Saturday, September 27, 2025
BGIF by SOCU
#bgifbysocu

Virtual Cultural Expo

Check out the presentations and demonstrations by our cultural display and activity booth participants.

Costa Rica

by Magally Martin, Neighborhood & Community Services

Italy, France, Micronesia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico

by Dana Alfano D’Ettorre
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India

by The Pasupuleti Family

The importance of India

Philosophy of India

Indian Food

Making Mango Kulfi

Hungary

by Tunde’s Sugar Art Studio
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YouTube

Hungary is a small country in the center of Europe, founded in 895. With its gorgeous natural resources and impressive history, it’s definitely worth a visit – even if just virtually this time. Welcome to Hungary!

Information about Hungarian culture

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Hungarian folk flowers coloring pages

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Burma

by The BG Burmese Community

German Cooking Demo

by Nikki & Kirby Welcker & Katharina, Emil & Fanny Preuß-Neudorf

South Vietnam

by Chien Nguyen
The dress the lady is wearing is called Áo tứ thân and this dress is our traditional Vietnamese cultural dress.
The lion dance for our Vietnamese Lunar New Year in 2018. The lion dance is what gives us good luck and fortune. People who give lucky money to the lion will be blessed the whole year with good luck, health and fortune.
1997 Bowling Green International Festival in Fountain Square, the ladies are wearing their own Southern Vietnamese country outfit called Áo bà ba. These silk shirt and pants are an everyday clothing.
1995, Bowling Green International Festival in Fountain Square. The ladies are wearing their Vietnamese dress called ao dai. These dress is what we wear for special occasions, holidays, or even school too.
1996 Bowling Green International Festival in Fountain Square. The ladies are wearing their Vietnamese homeland outfits for the dance.

Venezuelan Folk Storytelling

by Leyda Becker

El Conejo y el Mapurite, or “The Rabbit and the Skunk” is a traditional folktale originating from the native people from La Guajira.  

The Guajiro live on the Guajira peninsula, in the extreme northwest part of Venezuela. The border between Colombia and Venezuela crosses the peninsula from north to south, dividing the Guajiro territory into two sectors.  El Conejo y el Mapurite, compiled by Ramon Paz Ipuana, Adapted by Veronica Uribe, Illustrated by Vicky Sempere and narrated by Leyda Becker, a native from Merida, Venezuela.  English subtitles were provided by Leyda Becker

Mali

by AFS Intercultural Programs
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Community Action of Southern Kentucky

by Heath Ray
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We team with community partners to provide human services with dignity and respect, empowering people in Southern Kentucky to achieve stability and economic security. Community Action changes people’s lives, embodies the spirit of hope, improves communities, and makes America a better place to live. We care about the entire community, and we are dedicated to helping people help themselves and each other.

The Community Action booth at a previous International Festival
Agency staff with Retired Senior Volunteer Program volunteers
The GO Bus is operated in partnership with the City of Bowling Green
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The New Citizen's Academy tours the community while learning about Go BG Transit
Bridging the Gap Medical Interpreter Training is held every year in partnership with AHEC at WKU www.casoky.org/btg
Community Action provides employment services for refugees seeking to become self sufficient.
Commodity distribution in one of the ten counties served by Community Action
Donation distribution (pre-COVID)
County Judge Executive reading to a Head Start Class (pre-COVID). For more information about Head Start (including Early Head Start & Migrant), call 270-783-4484 or 270-782-4437.
For more information about Head Start (including Early Head Start & Migrant), call 270-783-4484 or 270-782-4437.
For more information about Head Start (including Early Head Start & Migrant), call 270-783-4484 or 270-782-4437.
For more information about our Senior Center call 270-783-4484.
Community Action's annual Chilli Cook Off benefiting Senior Corps.

Tanzania

by Heath Ray, Peace Corps Volunteers
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Tanzania is about twice the size of California and home to so much diversity and beauty. I hope these pictures inspire appreciation for this country of about 58 million people. I had the privilege to live in Tanzania while serving in the US Peace Corps. There are even Tanzanian people who reside in Bowling Green. Also hundreds of refugees who fled their homes in neighboring African countries waited in Tanzanian camps before being invited to bring their diversity and beauty to our very own community. The world is so big and so small!

