A journey through Asia at MSU’s cultural night

MSU was a theater for cultural diversity over the weekend during the Asian Multicultural Night (AMN), organized by the Asian Student Interracial Association (A.S.I.A). The event featured performances, a fashion show and discussions aimed at enhancing understanding and celebration of Asian cultures among the university community and beyond.

The event opened April 14 with a flag ceremony, where student representatives from various Asian countries presented their national flags. Artist April Werle, who delivered the keynote address, shared her personal journey as a Filipino-American, touching on the complexities and challenges faced by multicultural Americans.

 “If you're a mixed race individual, or if you're here simply to learn about Asian multiculturalism, I'm excited to talk to you about embracing multicultural identity,” she said. 

Vice President of A.S.I.A Gloria Baldevia discussed the significance of the event. "One of our goals is to collaborate with other Asian cultural groups to showcase the beauty and diversity of different regions in Asia," Baldevia said. "We created A.S.I.A to be a safe space for [Asian Americans and Pacific Islander-identifying] students on campus to share their own cultures and take pride in it."

A highlight of the evening was the fashion show, which showcased traditional attire from seven different Asian countries, celebrating both the historical and modern aspects of Asian fashion. The performances that followed included a range of artistic expressions, including a modern K-pop dance and traditional Filipino folk dance called tinikling. 

Pablo Santibanez, a graduate assistant for the Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons and attendee of the event said, “It was really nice to see the multicultural groups come together and engage in a shared interest.”

The night was not only a display of cultural heritage, but also a product of the collaborative efforts within multiple student organizations. The Chinese Culture Club (CCC) used the night as an opportunity "to teach students the richness of Chinese culture.” The CCC added in a statement to the Exponent on April 15, “the purpose of AMN was to showcase all Asian cultures, so we were excited to use our resources to represent Chinese culture."

In its April 15 statement, the CCC acknowledged challenges in organizing such a comprehensive event, who noted the organizational and communicative hurdles overcome through A.S.I.A’s support and teamwork. “A.S.I.A did a really great job of staying flexible and adjusting to all of the circumstances really quickly, so we were really lucky we had them to coordinate with them.”