International Festival 2008

            It was a very warm and sunny day on Saturday April 26^th in Chico, CA at the downtown plaza where something very special was taking place.  The 2008 International Festival was beginning to pick up steam when I arrived at the scene in the afternoon.  The event ran most of the day from 11am to 6pm and my time spent there was very exciting.  The stage was set as a group of four men were playing on bongo drums and cow bells.  The beat was very uplifting and including dancing in front of the stage.  Three women danced in front of the stage all in white according to the rhythm and beats.  Many other women dressed in different costumes waited for their turn to dance.  The crowd was very festive and enjoyed the music on such a pleasant day.  However, a concert was not the only think taking place in the downtown plaza that afternoon.

 Bongo drums and dancing on the stage.

            Scattered on all sides of the stage were different international student organizations with booths set up promoting their clubs.  Mixed in with the student booths were various vendors selling trinkets and other international type products.  The festival was well represented by the Hmong Students Association, the South East Students Association, Make a Wish Foundation, Delta Xi Phi Multicultural Sorority, the Filipino Students Association, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano/a (de) Aztlan (MEChA), and the Sociedad Estudiantil de Literatura, Arte y Cultura (SELAC).  Each group had their own booth and was selling various small items and food to raise money for their respective groups.  The Hmong group was even barbecuing and deep frying specialty type food.

 The Hmong Students Association booth and cooking

            I gathered information from a number of groups but to keep this shorter I will just list some basic statements and goals of an organization or two.  Basically, the SELAC is attempting to raise awareness of Spanish and Latin cultures through literature, art, and cultural activities (like this one).  They had various works on display and are attempting to unify an interest in these cultures thorough community and the university. 

 The SELAC booth

            The organization of MEChA is a group that is trying to advance the civil and human rights of Chicano/a students of campus.  The term Chicano/a is one that means to be involved in a political struggle in an attempt to correct injustices in the community.  Therefore, the group recruits students into higher education and ones that are interested in politics or want to become politically active. 

 A vendor selling musical instruments and clothing

            This was just a brief description of these organizations as there was not enough time to get detailed information on all of the groups.  Overall, the festival had a solid showing of people and the crowd was only getting bigger when I left.  It was a great way to enjoy some music, learn about international groups on campus, and eat some great food.  The setting was an ideal place as the International Festival 2008 was a huge success and yielded a great time to all in attendance.