Unlike previous years, the Omani Student Association did not hold Omani Night on Oman National Day, which is in November.
The night started off, about forty-five minutes late, with a recording of the Omani national anthem. Everyone was asked to stand as the anthem played. From there, a student came up to read a selection from the Quran, in Arabic, without an introduction to explain what the passage was about.
The president of the organization then spoke, explaining why the night was organized. He hoped the night could serve to expand diversity and inclusion. The night offered Omani students a chance to show the rest of TU their country.
From there, a video played with various TU faculty discussing their experiences in Oman. Both noted the hospitality of the people when they’d traveled there for business. One even wore traditional garb he’d bought while in Oman.
The students then put on a long play about Ramadan and Eid, presented as if explaining the events to someone new to the culture. Acting and discussion was intermixed with videos and pictures of Ramadan and Eid from Oman, however, it was often difficult to hear.
Once the play was finished, a short fashion show commenced. Men and women wearing various native clothing posed on the stage while an announcer described where the clothes were from and what they meant.
After a quick raffle, several students played live music, but at the same time, many attendees began lining up for the food, which was finally being served. The organizers seemed determined to wait until after their entire presentation was finished to serve the food, so many students stood in line and chatted as live music played. While waiting until the end to serve food could’ve been a way to keep students interested, it seemed most became hyperfocused on when the food would arrive, and since it didn’t until around eight p.m., several left because they were hungry.
Omani Night will undoubtedly be repeated in future years, offering students a chance to learn about Omani culture; however, hopefully future productions will have a better audio setup and keep the audience engaged without withholding food.
