mOSAic@NUS 2024 weaves a tapestry of stories and shared experiences

Each year, the month-long mOSAic@NUS presents a vibrant testament to the University's commitment at celebrating the rich diversity that define our community. Held in February, mOSAic@NUS 2024 comprised seven programme pillars such as a festival at UTown, dialogues, sports, and communal dining, truly embodying its theme 'Where Stories Connect’.

Students had fun playing Nhay Day, a traditional Vietnamese skipping rope game.

Interacting with students from different cultures and faiths

The three-week event started with a bang with the ever-popular mOSAic Fest on 7 Feb. Nestled in the heart of UTown Plaza, 14 dynamic student booths—each a kaleidoscope of different cultures, faiths, and communities—convened to offer a feast for the senses through an eclectic mix of food, games, costumes and memorabilia. Students were invited to visit the booths to converse with the different students to learn more about the heritage and origins of the items they showcased.

The Malaysian Students’ League@NUS booth offered free traditional snacks from their country.

Faith-based student groups such as NUS Catholic Students' Society were present to raise awareness about their faith.

mOSAic Fest also featured captivating lunch-time performances, from enchanting melodies of the Koto, a Japanese stringed instrument, to an energetic Bollywood dance.

Hayden Chua from NUS Japanese Studies Society’s KotoKottoN performed on the Koto, a 13-string Japanese zither.

NUS Indian Cultural Society’s NAACH entertained the crowd with an energetic Bollywood dance.

Vrinda, a Year 4 Business student from the NUS Sikh Society enjoyed the opportunity to spread the word about Sikh culture through Langar, a free community kitchen.

“Sharing food with the NUS community at Langar during mOSAic Fest was an enlightening and enriching experience. Everyone regardless of background, sat together as equals, sharing not just food but stories, laughter, and the essence of unity. It beautifully exemplified the profound interconnectedness of humanity,” she said.

Discovering new perspectives on language, religion and persons with disabilities

mOSAic 2024 held a series of intimate dialogues such as Significance of Worship Within Different Faiths, HarmonyWorks! Circle, The Position of Mother Tongues and Singlish and Human Library. The dialogues touched on topics such as faith, language and inclusivity which provided an avenue for participants to meet and learn from others with diverse backgrounds, widening their perspectives and developing an appreciation for diversity.

Participants from The Position of Mother Tongue and Singlish dialogue learning simple Malay phrases during the session.

Seow Li Lin, a Year 4 Sociology and Philosophy enjoyed her session as a participant at Human Library.

“The great thing about a human library is that it focuses on the human. By centring real people and their understandings of their own experiences, it shows how dynamic identity is, especially when it comes to disability. The conversations also suggest a new way of thinking about 'accommodating' and 'enabling' - not just removing barriers for some, but for everyone in society,” she said.

Jade Ow, a Year 3 Theatre and Performance Studies major, identifies with being Hard of Hearing and spoke about how she pursued her passion for theatre in spite of that.

Forging friendships over food and sports

Besides intimate events, mOSAic@NUS also held two communal activities involving two of students’ greatest passions – food and sports.

Makan with Friends broke barriers through the universal language of food and saw the formation of new friendships through the sharing of culinary life experiences, over a five-course meal which included mee siam, kueh pie tee and ayam penyet.

Maryam Saleel, a Year 3 Life Sciences student and Makan with Friends facilitator said, “It was insightful hearing about everyone's experiences as we all came from diverse backgrounds. Despite our different upbringing, the human experience is relatively similar in many ways. It reminds me of the quote by Carl Rogers, ‘What is most personal is most universal.’”

mOSAic concluded with Sports Spectra, a sports carnival with futsal, frisbee and badminton competitions, traditional Indian games and carnival games.

Participants competing in a Futsal competition at Sports Spectra.

This year, Sports Spectra attendees also had the opportunity to rely on their senses and play goalball which is a sport commonly played by visually impaired athletes. Joan Hung, a national goalball athlete was present to teach the sport to those present.

Joan Hung, a national goalball athlete, demonstrated the sport to participants at Sports Spectra.

The Office of Student Affairs extends its heartfelt thanks to the NUS students and student organisations for their hard work in making mOSAic@NUS 2024 a success. Let’s continue to foster a community of understanding and respect, celebrating diversity regardless of each other's background!

Check out the highlights from mOSAic Fest 2024.