The USEK Student Affairs Office, in collaboration with the Center of Studies and Cultures of Latin America and the International Relations Office, organized on April 29, 2011 a cultural day on the theme of “Celebrating Diversity”, with the participation of foreign diplomatic missions in Lebanon, cultural centers, artists, craftsmen and producers from all over the world.

The event highlighted the uniqueness of culture and patrimony and celebrated as well the commitment of our learning community to cultural diversity around the world.

All participating diplomatic missions and foreign cultural centers in Lebanon had the opportunity to exhibit general information of their respective countries and provide information on study abroad opportunities. In addition, a fair of products of the land, photographers, skillful craftsmen and contemporary artists exhibited a magnificent array of colorful dazzling photos, paintings, handcrafts, and organic products. The students of the Faculty of Fine Arts presented as well a selection of their projects while the students of the Faculty of Music and various bands animated the event with folk and international entertainment.

Mr. Khalil Abboud, Vice-Director of the Student Affairs Office, underlined in his inaugural speech that cultural differences should not separate human kind, but rather brings a collective strength that can benefit all of humanity, it is essential for the existence of societies binding people together, creating a sense of belonging. “The Cultural Diversity we are celebrating is the climate of each civilization, the values and richness we appreciate. We live in a troubled world that makes us feel the importance to hold on to our traditions, culture, patrimony and history what shapes the national character of each and every country and makes us aspire toward a better tomorrow”, Abboud highlighted.

Whereas Rev. Fr. Hady Mahfouz, USEK President, pointed out in his speech that “when we speak of culture, we do not only mean the various traditional and societal patterns of a given country. It is rather an abyssal sum of authentic behavioral and conceptual beliefs and practices in a given community. Albeit diverse, all cultures share one common language: the language of human value and respect of the other. Hence, our gathering today goes beyond exposing the various aspects of various cultures… our celebration is rather a pact to respect differences and other’s values and beliefs. What we are witnessing now on campus is a commitment to be open to all cultures, and a proof of our conviction that interacting with different cultures will render our own richer and stronger”.