One World Week 2016
Today, Monday 14 March, marks the beginning of One World Week 2016, a week-long festival of events which celebrate the diversity of cultures and nationalities at Sussex and raises awareness of global issues.
This will be the third year in which the University and the Students’ Union have teamed up to organise One World Week and this year’s programme, which features Students’ Union clubs and societies as well as Schools and teams from across campus, is now available online.
Some of the most popular annual events will be back such as a special One World Week Language Café, the Working Internationally networking event, Persian New Year, and the vibrant South Asian spring festival of Holi which over 800 staff and students attended last year in Library Square. Active US will be offering three special ‘One World’ themed sports events, and a variety of international themed food traders will be returning to campus for a One World Week Street Food Market.
There are also a large number of new additions to the programme. These include a photographic exhibition in Jubilee Atrium by postgraduate student, Muna Al Zaabi, called ‘Different Visions through My Lens’. Muna’s photographs - many of which have won international awards - capture images of cultures, traditions and daily life in various countries from Morocco to India. The Irish Society will be running a lunchtime Irish Dance Workshop followed by a St Patrick’s Day Party, and for those with any talent for singing, the International Students’ Society are hosting The ‘S’ Factor singing competition. MEXSAS will be hosting a screening of internationally acclaimed film, ‘Güeros’ as well as bringing a Tequila and Mezcal Tasting event to Sussex for the first time too!
One of the continuing aims of One World Week is to raise awareness of global issues, and the programme includes Looking Beyond the Migration Crisis – a roundtable on diaspora engagement in development and humanitarian response which has been organised by Sussex Centre for Migration Research, as well as an event organised by the Chaplaincy, Co-Exist and the Islamic Society which will explore how various faiths can exist peacefully alongside one another called Humanity Beyond Belief: Compassion beyond Creeds.
Head of International Student Support, Sara Dyer, said: "One World Week is a fantastic collaborative venture between the University and Students’ Union and we are all very excited about this year’s programme.
"It offers plenty of opportunities to try something new and fun, but also a wide range of events which engage with current global issues and we’re sure these will be thought-provoking."
The One World Week 2016 Launch Event will be taking place in Jubilee Café today (Monday 14 March) at 1.15pm and all are welcome to attend.
All One World Week events are open to all and the vast majority are free of charge unless otherwise stated by the individual organisers.
Keep up to date with news about One World Week 2016 through the Facebook event and Twitter with the hashtag #OneWorldSussex