Earlier in March, TWU students welcomed the campus community to a Persian Cultural Night filled with songs, stories, dancing, games, and food. This lively event was organized by MA Leadership and MBA students in collaboration with TWU's Graduate Students Association.
The idea for a Persian Cultural Night first started as a conversation between Zahra Mohammadiyoun, a student in the MA in Educational Leadership program, and a friend. Initially envisioned as a Persian talent show to showcase students' artistic and creative talents, the idea soon blossomed into a Persian Cultural Night, complete with music, dancing, games, and food.
Zahra describes how she and her peers wanted to highlight the richness of their cultural heritage and share the beauty of Iran with others on campus. Through the Persian Cultural Night, she and the organizing team invited everyone on campus to experience a glimpse of Iran's history and culture, including the country's dances, poetry, food, and some of its traditions. As well, through the gathering, the students wished to share a message of peace and unity for the members of a global campus, and beyond.
"TWU as a multi-cultural academic place was one of the best places, and we have supportive staff who are interested to get to know more about every culture, especially Persian culture," Zahra shares, adding, "All of us were so excited because this cultural event was the first Persian cultural night at TWU."
Zahra estimates that 270 guests attended, including TWU students, faculty, staff, and senior leaders. Zahra describes the event as filled with music, singing, and dancing, along with plenty of Persian food and beverages. There were games and challenges where participants could win beautiful Persian handicrafts as prizes. Judging from the participants' enthusiastic feedback, the Persian dances were among their favourite activities. As Zahra recalls, "As one of the hosts of the event, I could see that everyone was enjoying the dance and trying to imitate it."
TWU's Persian Cultural Night was made possible by many organizers, including Zahra who was the event coordinator, and the TWU Graduate Students Association. The event hosts were Amir Kaveh and Zahra. Violinist Fatemeh, daughter of a TWU student, performed on stage. The dancers included students from the MBA program alongside MA Leadership students Bahar, Azin, and Zahra. The singers included students from the MBA and MA Leadership programs. Musical performances were provided courtesy of Mansour, Khusaif from Keshmir, Negin Mehri, Sina, Zahra, and Maryam. The team is also grateful to behind-the-scenes helpers Negin Zahmatkesh, Parisa, Sima, Narges Esmaeilzade, Mohammad, and Elmira.
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