WAK 2017: Global Village a cornucopia of culture
KUCHING: Swinburne Sarawak’s Global Village 2017 was a cornucopia of culture as the community rallied together to celebrate their first international festival that featured seven countries and invited locals for a peek in the spirit of What About Kuching (WAK) 2017.
The event was organised by the Student Leadership and Volunteering Programme ( SLVP) to create diversity and culture awareness to the Swinburne community and beyond, as well as cultivate a campus community with an open mindset.
Throughout Global Village 2017, seven countries – Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Oman, Korea, Japan and Myanmar – showcased their culture and food.
There was a Best Countrymen Award, which was won by Egypt, Indonesia and Korea. The prizes were sponsored by Pullman Kuching and MM Collection.
There were also vendors taking part, namely local Indian restaurant Vee Vilas, MM Collection ( selling handmade Sarawakian beads), Kebaya sales by Lau Jit Lian, and Cloud- 99 Ice Cream with their nitrogen icecream.
Lunch hour every day was filled with performances, including one from ethnic band Pinanak Sentah, who came to play on Oct 12.
The age of members of the seven-piece band range from 10 to 21 years. Their band name means ‘Sentah Generation’ from Mount Sentah in Siburan. They play ethnic contemporary music with a mixture of traditional and modern fusion.
The Global Village also acts as a pre- event to Swinburne’s annual Cultural Night on Oct 13.
SLVP Swinburne Sarawak focuses on the betterment of the community inside and outside of the university, hosting projects that contribute to the campus community and also charity projects for external nongovernmental organisations.
They have done a donation drive for Save Our Strays Kuching, organised a Care Box Project to help clean and paint an elderly woman’s home, and held ‘Share Your Voice’ where they invite student speakers to share their stories.
Every semester, they host Swinburne’s orientation week called the Knowing Week. Other than projects, SLVP also links its members to volunteering opportunities and workshop or talk programmes that can help them in their development.
Global Village 2017 was part of What About Kuching ( WAK) 2017, the month-long festival that celebrates the arts, culture and lifestyles of the people of Kuching.