CELEBRATING THE ISLAMIC REPULBLIC OF PAKISTAN CULTURAL DAY IN BAKU, AZERBAIJAN

The Baku International Students Club a section of the Erasmus Student Network, on the 24th of May held the “Cultural Day of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan”. The ceremony was held in Baku the capital city of Azerbaijan.

The event was one of such similar events that have been planned by the Baku International Students Club in order to show case the different cultures of different nationalities of International students having their education in Azerbaijan. The ceremony was an initiative of the members of the Baku International Students club with close support from the Pakistani embassy in Azerbaijan and the Pakistani community.

Organizing such events is very tasking and thus requires a great deal of time and monetary resources. The members of BISC irrespective of their other academicals schedules were relentless in their effort to ensure that the occasion gets a befitting hosting. The events started with series of meeting by the BISC executives and the officials of the Pakistani embassy in Azerbaijan. Access to the Pakistani embassy was made possible through the contacts of the members of BISC who were also from the Islamic republic of Pakistan.

The event commenced with an introductory remarks from the president of Baku International Students Club (BISC), Ms. Ayseba Mirzayeva, who is also the National Representative of Azerbaijan for the Erasmus Student Network (ESN).

Baku International Students Club (BISC) was founded in 2006 by a group of friends from the Baku State University, Baku, Azerbaijan. This group of friends acted as volunteers with the International Eurasia Press Fund (IEPF) one of the leading NGOs in Azerbaijan. Although the IEPF has established three main activity directions on media; conflict resolution; and refugees/IDPs problems and Community Development; these volunteers were primarily involved with the Refugees/IDPs and Community Development programs.

Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a non-for-profit pan-Europe organization. ESN is based on the idea of cultural tolerance and exchange with student helping students. ESN is an international non-profit association, founded in Copenhagen on the 10th of February 1990. The organization has its official seat at Rue du Trône 98, Brussels, Belgium. In September of 2007, BISC became the 34th member of the ESN; BISC was accepted after a consensus agreement by all National representative present at the Annual General Meeting of ESN in Switzerland.

The audience present at the Pakistan Cultural Day celebration needed to be acquainted with the essence of the ceremony, the conveyor and then what the organization BISC represents. Nigar Bagirova, the Public Relation Officer of the BISC had a presentation on Baku International Student Club.

During the volunteering works by this group of friends with IEPF, they had identified problems that need to be addressed in their community. Azerbaijan was witnessing a progressive phase in its development and upon this there became so many influxes of foreigners into the country who wants to have their higher education in Azerbaijan. However these persons are having faced problems with their integration process due to certain issues such as language barrier, lack of orientation, non availability personal contacts and relationship. The consequence of these gaps was that international students were passing through challenges. Through contact and regular interaction with some of these international students, the group initiated the idea of creating an organization. However, in order to officially perform its activities, the organization had to be registered with the ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan as a non-for-profit organization.

In 2007, Baku International Students Club officially passed its registration with the ministry of Justice of Azerbaijan and was officially granted permission to perform its activities.

So as to help it direct its activities, the Baku International Students Club (BISC), formulated for itself the following aims and objectives:

• Encourage and support the exchange of Azerbaijan students around universities in Europe and the reintegration of homecoming students;
• Support the easy settlement and good integration of foreign students into Azerbaijan; Create collaboration link with worldwide student youth clubs and networks;
• Inform them about Azerbaijani youths and on the creative potentiality of the Azeri new generation;
• Take active part in International peace processes, organize and carry out projects that will directly be of benefit to the immediate community;
• Attend International Solidarity of students with no regards to religions, language, race, sex, and citizenship;
• Conduct events on studying the truth about the country and carry out promotional activities.

BISC first major activity that involved the foreign students was the organization of the “Commemoration of the Khojaly tragedy”. Khojaly tragedy will remain a significant event in the history of Azerbaijan because it was a day that innocent Azeris from the Nagorno-Karabakh regions were killed, causing sorrows all through the territory of Azerbaijan. BISC through the event on commemorating of the Khojaly tragedy wanted to inform the foreign students on the true story of that incident. Through presentations and open access discussions, the foreign students learnt from their Azeri counterparts the reasons why the Khojaly massacre has become a matter that is passionate to the Azerbaijanis.

The meeting on that fateful day launched BISC towards its proposed aims and objectives. The foreign students who took active part in the meeting thereafter enrolled for membership and hence BISC was beginning to take a course.

Several other events followed thereafter; organizing of the “Novruz Bayram week”, project on the “Transition on to Bologna Process as one of the Parts of Integration to the Indivisible European Education Space” –organized as a research on the move towards the Bologna system of Education in Azerbaijan; publication of the book “Silk Way of the Science” –as a report on the findings on Bologna educational system in Azerbaijan.

In the end of 2007, BISC had a trip to the Quba region of Azerbaijan. The trip was in fulfillment of a project activity financed by the Open Society Institute-Assistance Foundation, Project Harmony, Catholic Relief Service Organization and Educational Center for Youth; the project was to promote Integration among the Students and Strengthening of Network through an Informal Trainings. The success derived from the project was very encouraging as both the Azeri students and the foreign students freely discussed issues that concern the educational system in Azerbaijan as well as sharing experiences between nations.

BISC has made it a priority to embark on as many activities that will promote cultural tolerance among youths irrespective of nationality, religion, race or gender. Therefore, through its regular meetings, BISC has mapped out a series of forecast activities to be implemented.

The ceremony of the Pakistani day was a landmark in a series of such planned events lined up by BISC to be implemented. BISC has acquired experiences through its previous activities and other events it had hosted like the welcome pack celebration of the BISC induction into ESN, the New Year Party of the BISC, etc. In these previous events, the Pakistani members of BISC had demonstrated willingness to commence the intended National Days celebration, thus the reason for the first in its kind, the Pakistan Cultural Celebration.

Because it was a day to celebrate the Pakistani culture, subsequent events on this particular day was targeted principally on the exposition of the Pakistani culture. The hall fro the ceremony was well decorated with the Pakistani flags, art and crafts, even innovations from the emerging Pakistan textile market was on display.

Hamza, a member of the BISC gave an extensive presentation on Pakistan, highlighting the historic past and present of the Islamic republic of Pakistan. Other presentation that took place was: the role of women in Pakistan; the founding father of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan; Pakistan a land of great opportunities. The Pakistani community also helped prepare the kids to present a short drama on wedding ceremony in Pakistan. Also there were lots of dance from the Pakistani students present as the national music sounded from the sound systems.

Finally all present were entertained with varieties of Pakistani dishes courtesy of the Pakistani community in Azerbaijan.

The Baku International Students Club -BISC, although relatively new in its creation, it has accomplished some relatively success in its activities. Since its creation, the Baku International Students Club has carefully identified international students having education in Azerbaijan, particularly in Baku. The universities where these students are registered were contacted and links was immediately created.

BISC is gradually establishing itself as one of the prominent youth organization in Azerbaijan. Through its activities, besides the good collaboration BISC enjoys with universities, it also closely collaborates with ministries in Azerbaijan engaging in youth affairs particularly the ministry of youth and sports and ministry of Education. BISC has also participated in various international conferences, meeting, seminars and international youth events.