On 21 December, students and staff of the International Education Institute took part in the second open festival “Friendship unites us!”. The event was held in the House of Peoples’ Friendship at the Khokhol Leisure and Culture Centre and supported by the Administration of the Khokhol District. The International Education Institute was represented by 44 students from 15 countries: Somalia, Mauritania, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Turkey, Senegal, Syria, Turkmenistan, Kenya, Mali, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Afghanistan, Iraq, Guinea, and Zambia.
The festival began with the national cuisine competition. Each of the diasporas of the Khokhol District greeted the guests of the festival and treated them with national dishes. The participants of the competition shared interesting stories about the origin of the recipes and decorated the dishes in an original way. The concert began with carrying flags of all the countries of the festival's participants, after which students of the International Education Institute of VSU presented their culture and special features of their nationality through energetic national dances, bright costumes, and emotional songs.
Vyacheslav Kozhevnikov, Deputy Head of the Khokhol District Administration, presented letters of gratitude to Vladimir Rodionov, Director of the International Education Institute, and Natalia Vella, Deputy Director, for their assistance in the organisation of the festival and expressed hope for further successful cooperation.
