Embrace, Connect and Share Multiculturalism at Westminster

In a world where we are constantly divided and at war against each other, multiculturalism assumes a more significant meaning. We see cultural diversity every day, especially in big cities, and it is based on a fundamental right that in society, everyone coexists peacefully. When we talk about multiculturalism, we project our view of a society enriched by respecting, preserving and encouraging different cultures to develop.

Multicultural societies are characterised by people of different ethnicities and nationalities living and building a community together. They share their unique cultural way of living, languages, traditions, and behaviour, bringing a higher tolerance towards minorities. As a result, children and students can learn from different cultures and connect with different people, increasing their baggage for a more peaceful society.

In Westminster, “The global celebration of cultures” organised a three-day event between the 15th and 17th of March. DEN took the occasion to celebrate our multicultural community by organising a special celebration with a quiz, students telling stories of the rich culture and traditions of their countries.

Everyone had the opportunity to share their views on how they perceive it in their lives, what it is for them and share their insights into their countries of origin. Elena, a DEN student, commented,

“Last week’s event on multiculturalism was a lovely evening, prepared by the students and teachers of DEN. The atmosphere was fun and vibrant, and everyone enjoyed it. I was pleased because many people participated, and many contributed to making the evening special, serving traditional food and drinks, and even offering unique henna tattoos.

Quizzes on different cultures were organised. One of them was led by two students representing the Baltic countries, impressing us by making it fun and discovering exciting facts.
Everyone has had the opportunity to represent their country with a story, custom, or tradition. I was again able to learn something new and meet new students. For this reason, I would like to invite everyone to celebrate all together and share the beauty of multiculturalism and what it brings into our lives.”

The event showed an extensive range of cultures and helped educate all attendants on different traditions, deepening into various perspectives, heritages, and stories. Lauren, a DEN student, commented,

“The multicultural event gave me a chance to experience other cultures and tell what I feel is little known about the UK. I was so grateful to attend and have the opportunity to speak, outlining how the UK is divided into different, smaller countries with their own cultures. For example, there is a great difference between the North, the South, and Cornwall in England alone. Each area has a different dialect, accents and even traditional delicacies. England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their languages and cultures. Each nation has its own identity, but there is a friendly competition between nations and an extensive history of this which goes back in time. However, England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland come together as the United Kingdom.”

We are very privileged to live in a city like London with many different cultures that we can live and breathe in every corner. Sometimes when we live in a place for so long, we tend to incorporate different lifestyles and, therefore, traditions that are not ours, forgetting where we come from. However, we also have to remember how precious the gift of our heritage is and how important it is to share it wherever we go to enrich our multicultural community. What we learn and what we share keeps us together, helping us understand to live with each other, appreciating and promoting diversity. The beauty of these events is that they bring different people together, inspiring creativity and driving innovations. A culturally diverse environment empowers students to develop their skills and talents, proving that we can all aim to be open-minded as part of this enriched World.

Elena Baiocchi, BSC (Hons) Human Nutrition.
Eleonora Venturini, BA (Hons) Creative Writing and English Literature
Lauren Coombs, BA (Hons) English Literature.