"We are more alike than unalike," Maya Angelou once said. What better way to understand and appreciate how similar we are than to immerse ourselves in various cultures? Southern California, in particular, is a very multicultural area. It's is a kind of melting pot of culture, with it's location being a desireable place to be for people from all around the world. When people move here, they bring their heritage with them. We are luckier than many other parts of the state and country. 

Cultural heritage is a big part of what tourists look for in a travel destination, according to a study from U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism. Caroline Beteta, President and CEO of the California Travel & Tourism Commission, explains:

The study, conducted by Mandala Research for the U.S. Cultural & Heritage Tourism (USCHT) Marketing Council, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Commerce, shows that 78% of all U.S. leisure travelers (118.3 million adults) participate in cultural and/or heritage activities while traveling, spending an average of $994 per trip and contributing to more than $192 billion annually to the U.S. economy.

Culture awareness is important because people want to learn new things about other humans. Attending a culture show is great way to gain better understanding of other cultures.

One of the least understood cultures in America is that of the South Asian region of the world. To bring greater understanding of these cultures, the Pakistani Student Association (PSA) here at USC is putting on the largest Pakistani culture show in the U.S. The show will take place April 15th at 6:00 PM in Bovard Auditorium. President of PSA, Shan Shafiq, along with the rest of the PSA board has worked for months to make sure the event is unforgettable. Shan expects their to be around 1,000 people in attendance, including high-profile public officials in Los Angeles.

There will be dances and other skits by students from USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Riverside, Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly Pomona, and Cal State Long Beach.

 

To learn more about the event and RSVP go here.