USK Introduces Global Cuisines and Costumes at IFF
Office of International Affairs (OIA), Universitas Syiah Kuala (USK) successfully held the 6th International Food Festival (IFF), 9 – 11 July 2023, at AAC Dayan Dawood, Universitas Syiah Kuala. The opening ceremony was officially opened by Vice-Rector for Academic Affairs, Prof. Dr. Ir. Agussabti, M.Si, on 9 July 2023.
“I would like to express my appreciation to USK, OIA, for holding the 6th IFF. Since USK has a large number of international students from different countries, USK encourages exposing the existence of an international food area, both at campus and in Aceh Province, ” said Prof. Agussabti.
To achieve the aim, the cooperation of all parties, especially with the Aceh Government, is needed. The vice-Rector is optimistic that this can be realized. That is why in the 6th IFF collaborated with the Aceh Culinary Festival, under Aceh Disbudpar.
The Head of the IFF Committee, Yunis Shara, said that IFF 2023 was presented to celebrate the 22nd Dies Natalis Anniversary of USK, and in line with the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) Varsity Carnival, where USK acted as the host.
As the platform of culinary, it is expected that IFF would be able to promote Acehnese and Indonesian culture through food and drinks. Moreover, IFF 2023 was also celebrated by other attractive and fun activities, such as Open Stage Performances, Talk Shows, Challenging Games, International Student Parade, and many more.
The Secretary of Aceh Disbudpar, Cut Nurmarita expressed his gratitude to USK for holding this event for the 6th time. After IFF, she said another culinary event called Aceh Culinary Festival would also be held on July 14-17.
“Aceh has a big target, expecting to bring 2.5 million tourists to Aceh. Due to that reason, we appreciate IFF, as a concrete step in supporting tourism. Here, synergy and collaboration are the most important thing,” she said.
In line with that, the President of IMT-GT Varsity Council, Ahmad Martadha Mohamed also expressed his appreciation for IFF 2023 at USK. According to him, this is a positive pitch for cultural introductions among countries.
As the most awaited event of IFF, on closing day, OIA then presented International Student Parade to show USK International Students and cultures across countries. Students from America, Africa, and Asia wore traditional customs to represent their own country. It made the visitor and local students looked enthusiastic to see the parade.
“I think this International Parade must be organized again for the next IFF because through that I can know the cultural richness of other countries,” said Alwin, one of the visitors.
Meanwhile, one of the USK international students, especially from Turkmenistan, Ashyyev Toyly, said he was happy to be invited to the International Student Parade. He looked quite confident wearing and showing his country’s costumes, which are Turkmen Telpek (hat) and Turkmen Don (clothes), with the Turkmenistan flag held.
“I am very glad to be able to introduce Turkmenistan culture to Indonesia, especially in Aceh. This International Student Parade is an unforgettable experience for me while I was studying at USK,” Toyly said.
