With this Sinterklaas celebration, ESN Twente began a project titled Culture Nights, events that provide platform for international (and Dutch) students to share their own culture with others.
Different culture every month
‘Culture Nights will be held every first Tuesday of the month in the Global Lounge. The idea is for a student or a group of students to share their culture with everyone else. The content of the event is completely up to them, they are free to highlight whichever aspect of their culture they like,’ explains Vivian Garos from ESN Twente.
‘ESN is known as an international association, but it is an open platform and it is not only for international students. We would like to get more Dutch people involved, because the main idea behind ESN is to integrate internationals into the local culture,’ continues ESN member Oscar Bradley. ‘Culture Nights should be something special and personal. We would like the students to express the core values of their culture and they can do so in any way they choose, for example they can present traditional music, dance, food or teach their language.’
Anyone is free to apply
ESN decided to organize the first Culture Night themselves. In the spirit of integration, yesterday’s event was all about the Dutch Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) and Zwarte Pieten and included traditional candy, presents and even a presentation on the tradition behind the celebrations of Sinterklaas.
Culture Nights are an initiative of ESN Twente and the Global Lounge and, from now on, they will take place every first Tuesday of the month. Each event can last about 60-90 minutes and its exact program is decided by the student(s) in charge. ‘We invite anyone who would like to share their culture to send us an application with preliminary ideas. We can allocate a small budget to support each activity and help with the organization,’ specifies Vivian Garos. If you would like to enroll, you can do so on the ESN website.
