On Thursday night, MU’s International Club hosted “Pangea,” an annual event that allows the University’s international students to express themselves through dance, songs, poems, theatrical performances, and more.
With more than 50 different countries represented in its student body – and the university ranked as the No. 1, most diverse university in the state of North Carolina – it’s no surprise that one of Methodist University’s largest student-led events of the year was able to bring nearly two dozen cultures and traditions perfectly together for one spirit-filled night.
On Thursday night, MU’s International Club hosted “Pangea,” an annual event that allows the University’s international students to express themselves through dance, songs, poems, theatrical performances, and more.
A crowd of students, faculty, staff, and members of the greater Fayetteville community filed into the University’s Huff Concert Hall, receiving an opportunity to see 23 international students showcase their talents on stage.
Spectators saw everything from a waving flag ceremony that featured the country flags of each international student participating in the event to a live painting to a Greek dance to an acapella performance and more. The always-popular fashion show also made an appearance, featuring clothing and attire special to the cultures of international students’ countries.
“Celebrating the culture of international students is essential to creating a welcoming and inclusive campus environment,” said junior Fadhl Al-Names, president of the International Club, who hails from Yemen. “International students come from diverse backgrounds and recognizing their cultures at Pangea can help create a community of belonging for them. It also helps other students understand and appreciate different perspectives, traditions, and customs.”
It was junior Leonardo Rodriguez Vargas’ second year in a row performing. Last year, he focused on mainstream Latino dances, but this year, he wanted to take a different approach by focusing specifically on various Salsa dances.
“This was a big deal to us,” said Rodriguez Vargas, a Venezuelan native majoring in Engineering. “We wanted to freely share with the University our experiences and where we’re from. It’s also about creating nice memories so when I look back on my college days, I can remember the fun I had on campus.”
For sophomore Tsetan Dolkar, Pangea was a fresh experience. Coming from India, the Engineering major worked with three other international students – all from different countries – to perform a Gujarati dance, a popular dance in her home country.
“I’m the only person from India in my performing group, so it’s been incredible to show the dance to other international students,” said Dolkar. “It gives me great happiness and peace to be able to share my Indian culture with other people.”
The following students participated in Pangea (in order of appearance):
- Asemahle Mgayi (South Africa)
- Obed Combary (Burkina Faso)
- Raihanda Dipa (Indonesia)
- Nontobeko Geza (South Africa)
- Marie Michelle Ishimwe (Rwanda)
- Antoinette Botchway (Liberia)
- Joemer Dennis (Liberia)
- Dorcas Godspower (Nigeria and USA)
- Rahma H. Mahdi (Iraq)
- Tsetan Dolkar (India)
- Karma Choki (Bhutan)
- Micaela Corvera Vargas (Bolivia)
- Papvlos Trivolas (Greece)
- William C. Johnston (USA)
- Nabila M. Mahaman (Niger)
- Astha Khatri (Nepal)
- Leonardo Rodriguez Vargas (Venezuela)
- Jafreisy Vargas (Dominican Republic)
- Lydivine Nduwawe (Rwanda)
- Aida Agic (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
- Fadhl Al-Names (Yemen)
- Toluwani Dawood (Nigeria and Benin)
- Ziyanda L. Khathwane (Eswatini)
Find the top photos from Pangea by accessing the Methodist University Flickr page and view the top videos from the event by accessing the MU Instagram page.
You can learn more about MU’s Global Education Office and the services it provides to international students.