African Students Celebrate the Africa Day in Tomsk
On May 24, the Cultural Center of Tomsk State University hosted the Africa Day celebration where African students from every Tomsk university gathered to celebrate the unity of African countries in their pursuit of independence, peace and prosperity.
Maria Afanasyeva, Head of Department of International Cooperation:
“There are many students from African countries currently enrolled at Tomsk universities. They have very strong ties and share a strong sense of community, and so several years ago a new tradition started in Tomsk, with students from every university holding a joint celebration of the Africa Day. They are all very creative, and they always find new ways to impress the audience with their performances, showcase their culture and traditions. Not many of those in the audience have ever visited Africa and had the chance to discover its many cultures, but a celebration like this one makes one feel like you are indeed seeing a glimpse of that distant land”.
The students have organized a concert where they introduced the audience to some of their countries’ traditions, sang songs, played skits, ran a quiz and demonstrated various national costumes. A highlight of the night was the Miss Africa 2023 contest, where students representing Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Cameroon and Namibia had a chance to demonstrate their talents and present their respective countries.
Antonio Zafitombo, second year student, Faculty of Computer Systems, TUSUR:
“I came from Madagascar, an island in South Africa. Our people are very friendly: we are always smiling, we love to dance, and we are always singing. My home country is a place of warmth where it is easy to communicate and make friends. That is our custom: even if we are seeing each other for the first time, if we are from the same countries, it makes us brothers”.
The Siberian audience welcomed each performance with enthusiasm. The virtual tour across Africa was a success.
