HomeNewsCultural festival celebrates diverse community

Cultural festival celebrates diverse community

By UCOL on Monday, 02 December 2019

Team Te Ahi Kaea perfomance at UCOL Te Pūkenga Flavour of Cultures 2019

UCOL Te Pūkenga Manawatū was buzzing with sights, sounds, and tastes from around the world as it hosted its Flavour of Cultures festival.

Now in its third year, Flavour of Cultures celebrates the diverse cultural makeup of the UCOL Te Pūkenga and Manawatū communities with performances, food, and activities.

The Brazillian drum group Samba ao Vento performing

Performers from UCOL Te Pūkenga and the wider Manawatū community entertained the crowd with a variety of musical and dance acts.
Popular Brazilian drum group Samba ao Vento opened the show with the energy they’ve come to be known for, while Flavour of Cultures veterans Shree Dance Academy kept the party going with their Bollywood dance act.

Flavour of Cultures veterans Shree Dance Academy dancers dancing a Bollywood dance act.

As the evening went on, the crowd was treated to kapa haka, African dance, bagpiping Native American flute music, and acoustic and hip hop acts. 

Tasting tables and stalls allowed people to sample food from around the world and find out more about different cultures in the Manawatū. 

In the kids’ zone, children could get temporary moko and henna, make poi, and colour in flags.

Manawatū’s prominent food truck scene was well represented, with so Dos Locos Taco, Kai Kart, Scoop Truck on site.

UCOL | Te Pūkenga General Manager Business Development Gillian Lawn says Flavour of Cultures celebrates diversity but also gives the UCOL | Te Pūkenga international students a taste of home.

“We embrace diversity at UCOL | Te Pūkenga, and the 150-plus cultures on our campus help make us who we are. It’s always a pleasure to open our doors to the community so we can share and learn about each other’s cultures. “

“Flavour of Cultures is also a great opportunity to give our international students a feeling of home. It can be difficult for anyone to be away from their home country, so we are glad to host an event where many of our international students can enjoy food and performances that remind them of home.“

Photo: Te Ahi Kaea(Cover), Samba ao Vento, and Shree Dance Academy.

Top