Tag Archives: festivals and celebrations

Africa Day

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Happy Africa Day!

We would like to invite our staff members and students to join in the celebration of the Africa Day and celebrate their cultures, heritage and achievements.

Complete the Cultural Diversity Survey

African presence at Queen’s

About Africa Day

Africa Day commemorates the founding of the Organisation of African Unity (now known as the African Union) on this day, 25 May, in 1963. Formally known as African freedom day and then African Liberation day, its origin lies in the collective African resistance to colonialism and economic exploitation. The day was, and is, intended to highlight Africa’s continued collective struggle against adversity. 

The African Union today strives to represent a vibrant continent of 1.2 Billion people. Today is a day to celebrate how far Africa has come against the odds and to recognise how much more needs to be done to ensure that all Africans can live healthy, happy lives.

Global dimension

Related reading

World Day for Cultural Diversity

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Happy World Day for Cultural Diversity!

The Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic and International Staff Network, in collaboration with the Language Centre, would like to invite you to join us in celebrating this year’s World Day for Cultural Diversity!

Visit QUB iRISE webpage for more information

What our BAME&I staff say

‘To protect and promote cultural diversity and expressions, I draw my inspiration from best practices in the development of appropriate responses adapted to university contexts. iRise is intended to be a collaborative and evolving instrument by sharing information that will contribute to a better understanding of diversity and conducive to keeping alive this dynamic platform.’ (Dr Adone Mohd-Sarip)

‘In a world increasingly globalised through corporate interests but fragmented by war and lack of empathy, it is imperative that we foster cultural diversity in our communities, networks and institutions. This is the only way we can achieve understanding and peace. I very much hope that QUB will wake up to this through the agency of iRise.’
(Dr Daniel Roberts)

‘Too often, global conflicts have a cultural dimension, and bridging the gap between cultures and peoples through intercultural dialogue is needed more than ever in our multicultural, multiethnic, and multilingual world. Being a co-chair of QUB iRISE, I am committed to fostering the value of compassion, inclusion, and respect for others. Every effort from each of us constitutes one step further toward embracing diversity.’ (Mrs. Nimmy John)

‘Cultural diversity is a great starting point to recognise the rich, yet complex, societies of diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. As a Language Support Officer at Queen’s, I am committed to helping students and staff members primarily enhance their linguistic and intercultural awareness and sensitivity through the means of workshops, training sessions and cultural celebrations. Together, we can aim for mutual respect, equality and inclusivity.
(Dr Liang Wang)

Cultural Diversity Survey

In addition, we would also like to invite you to contribute to our Cultural Diversity Survey by filling in the form so that we can better plan for the various cultural festivals and special days.

go.qub.ac.uk/CulturalDiversity

Multiple cultural celebrations and Easter break

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April is a busy month with many important days and festivals to reflect cultural diversity at Queen’s. While we wish all those who celebrate Ramadan well on their fasting during the month, we would like to invite you to join us in sharing our greetings and best wishes to the communities at Queen’s and elsewhere who celebrate their traditional New Year on and around today 14/04:

Bengali / Cambodian / Hindu / Lao / Myanmar / Nepali / Tamil / Thai

Happy New Year! We’d be pleased to if you are happy to share your photos/videos of celebrations with us in your posts and use hash tag #CulturalDiversity #LoveQUB.

Calling QUB international staff and students –

Tell us what cultural festivals and days you celebrate by filling in the form below and we will do our best to help with circulation and celebration at Queen’s.

Cultural Diversity at QUB Survey

We also wish you all a happy and healthy Easter Break. While our office will be closed during the holidays, our course enrolment remains open until Thursday 21st April at 5pm. Visit Language Centre April Enrolment page and do not miss out!

International Nowruz Day

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Happy International Nowruz Day to all those who celebrate!

Nowruz, meaning the ‘new day’, has its spelling varying from country to country, marking the first day of spring (usually occurs on 21 March) and celebrated as the beginning of the new year by more than 300 million people across the globe, with over 3,000-year-long tradition of celebrations in the Balkans, the Black Sea Basin, the Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and other regions.

Nowruz is a rite dating back to at least the 6th century BCE, marking the new year and ushering in spring. Variously known as Novruz, Nowrouz, Nooruz, Navruz, Nauroz or Nevruz, this historic rite is observed on 21 March in many countries along the Silk Roads, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

UNESCO

As such, The UN perceives Nowruz as “a significant role in strengthening the ties among peoples based on mutual respect and the ideals of peace and good neighbourliness”, a bridge between “the civilizations of the East and West, which influenced those civilizations through the interchange of human values”, to achieve “life in harmony with nature, awareness of the inseparable link between constructive labour and natural cycles of renewal and a solicitous and respectful attitude towards natural sources of life. (UN – International Nowruz Day)

The UNESCO also marks the significance of Nowrus through their platform Celebrating the New Year on the Silk Roads.

Calling QUB international staff and students –

Tell us what cultural festivals and days you celebrate by filling in the form below and we will do our best to help with circulation and celebration at Queen’s.

Cultural Diversity at QUB Survey

Happy Holi

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Happy Holi to those who are celebrating!

Holi, or the festival of colours, is a religious occasion considered the second biggest Hindu festival after Diwali. It marks the beginning of spring after a long winter and signifies the triumph of good over evil.

Typically spanning two days, the eve of Holi is when traditions commence with singing and dancing, while the actual day is the fun time that family and friends gather to playfully throw colorful paint and bright powders at each other and in the air.

Calling QUB international staff and students –

Tell us what cultural festivals and days you celebrate by filling in the form below and we will do our best to help with circulation and celebration at Queen’s.

Cultural Diversity at QUB Survey

Happy Year of the Tiger

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再见，牛年！你好，虎年！Goodbye, Ox, and Hello, Tiger!

The Language Centre at Queen’s and the BAME&I Staff Network invite staff, students, as well as members of the public, to join in welcoming the Year of The Tiger, which falls on Tuesday 1 February, with a variety of online cultural celebrations that explore the theme of Connectedness and Inclusion.

The launch event is scheduled between 13:00 and 14:15 on Wed 2 February featuring welcomes, cultural performances and a guest talk, followed by a variety of culture talks in the following weeks, as part of the Chinese Culture Forum 2022. All welcome! Check our Chinese@Queen’s Blog with more cultural events to come in this week and the following weeks.

Celebrating Cultural Diversity at Queen’s Survey

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Calling all staff and students at Queen’s –

At Queen’s we are committed to promoting cultural diversity, equality and inclusion among our communities. The BAME&I Network and The Language Centre invite you to join us to set up a planner of events, including invited talks and culture/language-associated festivals and days that we can celebrate in a range of ways (e.g. culture talks, posters, taster sessions/workshops, performances) at Queen’s and elsewhere.

We value the richness of languages and cultures brought in by staff and students to Queen’s and would welcome BAME&I members, in particular, to share your knowledge, experience, and enthusiasm of your linguistic and cultural events so that we can build up a repertoire and make plans for joint celebrations in the future. 

To take part in the survey, just scan the QR code above or click the Survey button below.
Survey