Annual Taste of Culture to feature food, entertainment, and special speaker

The Ohio State University at Marion invites the community to their 8th Annual International Festival, A Taste of Culture, Thursday, April 9, 2015, 4:30-8 p.m. in the Alber Student Center on the Marion campus, 1465 Mount Vernon Avenue, Marion, Ohio.

This year’s special guest speaker is Omope Carter Daboiku, who will present, “African and African American Church Folktales,” 7-8 p.m. in the Alber Student Center Lounge.  Carter Daboiku is a writer and award-winning, internationally known performer and folk artist.  An Ohio Arts Council master teaching artist since 1990, she uses story performance to promote understanding and appreciation of the commonalities of humankind.  She has shared and gathered tales all over the world.  Her storytelling style is animated and participatory in the classical African, American Indian, and Appalachian traditions, complimented by refrains, alliterations and onomatopoeia.

Live entertainment will be provided by Radio X – Gil Garcia, Bethlehem School of Dance, Nalanda School of Dance, Diverse Moves, Zharia Troutman, and Valeria Garcia.

Cultures represented at this year’s international festival include:  American, African, African American, Arabic, Argentinean, Cajun, Chinese, Filipino, French, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Native American, Scottish, Irish, and Somalian.

The Ohio State University at Marion hosts A Taste of Culture International Festival, annually each spring at the Alber Student Center on the Marion campus. A Taste of Culture plays host to a multitude of informational booths, live entertainment, unique cuisine from around the world, arts and crafts, and short educational discussions. Bringing together the customs, traditions, color, and flavor of peoples from diverse ethnicities highlights what organizers feel makes the event successful each year. Launched in 2008, 500-700 area residents attend this Ohio State Marion event each year.

Admission for this annual event is free and open to the public.

Local vendors, restaurateurs, and community members provide samplings of food representative of ethnic cuisines from across the globe. Donations are encouraged for purchase of food tickets to sample the food on hand. Proceeds from donations for food items benefit minority scholarships at Ohio State Marion.

For more information or to get involved with A Taste of Culture, contact Shawn Jackson in The Ohio State University at Marion Office of Student Life at 740-725-6219 or email [email protected].