By Jordan Grummer

For students attending the UA from out of the country, making the transition from one culture to another can be a long, difficult process. The presence of 28 international registered student organizations gives these students opportunities to bring their culture to Northwest Arkansas.

Michael Taiwo, president of the African Students Organization, said he wants his group to import Africa into Northwest Arkansas. Taiwo said his group has a moral obligation to educate people about Africa, and they want to change the usual perceptions of his homeland.

“People do not really know about Africa. The Africa they know is probably through Hollywood or CNN, and they don’t really reflect the situation on the ground,” Taiwo, a native of Nigeria, said. “So we feel it is our responsibility to tell people what is really going on.”

Stefan Trim, the president of the Caribbean Students Organization, shared the same sentiments about importing his own culture to the area.

“We want to branch out to others, and learn with others and to share our culture,” Trim said.

Sylvia Tran, the president of the Vietnamese Student Association, said it can be challenging to bring Vietnamese culture to Fayetteville because of the small Vietnamese population, but they have been able to grow to more than 30 members by sponsoring events on campus.

“The campus is a great place to share our culture with students,” Tran said. “We would not be able to bring awareness to people without the help of the university and its students.”

The Vietnamese Student Association has one event left this fall, the “Chopsticks Workshop,” where participants will learn how to use chopsticks, and will then use their newly acquired skills on authentic Vietnamese food.

The Vietnamese Student Association has been working since this summer on “Vietnamese Immersion,” which is the largest event they will be involved with this year. They are working with the Office of International Students and Scholars who hold an immersion every year to showcase an aspect of a certain country. Tran said the theme of this year’s immersion is “The Vietnamese New Year.”

“It will be an interactive evening and I’m hoping guests will enjoy the atmosphere, activities and food,” Tran said. “It should be a wonderful learning experience.”

The African Students Organization organizes two large events during the year to showcase African culture. Food is the main attraction of “The Taste of Africa.” African students prepared authentic African food and more than 500 people attended, Taiwo said. The organization’s biggest event, “The Sound of Africa,” is in the spring. It incorporates many different aspects of African culture including African food, a fashion show and African dances. Taiwo said he expects to see 700 people attend the event.

The Caribbean Student Organization sponsors an event next spring called “Dancing Instructions.” Dances like the calypso and limbo dancing will be put on display in what Trim said would be “an immersion into Caribbean culture.”

Working with other International RSOs is also a goal of the Caribbean Student Organization, Trim said. At the “Caribbean Cookout and Backyard BBQ” last month, the highlight was a friendly soccer game with students from the African Students Organization.

“Everyone has something to contribute,” Trim said. “At the end of the day we came here to be educated, and to be educated is not just being an impartial (bystander), but communicating and interacting with different people.”

The African Students Organization has 60 members with 21 of Africa’s 53 countries represented. The Caribbean Student Organization has 59 active members.