Published on 02 May 2018
Each has their own story to tell of overcoming prejudice and making Sunderland their home.
Now students from nationalities across the globe are coming together to celebrate everything that makes us different.
The University of Sunderland is hosting an event which aims to bring as many different cultures as possible under one roof.
The University’s Afro-Caribbean Society has organised the diversity event, dubbed “Battle of Tribes”, and the red-carpet evening aims to celebrate, through one unified voice, how different we all are.
African, Caribbean, Greek, Kuwati, Italian and many more nationalities will be represented at the colourful extravaganza on Wednesday, 2 May.
The event has been organised by Francis Ezenagu, a Nigerian student currently studying Nursing at the University.
He was inspired to bring cultures together and celebrate diversity after realising that some of the prejudice he had faced in his life was down to a lack of education. The event will be held in CitySpace, City Campus, Chester Road.
University of Sunderland Vice Chancellor Shirley Atkinson said: “Celebrating diversity is something we are passionate about here at the University of Sunderland.
“The Sunderland Afro-Caribbean event on Wednesday gives us the opportunity to bring together different nationalities and immerse ourselves in cultures from around the world.
“Each year we welcome new students from over 100 countries. These students become a vital part of day-to-day life in our city. Outside of their studies, lifelong friendships are created and memories made.
“Coming together to create a mass message of unity has never been more important, and we are proud that our students are at the forefront of creating a better tomorrow, today.”
Mayor of Sunderland Councillor Doris MacKnight added: “I’m delighted to be attending the Afro Caribbean Society celebration event. This society showcases the diversity we have here in Sunderland. We have many students in the city who come from all over the world and I am very much looking forward to meeting with some of them at this event.”
To mark the occasion, we have brought together University of Sunderland students from all different backgrounds to reveal why celebrating diversity is so important.
Here we speak to those taking part in Wednesday's event:
Name: Francis Ezenagu
Age: 26
Course:Nursing
Nationality: Nigerian
I relocated to the UK in 2017 and I was excited about the change. The place was amazing but the weather was cold; it was a huge change compared to Nigeria.
I have encountered some prejudice and even had an egg thrown at me. But, I must confess, while at the University of Sunderland, I have made loads of friends. The reason people act in a hate manner is because they have never been educated on different cultures and they hold misconceptions and stereotypes against other nationalities.
The reason why I was keen to organise this event was to elevate cultural awareness and bring people from different nationalities together in a common goal. It’s normal in life for an individual to dislike what he/she doesn’t know, hence it’s our duty to enlighten the public on our traditions and cultures and also eradicate misconceptions.
It has been amazing learning from different cultures and I hope everyone tries to understand that, although we might have different skin colour, language or religion, we are still all the same.
Name: Salim Salim
Age: 20
Course: Pharmacy
Nationality: Tanzania
It’s very important for the University to celebrate different cultures as it makes different types of students, regardless of their origin, feel represented even when they are away from home.
My experience living in another country has been great so far as I have experienced many new things and met many great people.
Name: Anesu Shumirai Magundani
Age: 21
Course: Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics
Country of origin: Zimbabwe
I believe it is important that the University of Sunderland celebrates different cultures because it gives those students who are not originally from the UK a sense of belonging. I also believe celebrating other cultures is an easy way to educate and understand each other. All cultures are different and interesting. Celebrating this will bring people closer together.
I came to the UK when I was three years old. At the time there weren’t many other black children where I grew up in Norwich, meaning I was the outcast and I stood out. Growing up, I have experienced racial abuse from other children, simply because they were not educated about other cultures, however things have changed since then, with more people from different cultures relocating to the UK. As a result, different cultures are being recognised, and, being in the UK 19 years, I feel like I belong here, it has become somewhere I can call home.
Name: Élvica Kata,
Age: 20 years old
Course: Accounting and Finance
Nationality: Angola
Apart from being incredibly fun, being part of a cultural celebration is a way of maintaining our traditions while living abroad. Such celebrations are good opportunities for intercultural exchange and understanding.
Living abroad has changed my ideas, beliefs and thoughts for the better and it made me more humble, confident and accepting of the people around me, all with a feeling of common receptiveness.
Name: Rani Ber
Age: 20
Course: Criminology
Nationality: Morocco
Since cultures include not only arts and humanities but also lifestyles, different ways of coexisting, values, traditions and beliefs. It is important for a University as big and well-known as the University of Sunderland to celebrate each culture and bring them together as one.
Living abroad can change a lot of things about you. For me, it helped me create a better version of myself. It made me eager and curious to know more about my culture, other’s cultures and the similarities between them.
Name: Sarah Alqenaei
Age: 21
Course: Project management
Nationality: Kuwait
It is important that the University of Sunderland celebrates different cultures as this will help create equality between the different nations around the university and everyone will be happy.
My experience of living in another country was good and bad at the same time. The good was in living abroad, alone. That made me more independent and responsible and I also made a lot of new friends from different cultures. On the other hand, there have been times when I have felt lonely.