By Preslee Pope
Motlow Buzz
Contributing Writer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.- Reeves-Rogers Elementary,
Murfreesboro City Schools, and the broader Middle Tennessee community sponsored
the second annual Boro International Festival to celebrate cultural diversity
on Nov. 11 at Cannonsburg Village in Murfreesboro.
The purpose of the day-long event was to give Middle
Tennesseans of all ages the opportunity to enjoy and experience different
cultures. People representing different cultures from around the world attended
the event. Festival attendees enjoyed Arabian food, traditional dancing from
Venezuela, and Chinese name writings.
This event could not have come at a better time,
occurring just a few weeks after the Murfreesboro Loves protests at the white
nationalism rally.
“The purpose of this event is to showcase Murfreesboro’s
diverse and awesome population in one venue,” said Entertainment Coordinator Linell.
“Ultimately we want people to celebrate the diversity here rather than to be
afraid of it.”
This event offered many activities for children. At the
beginning of the festival, the children were able to participate in a parade where
they got to hold a flag from a different country. The whole festival
participated in a singalong to the song, “We Are the World.”
This is essential so that children can
learn to appreciate different countries and the people that come from them.
They also provided cultural games and crafts.
The attendees of the event got to experience cultures
from Iraq, China, Laos, Japan, Venezuela, Mexico, Iran, Jordan, South Korea,
Africa, India and Thailand. Each country had its own booth set up offering
services and selling items made in its part of the world.
The
Chinese booth offered Chinese writing of attendees’ names. Each set of letters
in a name has its own unique symbol in the Chinese language. One could simply
walk up to the booth and write their own name on a piece of paper. The activity
was free.
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| Photo by Preslee Pope |
A
group from Venezuela performed a traditional dance routine for the entire
festival. Two young girls and an adult woman wore long ruffled, colorful skirts,
and matching shirts. They would hold their skirts up and twirl around with big
smiles on their faces.
A
booth that represented India was selling items for women that would immediately
catch anyone’s eye. It displayed big beautiful blankets and colorful purses.
The purses ranged anywhere from $60 to $80 because they were hand made. They were
more colorful than purses offered here in the United States.
During
the middle of the festival, models from different countries were able to display
fashion from their culture. Attendees were excited to see that each culture has
a different sense of style. No matter how different each outfit was, they were
all beautiful and eye-catching in their own unique way. It is hard to believe
that other countries wore such exotic clothing and not what the “average
person” would consider wearing on a daily basis.
When
asked what would be good advice to someone who would want to learn more about a
different culture, event coordinators Linell and Tena Bailey offered some ideas.
“Live
and work outside of the United States for a year and then return,” said Linell.
Linell lived in China for 10 years and lived in the Philippians for four years
teaching.
“Go
to Hispanic markets and talk to the people who work and shop there,” said Bailey.
Murfreesboro
has celebrated and honored different cultures. Boro International shows just
how worthy each person is no matter where one comes from. Cannonsburg Village
represents 100 years of life in Murfreesobo from the 1830s until the 1930s.
Visitors can tour the village for free or they can have a tour guide for a
small fee. Cannonsburg hosts many events every year including Uncle Dave Macon
Days, Harvest Days Festival, concerts and even weddings. Most of the events
held at Cannonsburg Village are free of charge but offer a wide variety of
services that one can purchase.
To
learn more, visit
