What does culture mean to you?

I come from a country so far away
that you may have visited only in your dreams.
My face does not bear the pale colour of my palms.
I don’t speak your language at home AARUSH
I don’t even sound like you.
If you come to my house, you’ll see my family:
my mother in a sari
my father wearing a sacred thread around his body,
and me, eating a plate of spicy biryani
instead of a burger or pizza
at the dinner table.
If you, for a moment, shed your filter,
you will also see my pockets filled with Tootsie Rolls,
waiting to be shared with you.


What does culture mean to you? To me, culture is sharing food around the dinner table at Dashain: the steam of momos filling the air with their captivating aroma that makes you say, ‘one more please’. To me it’s the glee when your aunty mentions that she’s making puff puff, thinking about that first sweet bite and the oily fingers that always follow. But, to you, culture might be the cutting of moon cakes during lunar new year or going door to door as a child at Christmas somewhat coherently singing carols, or even being kidnapped by the mythical goat-human hybrid Krampus. I suppose that could make culture a word that lacks definition; a word which is transiently founded in the individual experience; a word that makes us question what’s even the point? Yet, I see a truth in this puzzle that, even though it means something different to each of us, culture comes from our connections with one another. That is why we introduce you to the Cultures Connect Week at Bromsgrove.

As you have just heard, the Committee have just paid homage to slam poetry through their recital of Suma Subramaniam’s poem Filter which explores cultural diversity. Slam poetry is a form of art that is rich in culture and history which stems from oral traditions and draws attention to experiences that transcend the individual and sweep entire groups, drawing them closer together. Now you may be thinking, how does slam poetry relate to me? And although you may not come from Chicago or identify as a poet, I know that you have a story, we all do. Marc Smith, an ordinary construction worker, created the competition, recognising that the lives we may see as ordinary, the things that are normal, are really manifestations of cultural experience, and he saw that these experiences needed a platform to be seen and to be heard. At Bromsgrove, we acknowledge that the stories of where we come from are precious and unique. Therefore, I urge you to participate in any way you can in the activities available this week, to share your story.

In English, the first line of Subramaniam’s Filter is “I come from a country so far away, that you may have visited only in your dreams”. This line could not more perfectly reflect diversity here at Bromsgrove. With over 70 different nationalities, we are quite literally a melting pot of cultures and traditions. To celebrate this, the committee has created a set of activities for you to participate in throughout this week. To begin with, the first person to correctly identify all 7 languages spoken in the poem earlier will win a prize – please email Mrs Parveen with your answers. Secondly, during Tuesday lunchtime we will be setting up a world map in the dining hall on which we encourage you to place a sticker from where you are from. This will be coupled with a global tasting menu. Finally, the celebrations will culminate at the Cultures Connect Concert this Friday.

Swagatam
Ẹ káàbọ̀
Or welcome in English, to Cultures Week at Bromsgrove