African Students Association celebrates Africa, educates with cultural event

An African safari, draped in warm lighting, set the stage and showcased the beauty and diversity of African culture.

The African Students Association welcomed more than 300 attendees Saturday evening at the LaSells Stewart Center, and opened the discussion of topics such as generalization and stereotypes of Africans. The performers pushed boundaries, but were careful not to offend anyone.

“We’re the minority of the minority,” said ASA president Mariam Samake Benafe. “People know about (Africans) through the media. No one has ever opened the conversation and let people know that they can ask questions. … We’re giving ourselves a voice and also an opportunity to get to know us.”

The event gave Africans their identity by breaking down stereotypes and creating a true picture of Africa.

Benafe said they didn’t want to come off judgmental or hurt anyone. The mission of the night was to inform, but in a way that wasn’t offensive. Many of the skits touched on serious issues, such as the generalization of Africans, but did so comically.

“(At OSU), there is ignorance, there are stereotypes, there is prejudice and yet there are beautiful people who want to learn,” Benafe said. “Our goal is to open the floor and show why we need diversity in our society.”

Some African students believe this event works to help OSU students embrace minorities.

Shuma Nnaji, a graduate student at OSU and ASA member, said the faculty on campus does a great job embracing minorities, but it can be improved at the student level. Africa Night is a step in the right direction.

“For the non-African American community, it lets them see a little bit about Africa,” Nnaji said. “We don’t want to be looked at as ignorant. There’s more to us than the color of our skin.”

Nnaji believes that the program is instructional for African and African-American students, as well. Since being a part of ASA, he says that he has learned more about the different parts of Africa through meeting people.

Nnaji isn’t the only one who learns from these events.

Chinweike Eseonu, a guest speaker at Africa Night and industrial engineering assistant professor at OSU, said he learns from the students who come from multiple countries within Africa.

“Africa is such a complex place that when I come to these events, I actually learn a lot,” Eseonu said. “I find students at OSU are naturally curious and want to learn. This event is a really great way for folks to learn about Africa.”

Much more than an educational piece, the event was a celebration of Africa. Cheetahs, student dances and a performance by Sebe Kan, a musical group from Portland, kept the energy high.

It became a two-hour journey through the many cultures of Africa.

Benafe took pride in the way the show was performed, but she admits there is a lot of work to be done.

“I can see (Africa Night) growing, but I can see more challenges ahead of us,” Benafe said. “Due to recent events, we’ve been essentially asked ‘Why do you exist?’ It makes our job harder, but it makes our job more worthwhile.”

She thinks that OSU has done a good job of diversifying the campus. Like Africa Night, every minority group on campus has a night during which they can showcase their culture.

“We’ve come a long way, but we can definitely do better,” Benafe said. “There’s always room for change. Lots of change.”

Ria Rankine

Greek and clubs reporter

managing@dailybarometer.com