EBE celebrates diversity

Stylish: Students in the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment celebrate diversity at a recent event

Cultural diversity was celebrated in style at the Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment (EBE) on 3 May when staff and postgraduates from across the globe showcased their traditions.

Dressed in traditional clothing, the staff and students cooked traditional dishes from Uganda, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana, Indonesia, the Netherlands, China, Mozambique and South Africa for all to sample. Entertainment took the shape of ballroom dancing and tai chi demonstrations, music by the UCT Choir for Africa, a performance on a mbira, poetry by Malika Ndlovu and other impromptu acts.

The event was organised by postgraduate students together with the faculty's transformation forum as a way to celebrate EBE's Transformation Charter, adopted in 2006. It also formed part of UCT's Respect programme.

The last point on the charter is to appreciate diversity and ensure that various cultures, languages and traditions are fully respected.

The faculty's communication and marketing manager, Mary Hilton, described the event as 'vibrant and cosmopolitan'. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Martin Hall congratulated the faculty and said the event was a model for transformation and the values of diversity.