The canteen forecourt will be transformed into a colourful cultural meeting place on 8 June: once again this year, the University's International Summer Festival will come to life thanks to the efforts of many students. Preparations are in full swing.
"I am happy to represent my culture here in my host country. There are quite a few differences between Cameroon and Germany and the interesting thing is to show them in a nice way," says Pierre-Blondel Amougou. The social sciences student has been organising the festival stand for his home country Cameroon for four years, sometimes with up to thirty other students from various disciplines. They want to serve visitors to the 19th International Summer Festival cocktails with fresh fruit and the traditional pof-pof - warm dumplings and kidney beans. As always, the tasks in the team are clearly divided: Pierre-Blondel takes care of decorating the tables with African sculptures and his handmade colourful handbags, which he also sells. At the same time and shortly before the festival, his colleagues will be preparing the bof-bof and drinks in the uninhabited dormitory so that they can be served fresh and on time at the stand. The proceeds from the sale will all go to the student organisation Camsao, which organises cultural events in Oldenburg on Cameroon holidays.
"The special thing is the student commitment"
Pierre-Blondel is already looking forward to the special atmosphere of the International Summer Festival, which will once again create an exuberant atmosphere with dance, music and culinary delights: "You can see from the faces of the guests that they are looking forward to trying out new things, talking to people and experiencing things first-hand from many cultures."
The figures for the International Summer Festival from previous years show that this is very successful when enjoying music and culinary specialities together: An average of around 1,800 guests attended each event, with over 30 countries represented. In addition, intercultural projects from the city such as IBIS e.V. or "Start with a friend" are also involved. The International Student Office (ISO) is largely responsible for the planning. Jenka Schmidt, Head of the ISO: "The special thing about the International Summer Festival is the student involvement, which is quite unique in this form. Integrative, cultural work only works if many people at all levels are involved. For us at the ISO, it's the most important festival of the year and we always look forward to it." The university's caretakers, electricians, security and fire safety officers also play their part in the success of the festival and are already involved in the preparations.
Many programme items have developed and proven themselves over the years - they will therefore characterise the festival again this year. For example, there is an extra incentive to decorate your own stand beautifully: A jury will award prizes for particularly creatively designed stands. The University's Presidential Board awards the Internationalisation Prize to student groups and projects that are particularly committed to international contact and cooperation. The 2,500 euro prize is awarded by a jury of experts, including Prof. Dr Esther Ruigendijk, Vice-President for Young Academics and International Affairs.
Glam rock classics and capoeira
A varied stage programme will also provide variety. Some of the acts have already been confirmed: the University's Big Band under the direction of Bernhard Mergner will traditionally kick off the programme. The trio "Low Hanging Fruit" will also be there again: they will be reinterpreting well-known pieces with acoustic guitars and vocals. A highlight is the five-piece band "Rustÿ Slämmer", which categorises itself in the "hair metal" genre. The young band, which attaches great importance to eye-catching costumes, performs glam rock classics. In addition to other musical interludes, there is also a lot of dancing - last year, for example, a group presented the Brazilian combat dance Capoeira. Children's hearts will beat faster with the "Spielefanten" programme in the open-air hall.
The ISO accepted stand applications until 28 May. "If people realise afterwards that they would like to set up something and there is still room, late registrations are also possible," says Schmidt with a wink.
Sarina Lux