The Tanzania booth at a previous festival
Map of Africa showing Tanzania
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Here is another village during the dry season with baobab trees.
Many people travel by bus. Window markets are a convenient way to shop along your trip.
Tanzania has many beautiful natural sites. This is Matema Beach at Lake Malawi.
Zanzibar is a series of islands off the coast of Tanzania with an entirely different feel. Strange fact: Freddie Mercury was born on this island.
Tanzania has many large cities such as Dar es Salaam
Tanzania is home to Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa.
Many types of wildlife can be seen while on safari in the national parks (such as the Serengeti).
Tanzania also has many remote villages, such as Uliwa in the Njombe Region of the Southern Highlands.
Tanzanians love wearing tailor made clothing made from traditional fabric called Kitenge. Kitenge often has bright colors and patterns.
Tanzanians enjoy spending time together. The couple in the center of the photo are wearing clothes made from kitenge.
This is a wedding party in a village.
Farms, such as this one outside of Morogoro, uses plant fibers to make rope.
These elementary school students are wearing their school uniform while making baskets.
"Welcome" in Swahili is "Karibu." This is a carving from ebony, a common wood used for art.
The Tanzanian Flag. Green=The forests and crops / Blue= Indian Ocean / Yellow=gold and minerals / Black=the people
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Flamenco – Hispanic

by Academy of Flamenco Arts
YouTube
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East African Percussion

by KUVEBO!
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Shapinsay Quay

by Franne Jennings
YouTube
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The colours red and yellow are from the Scottish and Norwegian royal coats of arms, which both use yellow and red. The flag uses the Nordic Cross to symbolize the islands' Scottish and Norwegian heritage. The blue is taken from the flag of Scotland and also represents the sea and the maritime heritage of the islands.
Orkney is already a net exporter of renewable energy, with over 100 per cent of the islands' yearly electricity demand met by wind, solar and wave and tidal generation.
The beef cattle on Orkney Islands
The stem post of a Viking ship that can be seen at the Orkney Museum
Skara Brae is a stone-built Neolithic settlement, located on the Bay of Skaill on the west coast of Mainland, the largest island in the Orkney archipelago of Scotland. Consisting of eight clustered houses, it was occupied from roughl
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Kirkwall is 130 miles (210 kilometres) north of Aberdeen and 528 mi (850 km) north of London. It is situated on the northern coast of Mainland Orkney with its harbours in the bay of Kirkwall to the north, and with Scapa Flow 1.4 mi (2.3 km) to the south. Its parish, St Ola forms the isthmus between Firth and Holm. It is the most populous island settlement in Scotland.
A map of the Orkney Islands

Gellis and Elspett Gadder

by Franne Jennings
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map of Shetland Islands
Lerwick, the capital and largest settlement, has a population of 6,958 and about half of the archipelago's total population of 22,920 people[3] live within 16 kilometres (10 mi) of the town
Faire Island Ever since bird watching became a popular British leisure pursuit in the late 19th century, Shetland's been famous, among those in the know, as the place to enjoy sensational seabird colonies and amazing rarities. Faire Island is a top sea bird watching destination
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Shetland is famous for its’ ponies and its’ sweaters, which they call jumpers.
Guizer Jarl, John Nicholson (in white) leads his squad through the streets of Lerwick, Shetland Islands on January 29, 2019 before the Up Helly Aa festival later in the day. - Up Helly Aa celebrates the influence of the Scandinavian Vikings in the Shetland Islands and culminates with up to 1,000 'guizers' (men in costume) throwing flaming torches into their Viking longboat and setting it alight later in the evening. (Photo by Andy Buchanan / AFP) (Photo credit should read ANDY BUCHANAN/AFP via Getty Images)
The flag of the Shetland Islands is a white or silver Nordic cross on a blue background. The flag uses the colours of the flag of Scotland, but in the form of the Nordic cross in order to symbolise Shetland's historical and cultural ties with Scandinavia.
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China

by Confucius Institute of Western Kentucky
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YouTube