The annual Festival of Cultures is scheduled for Nov. 6-13 at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University and will celebrate its 25^th anniversary with a series of culturally-themed programming.

“It’s exciting to be celebrating the 25th year of Festival of Cultures, which started out as a small program in the residence halls,” said Malik Stewart, director of Multicultural Student Services at CSB and SJU. “To see where it is now, a campus-wide celebration with many departments and student groups running events is pretty incredible.”

“I am especially grateful for the support of student leaders who put in a lot of time and effort to help make this celebration possible. From the creation of the FOC graphics, to student panelists and performers. CSB and SJU students make this happen,” Stewart added.

Eight events highlight the Festival of Cultures:

1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6: Multicultural Center, CSB

Join us in celebrating the various religious identities, faith traditions and spiritual backgrounds of students on campus. We encourage you to share a song, dance, poem, prayer, meditation, art or reflection to help represent the wonderful religious diversity in our community.

5-8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7: Brother Willie’s Pub, SJU

Join history professor and moderator Brittany Merritt Nash for a roundtable discussion to uncover the 102-year relationship between CSB and SJU and The Bahamas from the perspective of current Bahamian students. This is a collaboration between the history department, Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement, Archipelago Student Association and International Student Services.

Public Reading and Conversation with Diane Wilson

7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8: Upper Gorecki, CSB

Diane Wilson (Dakota) is a writer, speaker and editor, who has published two award-winning books, as well as essays in numerous publications. Her newest novel, The Seed Keeper, published by Milkweed Editions in March 2021 has received numerous awards and accolades – winner of the 2022 Minnesota Book Award in Fiction, longlisted for the 2022 VCU Cabell First Novelist Award and a BuzzFeed “Best Book of Spring 2021” to name a few. Wilson is a Mdewakanton descendent, enrolled on the Rosebud Reservation.

5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9: Multicultural Center, CSB.

Learn the immigration stories from members of the CSB and SJU community during a panel discussion in the Multicultural Center starting at 5 p.m. The panel will be moderated by Joint Student Muslim Association President Aisha Sadik ’23.

Labor-artist Bobby Marines presents: CottonPicker

7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 10: Multicultural Center, CSB

Using the name of his hometown's mascot, the Robstown CottonPickers, as his point of departure, Marines will explore intersections of labor and community and how they play roles in identity and creative practice.

A native of Robstown, Texas, Bobby Marines is a Minnesota-based artist whose interdisciplinary practice considers the influence of socioeconomics, race and the criminal justice system on Chicano(x) identity. Growing up engulfed by poverty, gang culture and drug epidemics, his practice references personal experiences which reflect the candid reality of marginalized and underserved communities today. Marines is the recipient of an Advancing Artist grant from the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council in 2015. In 2021, he was awarded a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. In 2021 and 2022, he was awarded multiple grants for his online project, Voces y Visiones, which uses art as a catalyst to explore issues in the Latinx community.

His work has been featured in various exhibitions and publications throughout Minnesota and resides in private collections across the country. His work was most recently featured in the group exhibitions “La Línea: 20 Years of Soap del Corazón” at the Plains Art Museum, “Mestizaje: Intermix-Remix” at the Minnesota Museum of American Art, and “Images Unbound” at the Des Moines Art Center.

Tiempo Libre

7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 11: Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU

“When you talk about the group, you find yourself moving your hips” – Richmond Times Dispatch.

Three-time Grammy nominees Tiempo Libre are on a mission to share their Afro-Caribbean heritage with as wide an audience as possible. Listen, learn and feel the timba sway of their exhilarating mix of jazz harmonies, contemporary sonorities and seductive Latin rhythms. The seven members of Tiempo Libre grew up together – studying at La ENA, Havana, Cuba’s rigorous music conservatory by day, while climbing on rooftops with makeshift antennas to catch the sounds of Miami by night. For them, music isn’t just a way of life, it’s a way of experiencing living. The first 100 CSB and SJU students will get free tickets.

6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12: Gorecki Family Theater, CSB

The annual student showcase celebrates and recognizes the diversity through student performances and a cultural fashion show. The event will be streamed live.

Prior to the showcase, an alum reception will be hosted in the Multicultural Center on the CSB Campus. Link to register

6 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 13: Sacred Heart Chapel, CSB

Join Los Mayordomos de Dios as we celebrate Bilingual Spanish/English Mass together. You don’t have to be fluent in Spanish to attend, everyone will be able to follow along in the worship aid in both languages. This is a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the global reach of our Catholic faith and universal language of the sacraments.