Eight Asian countries take the spotlight at Asian Fusion

Diversity is beautiful and colorful, but it becomes even more spectacular when it comes to Minnesota State University, Mankato. On Nov. 6, Asian Fusion of 2016 brought different cultures of Asia under a single roof in the CSU ballroom.

The beautiful evening started with traditional food from different countries. A variety of students represented their countries with their respective booths.
“We are feeling proud to represent our culture and country, and for this we are thankful to the Kearney International Center and the International Student Organization (ISA) for giving us this opportunity,” said Shabih e Zehra from Pakistan.

Students were also very excited and dressed up traditionally. “It looks like Diwali and Eid day when we dress up for the day and celebrate,” said Ankit Goel, a student from India.
Eight countries were showcased at Asian Fusion, and fifteen performances were seen. Dances, songs, and a fashion show made the event fabulous.

“It is difficult to say whose performance was good because every performance was superb and participants really worked hard,” said Ojaswai Singh, who is from Nepal. There were three semi-classical, south and north Indian dance performances from India.

“One performance after another presented their culture by songs, dance, and dress, but each culture was easily distinguishable,” said Rofiat from Nigeria.

Dances were not only a means of entertainment, but also told stories with the gestures and body movement. For example, the Srilankan performance was a traditional story of Sri Lanka.

Entertainment was not finished at this point, but continued with the Japanese performance, which portrayed people rowing a boat in the dance. The Vietnam performance was not less than any other performance. The group performed a Vietnam traditional lion dance, and one member performed beautifully on the drum.

“These events are not only good for entertainment, but also for food. Here we get a chance to eat our traditional food and remember my home country,” said Mishma Tafannum, a MNSU student from Bangladesh.

A fashion show of all the Asian countries concluded the event. Even though the event was only two hours long, countless more hours were spent before the event. A lot of hard work, dedication, and management helped make the event fun to all who attended, making the event successful overall.

“This kind of event makes students adjust to the school life and makes them proud of their culture. It also lets others get to know more about their culture or other cultures around Asia,” said Shalinie Bandaranayake from Sri Lanka.

Overall, Asian Fusion was a great way to showcase the different cultures in Asia, and attendees enjoyed all of the performances.