Event offers insights into Southeast Asian cultures

Published Monday, April 26, 2004.

Members of the University of Pittsburgh's Gamelan Ensemble perform after dinner at the Spring into Southeast Asia 2004 event in the Baker Ballroom at Baker University Center Friday evening. The event included student performances, an authentic Southeast Asian meal, and then a performance by the Gamelan Ensemble.

Food, folks and new cultural experiences were the themes of Friday night's "Spring into Southeast Asia," an annual event sponsored by the Southeast Asian Studies Association.
The event is for Southeast Asians to share their cultures with the Athens area and Ohio University. "They're so excited to present their cultures," said Masumi Nakano, president of the Southeast Asian Studies Association. "There are not many chances, it's really important to us."

Representatives from 11 Southeast Asian countries including Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma and Laos welcomed the audience of about 250 with a greeting from their country followed by student performances. "We have such a colorful nationality in our organization," Nakano said.

Members of the Vietnamese Student Association sang a song called "Hanoi - Belief and Hope," a favorite in Vietnam, and the Thai Student Association presented a skit about the Sangkran Festival of Thailand, the New Year celebration. The Cambodian Student Association performed a traditional Cambodian folk tale called "How Thunder and Lightning Began" and Minah Harun, an OU grad student, read a poem called "Going Away."

After the student presentations, a meal featuring popular Southeast Asian foods such as Vietnamese spring rolls and Malaysian satay was served, followed by a performance by the Gamelan Ensemble from the University of Pittsburgh. The ensemble, which plays traditional Indonesian music, presented a puppet show and provided the background music.

Jaclyn Jimison, an OU freshman, attended the event for the International Business Society and chose the Southeast Asian event as preparation for future travels. "My friend's mother is from Thailand," Jimison said. "I'm going there over the summer, so this was my first choice." Jimison said the student performances were interesting because they offered a different perspective on Southeast Asian entertainment.

Tickets for the event were pre-sold April 14 to 21, and 30 additional tickets were sold at the door. The sold-out crowd was not a big surprise for Nakano because the turnout last year was just as big. "Last year, the same thing happened," she said. "But we didn't sell any tickets at the door, and we didn't like turning people away."

The International Student Union, which is an umbrella organization for about 20 international student organizations, helped to support the event. "I thought they did a really nice job," said Molly Dwyer, communications director for ISU. "I think it's nice for the Southeast Asian Association to put on a nice event to share their culture."

Source: http://thepost.baker.ohiou.edu/Articles/Culture/2004/04/26/5504/