The International Festival is one of the annual highlights at Zander’s Inter Community School (ICS) school in Zurich. There are families from 55 countries, and during the festival, compatriots work together to teach others more about their food, clothes, language and culture. Each country has a stall where people can see and try traditional food.

“Wow, I enjoy this feeling of patriotism!” Zander said with a smile and his South African shirt on. He certainly wasn’t the only one. In each stall, people talked to each other in their native language, beautifully dressed in traditional clothes that united them. Sometimes they just danced happily to their traditional music.

There were a few stalls that caught my eye for different reasons.

Ukraine

Last year, Ukraine had a stall at the festival for the first time. The international festival was just a few months after the outbreak of the war. I walked past the Ukrainian food stall with compassion because it reminded me of the trauma many families experience.

They decorated their stall with sunflowers, and the women wore wreaths of flowers on their heads that gave them an angelic appearance. Sunflowers are Ukraine’s national flower and appear in most of their decorations. Sunflower oil is a significant export product, and the Ukrainians have used sunflowers as a symbol of peace throughout their history.

Nepal

Our ICS school has a special connection with Nepal. In Nepal, schooling is not compulsory. There is a boarding school (SMD) for children from remote Himalayan villages in Kathmandu, Nepal. Our school has a partnership with this school.

ICS offers scholarships to learners from Nepal to complete grades 11 and 12 and forms part of ICS families’ households during these two years. During a talk, I learned more about life in Nepal and was amazed at the simplicity but also the strong values of the people. Some families must travel for days to get to the school, and the school can only accommodate a limited number of learners.

Nepal is in a high-risk area for earthquakes. In 2015 the earthquakes damaged and rendered the SMD school buildings unusable. The ICS community contributed financially to the school to help with repairs and rebuilding.

Every year Nepal has a stall at the festival. Volunteers assist the Nepal learners with preparations. Nepal food is a mix of Indian, Tibetan, and Chinese cuisine.

Spain

The Spanish stall was close to us. The smell of Paella prepared by the Spanish families in a large pan hung in the air. Customers could enjoy it with a delicious glass of Sangria.

I admired the most beautiful Spanish dresses and enjoyed it when the mums happily danced to the music in the stall on Mother’s Day

Benefits of learning about other cultures

The opportunity to live in another country and our commitment to the international school made me look at cultural diversity differently. We made friends with people from other cultures. I like to ask questions and try to learn and understand more.

I like to ask friends what they miss about their country of origin. In addition, what they enjoy here in Switzerland, but also what they find challenging. My answer would be that we are fond of Swiss cheese and other traditions and events that connect generations. However, we sometimes struggle with all the many rules and have been unknowingly in trouble a few times.

Knowledge helps us to live with greater cultural sensitivity. We have specific beliefs about what we consider normal or abnormal. Once we get exposure to other cultures, we learn how people from different backgrounds view the world. It teaches us to think more critically and even creatively.

When we learn and understand more about other cultures, it helps us to be less judgmental. It teaches us to respect our differences and be more tolerant of each other. South Africa is known for its ethnic and cultural diversity, and we have learned from experience how important it is to learn and understand more about other cultures.

I like the quote by John Hume about diversity.

“Difference is the essence of humanity. Difference is an accident of birth and it should therefore never be the source of hatred or conflict. The answer to difference is to respect it. Therein lies a most fundamental principle of peace: respect for diversity.”

Kind regards

Emsia