Plan B Forum

A colonial-themed event at a university has resurrected an uneasy past.

The dress code on the invitation ''white tie or colonial uniform'' seemed innocent enough. College students arrived at St Paul's great hall dressed in immaculate black dinner suits with matching white handkerchiefs.

They were met by a team of Indian and south Asian waiters, dressed in colourful traditional cultural garments and college students dressed in formal attire, who served them Indian delicacies and curries.

It was St Paul's yearly ''upscale'' dinner. This time the theme was ''end of the British Raj''.

But within days of the grand event, ideological war broke out at the University of Sydney over whether the elite college, which is no stranger to controversy, was basking in the glory of colonialism and slavery. Before long, vicious vitriol began ricocheting across Facebook.

''I am Indian and I used to go to college. My relatives suffered in colonial India. This theme offended me and brought me to the brink of tears,'' one female student wrote.

''Please, can you all come to our next party? It's Mexican themed, and we'll be celebrating all the abductions and beheadings you can poke a stick at,'' a student responded.

"I have this turban and - what luck! - it's just your size," another provoked.

Had it not been a letter to the student newspaper, Honi Soit, from an outraged arts student, Mason McCann, the white tie event may have gone unnoticed.

''I do not think the party was a celebration of Indian culture, it was a celebration of imperialism,'' Mr McCann told The Sun-Herald.

''The party demonstrates a serious deep disconnect between the culture of St Paul's and the culture of the University of Sydney. I am deeply offended by it.

''They have a responsibility as a prestigious and old institution to project a positive public image to both the other students and the public, and I think that party succeeded in doing just the opposite of that.''

In response to Mr McCann's letter which was published in full, Hugo Rourke from St Paul's, who as senior student speaks on behalf of his peers, wrote to Honi Soit to justify the party.

''It was a successful event, held in good taste and enjoyed by attendees and employees alike,'' he wrote, seemingly shocked that the event would cause such uproar.



Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/tertiary ... z1xLUSAYM1

Jeff Yuille is a corporal in the 2nd Virginia Living History Group, which celebrates the Confederate regiment of the same name that fought for the South in the US Civil War. Its members dress in period costume, camp out, eat period food and sometimes stage mock battles against other living history groups representing Union soldiers from the North.

The catering company for the event, Sodexo, were similarly taken aback by the suggestion their workers had been forced to don cultural garb.

Its state manager, Ram Devagiri, said his staff, who all have a south Asian backgrounds and work at the college full-time serving three meals a day, were having an ''absolute ball'' at the party and had become ''annoyed'' at the insinuation there were racial undertones at play.

''They are not happy that they are being dragged through this, because they actually had a great time that evening,'' he said.

''We didn't go out looking for a couple of Indian-looking blokes and bring them in. They work there all the time.''

Gob wrote:

A colonial-themed event at a university has resurrected an uneasy past.

The dress code on the invitation ''white tie or colonial uniform'' seemed innocent enough.

(T)he theme was ''end of the British Raj''.

''I do not think the party was a celebration of Indian culture, it was a celebration of imperialism,''

''I am Indian and I used to go to college. My relatives suffered in colonial India. This theme offended me and brought me to the brink of tears,'' one female student wrote.