A celebration of Kaua‘i and its rich multi-cultural heritage will be the theme of Kaua‘i Community College’s first Culture and Diversity Week, to be held April 18 through April 22 at the KCC campus, states a press release. The Culture
A celebration of Kaua‘i and its rich multi-cultural heritage will be the theme of Kaua‘i Community College’s first Culture and Diversity Week, to be held April 18 through April 22 at the KCC campus, states a press release.
The Culture and Diversity Week is funded by a University of Hawai‘i Student Equity, Excellence and Diversity grant and supported by the Pacific and Asian Affairs Council. Organizers of the event seek to promote an awareness of and appreciation for cultural differences and to encourage the development of understanding, tolerance and mutual respect for individual differences inherent in the human race.
The event will showcase the divergent voices that unite to create the unique character of Kaua‘i, states a press release about the event.
Support is provided by the campus, the community, and numerous volunteers. The event is free and all community members are invited to attend.
The KCC jazz ensemble will kick off festivities on Tuesday at noon in the cafeteria. This will be followed by a performance of Indonesian dance on Wednesday at noon just outside the cafeteria. On Thursday from 10:50 a.m. to 12:05 in the Hawaiian Studies Building, accomplished artist Dr. Tricia Allen will present “Tattoo Traditions of Hawai‘i.” Allen, who so far has tattooed more than 6,000 people, will relate the findings of her extensive research on Polynesian tattooing and the general revival of Polynesian culture. Later in the evening on April 20, a special showing on a large outdoor screen of the movie “Memoirs of a Geisha” will be held at 7 p.m. on the campus lawn. Participants are asked to bring lawn chairs, mats, or blankets, and donations of $3 in cash or canned food gifts for the Kaua‘i YWCA and Food Bank are encouraged but not required.
The movie is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of Hawai‘i at Kaua‘i Community College.
At noon in the cafeteria on April 21, Paul Williams, of Celtic Folk Kaua‘i, will entertain with Celtic Music — traditional songs from Ireland, Scotland, and Wales perormed on guitar, bouzouki and mandolin.
Festivities will culminate with the Culture and Diversity Fair on April 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the campus lawn in front of the Learning Resource Center (library building). This event will feature performances by Cupiit Yaratet, an Eskimo Dance troupe, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.; Tsunami Taiko Drummers, from noon to 12:30; and a favorite local Katchi Katchi band, Wally Rita and Los Kauaianos, from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Also at the fair will be a variety of information booths with representatives of community organizations, including the Kaua‘i Interfaith Council, Kaua’i Lions Club, Office of Elderly Affairs, and the Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. KCC will be represented by the Admissions office, Office of Continuing Education and Training, International Club, and Phi Theta Kappa. The KCC Summer Bridge Program will be on scene selling lattes as a fundraiser.
According to Peggy Cha, KCC Chancellor, the weeklong festivities will be “a wonderful opportunity for people to enjoy, appreciate, and celebrate the diversity that makes the Kaua’i experience such a special one,” she said in the press release.
For more information about the Culture and Diversity Week activities, contact Ken Curtis at 245-8326 or June Sekioka at 245-8380.
