VGCC Cultural Fair features International Traditions, Arts and Education


On stage at the 2014 Cultural Fair, VGCC students, faculty and staff perform a line dance. (VGCC photo)

On stage at the 2014 Cultural Fair, VGCC students, faculty and staff perform a line dance. (VGCC photo)

Vance-Granville Community College students, faculty and staff were inspired and entertained as the world came to campus on March 19, during the college’s annual Cultural Fair. The VGCC Global Awareness Committee stages the event each year in the Civic Center on VGCC’s Main Campus to highlight a diverse mix of cultures from around the country and around the globe.

Students were given a list of questions that could be answered by visiting the various educational booths, which displayed artifacts, crafts, works of art, clothing, food and other items from various cultures. Visitors could sample the sights, smells and tastes of several European, Asian, Latin American and African nations, all under one roof.

Roberta Scott (seated) is given the title “Queen Mother” during a ceremony based on West African traditions during VGCC’s Cultural Fair. Standing, from left: VGCC student ambassador David Henry of Macon, ethnomusicologist/drummer Bisi Adeleke and Dr. Tolokun Omokunde, in traditional Yoruba attire.  (VGCC photo)

Roberta Scott (seated) is given the title “Queen Mother” during a ceremony based on West African traditions during VGCC’s Cultural Fair. Standing, from left: VGCC student ambassador David Henry of Macon, ethnomusicologist/drummer Bisi Adeleke and Dr. Tolokun Omokunde, in traditional Yoruba attire. (VGCC photo)

The event kicked off with a special ceremony based on West African “enstoolment” traditions, with Chief Dr. Tolokun Omokunde, coordinator of VGCC’s Male Mentoring program and an officer in the Ancestral Lineage of Africa organization, presiding. Omokunde bestowed the title of “queen mother” upon Roberta Scott, coordinator of the VGCC Adult High School program and a member of the Warren County Board of Education, in recognition of her community service and good character.

Students and instructors expressed their creativity with displays about various college clubs and academic programs such as Art, Basic Skills/ESL, Cosmetology, Criminal Justice, Human Services Technology, Office Administration (whose participants focused on international communication), Pharmacy Technology, and Simulation & Game Development. Medical Assisting students offered vision testing, while Nursing students offered education as well as blood pressure and blood sugar checks.

Students in the History Club and instructor Victoria Klesmith offered a booth that depicted the history of immigration to the United States. Vance County Early College High School students produced a display on the importance of soccer around the world.

As always, music and dance were important parts of the festivities. A VGCC Choir, consisting of faculty, staff and students under the direction of Public Services department chair Steve Hargrove, presented a program of gospel music, as did a group of students and faculty from VGCC’s South Campus. A quartet consisting of VGCC staff members Suzanne Keil, Tommy Nowell, Mike Leonard and Vance County Early College teacher Linda Casey, all on guitars and vocals, performed popular modern songs from Australia. VGCC staff members also led a line dancing demonstration and then invited students to join in. Middle Eastern dances were performed by Lama Elkhatib. Ethnomusicologist Bisi Adeleke, a fourth-generation “praise drummer” from Nigeria, demonstrated the “talking drum,” a traditional African instrument that is designed to mimic human vocal cords.

A quiz bowl, moderated by Humanities and Fine Arts department chair Betsy Henderson, tested VGCC students’ knowledge of world culture and current events. Students competed in teams representing each of the college’s academic divisions: Basic Skills, Arts and Sciences, Health Sciences, and Business and Applied Technologies. The winning team was from Arts and Sciences: Katie Kester of Durham, Savannah Lynch of Youngsville, Morgan McFalls of Oxford and Trey Wright of Wilton.