The Office of Global Education hosted a Cultural Café event Tuesday afternoon, showcasing the culture and foods of Costa Rica and Ghana.

This afternoon, approximately sixty attendees came together to learn and experience a small taste of what the two countries are made of. Each month, the Office of Global Education hosts this event in efforts to display different countries and what they have to offer.

Presenters Candra Djitornu and Giovanni Villalobos talked to attendees about their home countries. The presentations included information about their country’s geography, history, language, food and more. 

Djitornu, a graduate assistant for the Office of Global Education, presented food and facts about her home country, Ghana.

“Our goal is to give students the opportunity to experience other cultures besides theirs,” Djitornu said. “It is very very important to create awareness about people who are different from us. It is also a learning experience. Any student who shows up here will definitely be living with more insight into places that are different from theirs.” 

Those who attended the event received food from the two featured countries which was provided by the university’s culinary services. 

Djitornu said culinary services were provided with recipes from the international students and then replicate them to the best of their ability to make the food as authentic as possible. 

“It is really nice to see the effort they put into making the food taste good and also the effort going into giving us a piece of home,” Djitornu said. 

The food aspect of the event brought many students in, but individuals come to the cultural café for other reasons, as well.

Ikram Toumi, an associate professor of communication studies, said she attends the monthly event as frequently as possible and invited a student from Ghana to join her for this event. 

“I think it is a great opportunity to learn about different cultures and to hear about countries from our students telling their stories,” Toumi said. “It opens students’ minds, enriches their knowledge about other places, and makes them realize how diverse our campus is.” 

Toumi invited Theorose Dzineku, a graduate communication and information major, to the event where she said the food made her feel like she was at home. The event also gave her a sense of community here on campus. 

“I love the presentation, I get to learn a lot about different places,” Dzineku said. “There is little you can find on the internet and you don’t know how real those things are so having people tell you and they are natives makes it special.” 

Djitornu said the Cultural Café created visibility for students and a place where international and domestic students can learn about each other. 

“It’s a great way to celebrate the different cultures that are present on campus and also shine a spotlight on international students here at Kent,” Djitornu said. 

Toumi said the importance of the event not only benefited international students, but domestic students as well. 

“We have a lot of stereotypes from the media about a lot of countries and places so when you come to these presentations and you hear about the country from people from that country, it changes your perception,” Toumi said. “It humanizes everything and it’s not a stereotype anymore.”

The next Cultural Café, hosted by the Office of Global Education, is set for Oct. 11 and will showcase Mexico and Peru.

“It ties back to creating safe spaces for our students and just amplifying their voices,” Djitornu said. “I think this is the perfect opportunity to allow international students to feel more nostalgic about home and some of the aspects of their culture.”

Adrianna Quinlan is a reporter. Contact her at [email protected].