A Spanish matador preparing to face his opponent. A Brazilian boy flying his homemade paper kite. A Peruvian woman washing her clothes in the Amazon River.
These images are all portraits of culture captured by Berry students and entered in the annual “What is Culture?” photo contest held by Berry College International Programs. The awards ceremony for the contest was held on Nov. 12.
First place winner, Sagar Mody, is a sophomore international student from Mumbai, India. Mody’s photograph of an Indian family and their pet cow showed the importance of the animal to the culture.
Sagar Mody's picture won first place in Berry's "What's Culture?" contest
this past month.
Photograph by Sagar Moody
Photograph by Sagar Moody
“In India, we worship the cow,” said the caption for Mody's picture. “The cow represents the giving nature of life to every Hindu. The cow is so generous, taking nothing but water, grass and grain. More often than not, India is associated with cows roaming the roads of India, sitting idly in the middle of a traffic jam, chewing waste.”
Sarah Egerer, Berry College International Programs director, learned about photo competitions through international programs at other schools and decided to bring a similar competition to Berry. The “What is Culture?” photo contest was introduced in Fall 2003, and has since become an annual event during International Education Week.
“The purpose of the exhibit is to increase awareness of education abroad in general and the opportunities at Berry specifically,” said Egerer. “This is a way for our students, faculty and staff to share their international study and travel experiences with the rest of the Berry community.”
From Europe to South America
The "What is Culture?" participants each brought their own experiences of culture to the exhibit. Senior Nicole Williams studied in Florence, Italy for the 2007 Spring Semester. Her entry in the contest captured the reflection of Italian buildings in a puddle on the cobblestone street.
“When you study abroad, you’re basically thrown into a culture that you can’t understand until you’re there,” said Williams. “It’s scary and overwhelming, but great because it allows you to realize you can live beyond anyone’s expectations, including your own.”
Taken during the 2007 Spring Semester in Ireland, senior Jocelyn Bee’s photograph showed two Irish girls playing folk music near the town square.
“Music is very pervasive in the Irish culture,” said Bee. “We have music in the U.S., but it’s more in a cubby hole. In Ireland, it’s very involved in their nation. Each town, each street even, has their own music.”
Varied jury pool
The judges of the photo contest have varied over the years, including poets, writers, editors, photographers and previous winners. This year, the judges were professors at Berry: Dr. Julee A. Tate of the Foreign Language department, Professor Mike F. Mejia and Dr. Thomas E. Dasher of the English department. The winner is chosen each year based on how captivating the image is and how well the caption enhances the photograph, said Egerer.
The "What is culture?" exhibit can be viewed in the Berry College Memorial Library during normal library hours. The exhibit will be up through Dec. 7.
[K. H. T.]
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