On Tuesday, Connectd LB kicked off their Culturs Week campaign by throwing an open mic event at The Nugget Grill and Pub.
The open mic took place from 4-6 p.m. and featured various singers and speakers. It took on the theme of “Straddling Cultures.”
The event aimed to encourage students to speak freely about their culture and share a part of themselves with the community.
Connectd LB represents Culturs Magazine, a global multicultural magazine that focuses on anyone and everything relating to culture. It uses media, products and experiences to activate 21st century cultural diversity and enhance community.
Culturs strives to embrace the “cultural in-between” and foster human connection for those who live outside traditional cultural boundaries. Groups that fall into this category include multicultural, multiethnic, mixed-race and geographically mobile populations.
“We wanted this campaign to give people a place to go and share their voice, especially if they ever feel lost in the mix culturally” Rachel Cogswell, Connectd LB’s team lead, said.
The event itself harbored high spirits and lots of smiles from its audience and participants.
Nikoletta Anagnostou, a member of the Connectd LB research and writing team, explained that their team decided to hold an open mic night to give people a space to openly celebrate their cultures.
The Connectd LB team had a banner for attendees to sign, a poster of different ways to say hello and a globe for people to pin where they are from or where they wish to go. These activities helped further represent and bring awareness to cultures all over the world.
“The main premise of this campaign is culture, so I wanted to make sure that we held an event where students could just pass by and join if they felt inclined,” Cogswell said.
“I wasn’t sure if anyone would come up, but some people actually did which was really cool to see.”
Raphael Lipana, a second-year pre-graphic design major, came to the open mic to support the girl he has been dating and ended up singing one of his favorite songs, called “Apocalypse” by Cigarettes After Sex.
“You only live once,” Lipana said. “I ended up have a way better time than I expected.”
Connectd LB’s Culturs Week also held an event for International Mother Language Day on Wednesday in the Psychology Quad and a dance and music celebration in the Kinesiology Courtyard on Thursday.