body art for everyone who came along. And just beside that there was a book stall, with books about the Prophet’s (P.B.U.H) life, some recital verses and other Islamic books.

The event started with a short introductory description about Islam. This included the way Muslims worship Allah and his Prophet Muhammed (P.B.U.H). This was done by Mr Tariq Aslam, who is also a lecturer at Coventry University for the Engineering and Computing faculty. He went on to tell the audience about some interesting stories of the Prophet (P.B.U.H) and his life.

The Athan then followed, it was done eloquently by one of the band members.  Athan which is the Islamic call to prayer is like a statement of faith, which tells us that there is no deity but Allah and Muhammed (P.B.U.H) is the messenger of God.

All of a sudden you could feel an energetic aura spreading amongst the audience, and soon we realized it was the magic of Aa’shiq Al Rasul Band. They started playing some ‘naats’, which are recitations in which they praise Allah and his Prophet (P.B.U.H).

They sang their recitals in different languages such as Urdu, Arabic, English and Punjabi. People happily joined them in singing the chorus which was; ‘Allah-hee-Allah’ and soon enough the whole crowd was cheering and singing with the band. Everyone was clapping along to the rhythms, It was truly a charming sight. Nicoleta then recited Rumi’s poems. Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī is a well known Muslim poet from the 13^th-century. Poems about love, forgiveness and faith echoed around the room. It gave the audience something to reflect about.

The event ended with one more beautiful recitation by the band. During the food break we approached the founder of the band Amran Elahi, who was happy to share his views with us, he said: “It’s a pleasure to come here and play in front of the students and people from different backgrounds. I am very happy to see we are playing for many different people today and simultaneously creating awareness about our religion.”

Showing appreciation to Islam

 By Galya Dimitrova, journalist at Culturae Mundi.

On 16^th March, Coventry University and Culturae Mundi will pay tribute to the Muslim world with Islam Awareness Day.

The three-hour programme will aim to enrich the guests with information about the religion. The event will feature call for prayer (Adhan), followed by an introductory talk.

There will then be a musical performance by  Aa’shiq al-Rasul, a band performing uplifting spiritual songs in Arabic, Urdu and English.

Recitations of Rumi poems will light up the event  followed by a storytelling session, inviting people to talk and mingle.

During the food break, which as always will include traditional dishes and desserts, the guests will have the chance to chat with the performers. This will enable people to enhance their knowledge about Islam and the Muslim customs. The whole event will be created in a way to be attract those who may have no awareness or knowledge about Islam.

The event will be followed by a screening of the Indian drama “My Name is Khan.” This is a touching film that tells the story of an Indian Muslim with Asperger Syndrome, who embarks on a long journey to fight against issues of social prejudice and injustice.

By Iffat Malik, journalist at Culturae Mundi.

Last week Coventry University celebrated ‘Go Green Week.’

The event was part of the University’s ongoing sustainability initiatives, and was held to promote and encourage the participation of environmentally friendly practices throughout the university.

Selina Fletcher, environmental sustainability officer at Coventry University, said: ‘It was part of a national campaign which is called Go Green Week, It all works towards promoting positive action towards climate change.’

The main aim of the event was not only to promote environmental issues but also to create awareness around the campus with lots of fun activities to involve as many people as possible.

The week consisted of the two main days which were Tuesday and Wednesday. On these days there were stands, stalls and a variety of events which all took place at the Hub. There were many interesting activities and exhibits. These included an ethical market, showing off clothing and home designs from local suppliers, a pancake making day, and a ‘Doctor Bike’ stall. There was also an organic garden game where they showed students how to make window pots by using recycled coffee cups.

When asked about the events, Selina said: “Go Green was about promoting an issue which is really serious but at the same time encouraging people to have fun while learning about it. People get to think about what they can do in their day to day lives to make a difference. It can be as simple as switching off the lights, recycling a little and thinking about travelling in more eco-friendly ways.”

The event went on for a whole week. The school of Art and Design arranged film screenings for the organisation. These movies were shown in order to educate people about environmental issues in an entertaining and comical way. When asked about what else went on during Green Week, Selina said: “We had an event where Fair trade coffee was given out on Friday and a ‘recycle art’ competition that took place on Saturday. There were plenty of different activities all working towards raising awareness and knowledge on green topics.”

 By Galya Dimitrova, journalist at Culturae Mundi.

This week, Coventry University has set a ‘green’ agenda. From 11^th till 15^th February the University School of Art and Design is running various events to raise awareness of Green issues and the University’s contribution to a healthier, greener life.

