FOR a little more than a year now, the pandemic has brought almost all our traditional cultural festival plans to a screeching halt. Being in Malaysia, we have become somewhat desensitised to the abundance of cultural diversity that is always around us.
With everyone advised to stay at home, most of us might feel like we’re going through a "cultural withdrawal".
The UN has declared May 21 to be the World Day for Cultural Diversity. It aims to promote cultural diversity and highlight the significance that diversity brings towards inclusion and positive change.
This also gives us a chance to embrace our culture as well as learning and understanding other cultures.
But with the movement control order (MCO) in effect and social interactions being restricted, how can we celebrate cultural diversity from our own homes?
Here are some suggestions on what you can do on May 21 to celebrate the diverse culture that can be found not only in Malaysia but all over the world:
Make home-cooked food from a different culture
Food is the key to everyone’s heart, a good home-cooked meal can make any gloomy day shine bright. Why not try a recipe from a different culture?
Taking the time to learn, understand, and appreciate the different cooking skills and techniques from different cultures is a good way to celebrate cultural diversity. At the same time, it allows you to learn a new recipe to satisfy your appetite during the lockdown.
Converse like a multilingual by learning a new language
As frightening as that may sound, learning a new language can be extremely beneficial. Why not start with the languages that we have here in Malaysia? Learning and mastering Tamil, Mandarin is useful in this globalised world.
Taking the initiative to learn a new language in conjunction with World Day for Cultural Diversity is a great way to show your support for global diversity and impress your friends with your new verbal skills.
Watch a foreign movie (with subtitles)
Streaming services have made access to a wide range of media from different parts of the world much easier. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Prime Video have extensive libraries of content from all over the world.
Award-winning movies like 'Parasite' (Korean) and 'Another Round' (Danish) are good examples of foreign films that are sure to entice you to dive deeper into watching more international fare.
We all have different ways to showcase cultures and celebrate diversity. As we are exploring new cultures and gaining new experiences, it is important to show respect and appreciation for cultures that are not our own.
With most of the world’s major conflicts consisting of a cultural dimension, efforts to bridge the gap among cultures are critical for stability and peace. – The Vibes, May 21, 2021
