The Office of Student Life is inviting its diverse student population to celebrate different world cultures on campus by hosting the second-annual International Cultural Festival from Nov. 14 to 18. The weeklong event brings countries from across the globe into the border city with good food, arts and crafts, dancing, films and educational lectures.

With more than 20 different cultures celebrated, the festival will spread across the city of El Paso to celebrate diversity in a variety of ways. The International Food Fair kicked off the Cultural Festival on Monday, Nov. 14, at UTEP’s Centennial Plaza. The festival will also feature the new additions of lectures, learning and documentary series.

“We even have a mime!” said senior political science major Ana Amezaga, who has been taking French for four years. “There’s so many things going on, it really makes you proud of your own culture and to be here.”

Although the food fair ended, the new additions of lecture, learning and documentary series allows for the entertainment to continue until Friday, Nov. 18.

Starting at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 15, a lecture series will be hosted at the UTEP Library’s Blumberg Auditorium, which features guest speakers and presenters until 2:30 p.m. Latin American poetry, spoken word poetry by the Black Student Union and guest speaker Adriano Trovato from UT Austin will all be part of the week’s lineup. The closing lecture on Friday, Nov. 18, will take place at the Centennial Plaza from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. and will include a lecture from Ramon Villa-Hernandez, lecturer in communication, on “How to Shoot a Narrative Film.”

At the same time, dance presentations will be held during the International Bazaar, hosted each day at 11 a.m. at the Union Plaza. A fashion show will also be held by the African Student Organization, featuring Richard Couder’s special needs group “Estrellitas de Dios” and Tribal Style Belly Dancing, along with several other dance groups, vocalists and musicians. The performers will all perform until 1 p.m. for the rest of the week.

Throughout the week, starting at 5 p.m., the Union Cinema will be showing international films from  countries like Brazil, Colombia, Lebanon and Africa.

The International Cultural Festival was expanded from the International Food Fair, which was founded in 1980 by the Office of International Programs. Since then it has grown in both size and scope, there are now five more events added as well as more cultures featured in the festival.

“We have students from 88 different countries,” said event coordinator Mallory Garcia. “You never know when you’ll be sitting next to someone from a different culture. What better way to educate yourself than by attending?”

With so many students coming from abroad, Garcia also emphasized the importance of celebrating the diversity on campus by bringing awareness to the cultures that some might not recognize.

Celebrating a culture doesn’t stop at eating good food and watching talented dancers and musicians. In collaboration with the Department of Languages and Linguistics, the Office of Student Life will present new additions to the festival.

The El Paso Public Library is hosting a learning series beginning at noon each day of the festival, where participants will be given an 90-minute lecture on Arabic, Portuguese, Italian and French.

A documentary series is also taking place at the El Paso Public Library. Beginning at 4:30 p.m. each day, the library will show foreign documentaries, including the Mexican film “13,500 Voltios,” with daily appearances by local filmmakers.

The myriad of events featured by the International Cultural Festival will end on Nov. 18.

For the full schedule of the International Cultural Week, visit sa.utep.edu/osl.

Mariana Rodriguez may be reached at [email protected].