African Student Association aims to change perspective
Food derived from African culture passed between the hands of students, faculty and community members as performances depicting culture and dance were presented, all in an effort to convey Africa is a continent filled with more than just war and famine.
The African Student Association hosted its second annual African Night, “Africa: The Rainbow Continent,” April 13 in the Muenster University Center ballroom. The event, which drew a crowd of about 50, is a celebration of African culture. During the event, attendees were seated at decorated tables with a single centerpiece decoration which denoted the country the table represented. As participants ate their food they heard an informational presentation about Africa, participated in a trivia game, heard a speech that marked the 20 year anniversary of the Rwandan Genocide, watched a tribute to Nelson Mandela and experienced a comedy skit of an African naming celebration.
The dances and activities that were presented at African night were not strictly from the continent, however.
Dances from the country of India were also presented at the event. Nicoll Saboukoulou, president of the African Student Association said the dances from India were included to showcase the multiculturalism of Africa.
“In Africa there is not just black people. There are black people, there are white people, there are people with Arabic origins, Indian origins and Chinese origins,” Saboukoulou said.
Supporting the University of South Dakota African Student Association’s goal of changing perspectives on the continent of Africa were students from South Dakota State University.
SDSU senior Ermias Lamesgin was invited by the African Student Association at USD to give an informational speech on Africa. His presentation entitled “13 Months of Sunshine” centered around achievements made by countries in Africa while debunking common misconceptions about the continent.
Lamesgin, who moved from Ethiopia to the United States ten years ago, said that the inspiration for his presentation came from his pride in his culture.
“As I grew up I started to enjoy my culture more and I started wearing my culture on my sleeve and being happy to represent who I am and teach people about who I am.”
Lamesgin said he wanted to show people a different view of Africa than what the media portrays.
“We’re not all about hunger, we’re not all about civil wars. In just Ethiopia there are more than 84 different tribes. That’s more than 84 different languages right there and we still manage to coexist together…the old saying goes “Don’t judge a book by its cover’ its the perfect saying for Africa,” Lamesgin said.
For graduate student Amber Furness, the passion behind the messages that were conveyed was the best part of the event.
“The best part was just learning about Africa and hearing how passionate some people are about where they’re from and trying to get across what people are really like there and what the countries are really like and not just hearing from American media sources,” Furness said.
Fellow graduate student James Robertson said that he also enjoyed the event.
“I loved it. The food was excellent, the array of cultures on display from this wonderful continent were just really stellar and I had an awesome time,” Robertson said.
