Students Celebrate Cultural Heritage at IFLC
Some students performing at the International Festival of Language and Culture in Abuja… recently Uchechukwu Nnaike
Students from various countries recently converged on Washington DC’s largest concert hall, DAR Constitution Hall to mark the 14th International Festival of Language and Culture (IFLC).
The IFLC, an international annual celebration aimed at sharing universal value of love, peace and friendship, first started in 2003 in Turkey as Turkish Olympiads with only 17 countries in attendance. The event has come to be one of the major festivals of Latin America and now the world with over 2,000 participants from 145 countries.
The festival brings students from around the world each year to showcase their cultures and languages to the world and encourage unity in diversity.
In 2014, the festival changed its name from International Turkish Language Olympiad to the International Language and Culture Festival. The first 11 editions held in Turkey, but due to government hostility and the ongoing persecution of the Gülen or Hizmet movement- which is involved in organising the festival- the organisers in 2014 decided to hold the event in various countries to avoid potential problems.
This year in the US, the event was hosted by actor Andy Garcia and was attended by Congressman Mike Honda, who represents California’s 17th Congressional District in the US House of Representatives; Congressman Randy Weber for the 14th District of Texas; and US President Barack Obama, who could not attend, but sent his delegate, as well as a message which read: “The rich cultures and unique histories of our global society are brought to life through mesmerising dance and captivating performance.
“In demonstrating the traditions that make your heritages special, festivals like this one allow us to bear witness to the ways hope and beauty stem from songs of inclusion. Your efforts to unite young people from across the globe reflect the power our common humanity has to transcend what sets us apart. As you come together to celebrate the cultural mosaic that is our world and forge bonds of friendship, I wish you all the best.”
In his remarks, Honda thanked the students for coming all the way to perform in Washington and emphasised that Turkey is the only country where the IFLC is not able to bring their message of peace and love.
“It is a shame; for the third straight year Turkish authorities have banned the IFLC and they continue their oppression on the Hizmet Movement and its founder Mr. Fethullah Gülen. As we celebrate diversity and multiculturalism through our children tonight, let us reaffirm our promise as a nation to stand up against oppression and intolerance. We are here to celebrate and respect the diversity in all our nations.”
The IFLC participants also visited the United Nations Headquarters in New York, where they also received a message from the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, who said “I am delighted to greet the IFLC; I commend the Peace Islands Institute for making this meeting possible and bringing young people from 27 countries together to discuss and celebrate our cultural and linguistic diversity,”
In Nigeria, this year’s International Conference of Language and Culture held in Abuja and was attended by government functionaries and well-meaning Nigerians. A large number of students were on hand to present their messages of peace, tolerance and service to humanity in the form of drama and music.
Speaking at the event with the theme ‘The Colours of the World’, the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, assured the organisers of the ministry’s readiness to synergise with them to provide an enabling environment for the protection and preservation of languages and culture.”
Students of various schools conveyed their messages through dances and dramas in representation of our diverse ethnic groups.
Among the entertainers was a Turkish teacher Mr. Aksu from the Nigerian Turkish International College (NTIC), Abuja, who thrilled the audience when he sang a popular Nigerian song in local dialect and danced in indigenous steps. Students representing the Igbo culture performed a welcome eulogy in fluent Igbo language and complete Igbo traditional attire while their drama was a reflection of peace.
Among the other dances portrayed by the students were English, cultural dances in Hausa and Yoruba and some international dances in Indian, Dernière (French) and Turkish.
The event, which was witnessed by over 1,000 audience which included a mixture of Turkish citizens, Indians, Chinese, among others came to a close with a short, but hilarious karate demonstration by the students to show how much strength humility can produce.
Apart from Nigeria and the US, the other countries that joined in the celebration were Mozambique, Brazil, Romania, Ethiopia, Thailand, Morocco, the Philippines, among others.
This year’s IFLC brought together hundreds of students from around the world and in the words of Dr. Aisha Abdullahi, the African Union Commissioner for Political Affairs: “On behalf of African Union Commission I am really pleased to be in festival of colors. It is amazing; the songs, the dances, the colours and beautiful combination of people. Let’s maintain peace and tolerance in the world.”