International Day at TAMIU Celebrates World Culture, Issues Nov. 4

International cuisines, lively entertainment and cultural exhibitions will take center stage at Texas A&M International University as the University celebrates International Day Wednesday, Nov. 4.

The annual event, free and open to the public, will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and from 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. at the Student Center Rotunda and Ballroom.

Also showing at the event will be a film, “Munyurangabo,” by director Lee Isaac Chung. The film, winner of numerous film festivals including the London Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival, features Munyurangabo, a youth in Kigali, Rwanda, who embarks on a journey to seek justice for his parents who were killed in the Rwandan genocide. The film will be shown at 1, 3, 5 and 7 p.m. in the Student Center Theatre.

Nico Wiersema, director of the TAMIU International Language Institute, said the University’s Division of International Program organizes the event twice a year to celebrate the cultures, traditions and languages of the TAMIU community.

“This year, TAMIU had a University-wide read of ‘A Long Way Gone,’ a book by former Sierra Leone child soldier, Ishmael Beah,” Wiersema said, “We are showing the film, ‘Munyurangabo,’ during International Day because like Beah’s book, it touches on the subject of Africa’s recent struggles and we felt this would reinforce what we are learning through the University-wide read as well as bring awareness to experiences faced in the world.”

International Day also serves to inform attendees about programs and services available through the International Language Institute, International Student Services, Continuing Education and Study Abroad offices of the Division of International Programs at TAMIU, Wiersema said.

Dances, exhibitions, food and musical presentations will be part of the celebration, Wiersema said.
“We welcome everyone to join us at International Day so that they can immerse themselves in a delightful cultural experience while they learn about other countries, and hear languages from all over the world being spoken right here in Laredo, at TAMIU,” Wiersema said.

For more information, please call the International Language Institute at 326.2136, e-mail ili@tamiu.edu or visit Pellegrino Hall 302E. University office hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Additional information is available on the University’s Web site at tamiu.edu and @txamiu on Facebook and Twitter.

Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu