Sechenov University continues to support and celebrate its diversity and equality with the annual Unity Day Fest. The festival launched on 7 October with a huge array of events. The university which currently boasts over 3500 foreign students from 87 countries, aims to attract even more international students in the coming years. The festival kicked off with the Sechenov Food Fest where students from various regions of Russia, as well as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Israel, Iran, Malaysia, Bahrein, Syria, South Africa, etc. prepared their national dishes and served them to over 500 guests.
Andrey Eremin, vice chancellor for public affairs and education at Sechenov University, said: ‘Food is a universal language that people from any part of the world can relate to and enjoy. It is a great way to understand another culture. The fact that we see so many students here, both as visitors and participants, means that people like it. I hope it will help us better understand rich and diverse traditions of our international student community.’
On 8 October, the festival continued with the International Games, a quiz-based competition that tests teams of players on a variety of subjects including medical terminology, and culture and traditions of other countries. The festival ended with a spectacular concert. An international team of artists from various parts of Russia, as well as Israel, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan performed their traditional folk songs and dances wearing national dress.