Mesa College celebrated the cultures of the world with their annual Festival of Colors. The festival took place on campus in the quad area with several activities for students to watch and engage in. The event happened the week of March 9-12.
Each day had something unique. For example, Monday showcased the Mesa College Music Ensemble to perform. On Tuesday, there were exciting and influential different styles of dance from several cultures from around the world. Wednesday had a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) reflection booth and Thursday presented the San Diego Mesa College Concert Jazz band among several other entertaining acts.
Not only did the festival assemble together different cultures but also several vendors. Some people sold different kinds of rocks or jewelry while others sold posters or incense. Also included were food tents in case you were hungry for something like kettle corn while enjoying the festivities.
The festival wasn’t just for buying a few nice accessories; the point of it was to gather together a variety of people and to be aware of what the people around you have celebrated. Each event hoped to help gain appreciation toward the culture it takes after.
On Monday, the students and faculty were graced with a performance from the Mesa College Theatre Company that was taken straight from their recent play “No Roosters in the Desert,” a production about four Latina women who immigrated to America.
Genesis Canty, a student at Mesa and one of the actresses in the production said, “It has a strong message about immigration and about what we had to go through. Like how much of our identity did we have to lose in order to be here in the states and pursue the American dream?”
Canty continued her statement with, “These stories talk about the issues and struggles of why the women left their homes. That’s pretty much why we came out, to show these different women from different places in Mexico, to show the differences between the cultures within Mexico.”
The Southern Sea Lion Dance Team was brought onto campus to perform a traditional lion dance. The students who performed were from SDSU. According to wushunj.com, the dance is significant to Chinese culture because of a myth that stated that the dance was used as a celebration in a village because of a monster, or Nian, who was scared away.
Shannon Shi, a professor at Mesa who teaches Mandarin Chinese contacted the group. “We’ve tried to get a lion dance for years. It was hard to find them because this is the Chinese New Year season and there are so many venues asking for the dance. Finally we got them and we were really lucky to have them,” Shi explained.
Another highlight was on Wednesday when STEAM had their own booth where students were able to write down answers to various questions inside the booth and grab a piece of candy if they wanted. An example would be ‘What do the arts have to do with science, technology and math?’
Chelsea Rosen, a student at Mesa, helped out with the booth and gave a little more information to us. “STEAM was originally just STEM. What we are trying to do is get the arts, which is the ‘A’ back into it.”
Denise Rogers, another Mesa professor who teaches Art History helped bring this event to life. Three committees were involved in the production of the event; The Diversity committee, the Humanities Institute and a special Festival of Colors committee. Rogers chaired the Humanities and Festival committee as well as being a member on the Diversity committee.
When asked what she was hoping students would get out of this experience, Rogers replied, “that they come away with a greater appreciation for culture. That they learn a little bit more about the history and the significance of spiritual beliefs. We are an educational institute and I hope that students take away that education and appreciate it.”
The Festival of Colors is an annual event that typically takes place in March or April. This event has been going on since 1983 and each year there are various cultures represented that are expressed in different ways. The festival will be back in the spring next school year.