UN Day 2019

I am still awestruck by the sheer number of nationalities, ethnicities, races, cultures and religions all festering within the walls of OSC, and on United Nations day this statistic is transformed into a celebration of our differences. Every year, my favorite moment out of this incredible day is not the flag parade and shockingly, not the food (although that comes in a close second) but wearing my sari and walking towards the basketball court from the auditorium. From afar, one can see speckles of lush color contrasted against the dull green, coupled with the static laughter of conversations. But, as you move closer the dots flickering in the distance soon reveal themselves to be familiar people wearing their national dress, all sparkling in the sun (possible from sweat), but looking amazing, none the less. And as I take in the beauty of my surroundings, I embrace not only identity but appreciate the multicultural setting that I am privileged to be exposed to every day. This specific UN day was separated into two sections for me as I had two primary roles to play; MUN and Theatre.

Since UN day is somewhat student run as it is organized by the students of Model United Nations, the members of this club had to play massive roles during the initial part of the day. Staying true to the theme of Gender Equality, after the ‘flag parade’, the MUN’ers had to lead different seminars, educating the entirety of high school students of the intricacies of this subject. I specialized on three distinct aspects under this broad, ‘umbrella’ topic of Gender Equality; human trafficking, violence, and healthcare, and presented to a mixed group of DP 1 and DP 2 students. It felt exhilarating to educate my fellow peers on a topic that I am so passionate about, and help them comprehend the gravity of the situation. I, partly, hoped to see shocked faces throughout the presentation, as these impulses proved how my presentation helped to broaden not only their perspective but attitude towards this topic. It was also crucial, for me, as I understood how sheltered and isolated our lives were from the chaos of the outside world.

Inspired by the theme of Gender Equality, I was excited to perform my Collaborate Theatre project (CTP), as I long waited to showcase not only my hard work but that of my peers. My main goal for the performance was for people to truly understand the underlying message of our piece and feel empowered to make a difference. Our artistic intention was to show the audience, two contrasting perspectives of gender equality in order to provoke the reader to question whether people have been conditioned to think and behave the way they do by society or if it is innate. By using a multi-modal platform of soundscapes, movement pieces; gesture spatial awareness, form and a unique stage structure, we hoped to raise awareness on this topic in a non-conventional light and educate the audience on the urgency of change and a prospect of a better future. Our plans blossomed into fruition as the positive reviews from the mixed audience of parents, teachers and students, explained how inspired they were to enact change and also how much our performance improved the clarity of the topic.

The performance can be watched below.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbUExbdcz7Q&feature=player_embedded