Africa night showcases diversity with music, dance

More than 200 people attended the African Student Association Night Renaissance celebration in the Mountainlair Ballrooms Saturday night, concluding Africa Week at West Virginia University.

Africa Night's theme, "Celebrating the African Renaissance" focused on presenting a positive image of the continent while educating non-African members of the audience.

"It has always been a time we enjoyed," said Edward Brenya, a member of the WVU ASA.

Brenya expressed the importance of having Africa Night to show cultural diversity among WVU students.

"Here we have unity in WVU, one WVU," he said.

Brenya, a resident of Ghana, was joined by Mohamed Ali, an Egyptian resident. They are both members of the ASA.

"We cannot collectively make barriers among ourselves," Ali said. "We must educate ourselves and embrace cultures not just of Africa but of the whole world."

Kombe Kapatamoyo, ASA President and Zambia resident, was responsible for organizing her third Africa Night event.

Jennifer McIntosh, the executive officer for Social Justice has organized the event for 19 of the last 20 years.

"Imagine a world without the continent of Africa. You can't," McIntosh said. "We are creating a lot of cultural changes on campus."

Kwame Boateng, Ghana resident and associate professor of political science and international relations at West Virginia Wesleyan College, spoke about the African Renaissance and their fight to overcome recent problems.

"Because we are here, we have the opportunity to let others know what Africa is all about," Boateng said. "We have problems, but if you look at how some of our countries were 200 years ago, we are doing pretty good."

Boateng's speech was followed by a dinner with cuisine from many different African countries.

Members of the WVU African Drum and Dance Ensemble performed during the meal, followed by a fashion show featuring colorful and distinct clothing styles worn across Africa.

After the fashion show, Rotimi, a rhythm and blues singer from Chicago, with Nigerian heritage, performed for the audience.

A dance performance by the South African band Soweto Street Beats followed. The members performed what they called the Zulu Dance and later invited many members of the audience to join them.

Saturday's event, which was held as part of The President's Office for Social Justice's Spring Diversity Days and Africa Week, was sponsored by the WVU office of Student Affairs, SGA, Center for Black Culture and Research and the President's Office for Social Justice.