On Feb. 23, 2022, Phi Beta Delta presented a lecture titled “The Sounds of Colombia” in Russell Hall auditorium 107. This was the first of two mini cultural lessons for the spring semester hosted by the honor society for international scholars.

“The Sounds of Colombia” featured undergraduate students playing traditional Colombian music along with international undergraduate dancers dancing along to the pieces. The meeting was an in-person event as well as a Webex meeting.

The entry cost for the event was 5$ for NSU students, and 20$ for the public. The registration fee will help aid Phi Beta Delta to provide more scholarships to international students.

The guest lecturer, Aura Hernandez-Canedo, opened the lecture by taking the audience to the different regions of Colombia. From the most southern Amazonian region, with its natural and authentic instrumental craftsmanship, to the coastal Caribbean region, with its exhilarating cumbia music genre, the audience was swept into the intricacies that formulate Colombian culture.

Among the students providing live music were Dania Briceno, Ruth Garcia, Santiago Uribe and Elias Castro. Uribe and Castro, both from Colombia, were flaunting the traditional Colombian sombrero vueltiao. Although Briceno and Garcia are from Honduras, they played alongside their fellow musicians and exhibited colorful rhythms of traditional Colombian music.

The lecture Hernandez-Canedo presented created an informational array of knowledge that allowed the audience to see the beauty of Colombia. Mainly focusing on the music aspect of Colombia, the diversity of genres from different cultural influences within the country helped grasped the culture.

As the musicians played native Colombian songs, the audience could feel swayed to the music and be amazed by the syncopated rhythms from the ensemble.

Perhaps the most impressive part of the evening was when dancers, Maria Paula Mancera Romereo and Dania Mercado, danced with a lit candle in one hand.

The lecture was a beautiful portrayal of Colombia that allowed everyone to engage through song.

The next lecture will be titled “Italy” and it will be led by Elisa Silicato, Italian foreign exchange student, and Louisiana Scholars College professor Richard Bach Jensen. It will take place on March 16, 2022 in Russell Hall room 107. To register click here.