On February 21st, students and teachers at UISG gathered in the atrium to celebrate International Mother Tongue Day! This event is dedicated to promoting awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and to embracing multilingualism. Well, this is not the first International Mother Tongue Day at UISG. Last year, student and teacher participants represented diverse cultures and traditions through delicacies worldwide. With such a joyful experience last year, more students and teachers showed interest in endorsing the cultural festival this year!
While booths and posters remained, performances (including dances, ensemble, and martial arts) were to be featured on the 2024 UISG International Mother Tongue Day. The event officially began at 11 o’clock, with the UISG secondary Spanish classes presenting an authentic Flamenco performance.
“We actually started preparing for it before the Chinese New Year break. I find a strong tie between Flamenco and Spanish culture. I’m not an elite dancer, but I enjoyed performing Flamenco in front of the students and teachers.”
Leo Chen from Y10
Flamenco is a traditional style of dance that originated in Southern Spain. The UISG secondary Spanish class did an astonishing job of delivering the exotic art form and won waves of applause after the performance.
Following Flamenco was another performance by the secondary Spanish class – The “La La La Dance”. The “La La La Dance”, similar to Flamenco, embodies a strong emotional expression and reflects the very core of the Spanish culture.
Moving on, the secondary Korean class prepared a performance that shared strong bonds with their cultures. It was truly an unforgettable experience – a Taekwondo performance by a talented duo. The performers were dressed in Taekwondo uniforms, which are called “Dobok” in Korean. The performers showcased kicks and punches, hyping up the energy among the crowds. The performance ended with a kick that pierced a piece of wood in half. It was indeed a spectacular performance!
The spirit of the International Mother Tongue Day is captured in the following quote by Jose Roura, a secondary Spanish teacher.
“UISG International Mother Tongue Day was a splendid occasion that reflects and celebrates the diversity of everyone coexisting in the school.”
Written by Toby Cheng
Edited by Elaine Li
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