The main issues to be brought up are the reducing of energy wastage and the improvement of recycling.

A competition is going to take place for people to give ideas towards plans to make the University more environmentally friendly. If you are particularly creative and ecology is something you stand for, this is your chance to win one of the prices that are going to be given by the School. The categories are “Best Idea to Reduce Energy Wasting within the School” and “Best Piece of Work Made of Recycled Materials”.

A Fairtrade Coffee afternoon is taking place on Friday 15^th February from 11am till1 pm at the Graham Sutherland building. Everyone interested in the development of Green issues can join the School of Art and Design and have a taste of Fairtrade coffee and biscuits.

Also in the Graham Sutherland building, topical environmental films will be screened almost every day of the Green Week. The screenings are in the following order:

11^th February, 3-5pm: “Wall-e“

13^th February, 12-2pm: “The Age of Stupid”

14^th February, 11am-1pm: “Food Inc”

15^th February, 1-3pm: “Koyaanisquatsi”

All events are free and everyone is welcome to come along.

By Iva Kostadinova, journalist at Culturae Mundi.

“恭喜发财” (pronounced “Gung hay fat choy”) or “Happy New Year” was the scream of joy you could hear all around Square One, the Hub, on 10^th February. This was on the night Coventry University hosted a celebratory event for Chinese New Year. Our multi-cultural students welcomed the Year of the Black Water Snake with songs, dancing, a comedy stand-up and lots of games. Representatives from the Chinese council in the UK joined the event to wish everyone a happy new year. Above all, there was that great feeling of festive spirit, an excitement we can only relate to feeling on New Year’s Eve.

Regardless of the bad weather, rich traditional decorations embraced the spacious Square One only to be overshadowed by hundreds of guests who flocked the area. People came along to either mark their national holiday with plenty of friends and classmates or see what the famous Chinese Spring festival is all about. Needless to say, none of them left the venue disappointed.

The celebration started with a bang, which only proved that all of us are all the same when it comes to quality partying! One after the other, several bands took to the stage, lighting the spark to a vivid atmosphere with the strong sound of their drums and guitars. Like they couldn’t visualise the festivity enough, there were gorgeous female singers and dancers throughout the event. This did a good job in ensuring the audience kept their eyes on the stage.

The show, thoroughly prepared by the CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars’ Association) went on with three traditional games that not only engaged the public, but also sent the winners to an exciting trip, courtesy of Hino travel agency. What a pity that many of the guests were too timid to make it to the stage! The intuitive and fun-loving nature of the Snake, according to the Chinese astrology, made its stand!

However, it was fun just to simply watch the tasks being carried out by the bravest volunteers. The battle for the last chairs during the Music chair game was ferocious. So was the dumpling eating competition, where they had to be eaten as quickly as possible by the contenders! They were abundant in chili sauce but that didn’t stop the hungry contestants from wolfing down the snacks.  After the show, we all had the chance to taste this fulfilling savory nibbles of the traditional Chinese New Year.

The celebration ended with a comedy show and an educational presentation, creatively put together by the youngest performer who was only 10-years old.

Working in partnership with the CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars’ Association) and also supported by the British Council and the EU project “Youth in Action” everyone  helped towards making a huge success of it. We proved we have what it takes to increasingly attract more people to share the festive spirit, regardless of their cultural and national background!

We might have taken down the colourful red decorations but we still wear huge smiles on our faces, because we showed once again that friendship really overcomes all boundaries!

Author

A great deal of the participants volunteering were actually students from the Nigerian society. As said by the MC of the show, “they volunteered as patriots”. Needless to say, the sense of patriotism was everywhere in the air. From the green and white flag on the screen at the background to the national anthem that put the beginning of the event and finally to the delicious traditional Nigerian food served in after the show.

One of the major messages that the organisers tried their best to get across was that current Nigeria has nothing to do with popular Western beliefs that people there live in constant poverty, use ancient tools and have never heard of US pop music.

On these lines, designer Temmy Akkani showed her own fashion line at the event. The colourful but really stylish clothes proved that Nigerian fashion together with the country’s culture is quickly evolving. Moreover, she showed that African fabrics she uses are far more attractive than those you might see commonly.

The event also featured lots of entertainment including comedy show, dance performances, poetry, rappers and a quiz for remembering and pronouncing words and phrases in Nigerian.

Initiated by the Nigerian society from Coventry University, the celebration of Nigerian Independence Day came true supported by IEMS, British Council, the EU project ‘Youth in Action’, Culturae Mundi and others. It is the first international event for this academic year and the upcoming series of celebrations throughout Black History Month.