African Student Union celebrates African culture

With years of immense civil unrest and military conflicts, Africa is a continent of unarguable instability. The culture of Africa on the other hand is very much alive, brilliant and emotional. The UNCG African Student Union (ASU), having a desire to share this beautiful culture with their fellow students, hosted a fundraising event Saturday to raise awareness about the positive social strides Africa is making and also to help the SOS Children's Villages, an organization that helps children in Africa who have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS.

The event was an upbeat collaboration of traditional and modern dance, fashion, music and poetry, integrated with a seamless educational message presented to a racially diverse audience. Abby Edgal, the president of the ASU, has hopes that people will "gain a broader view of Africa," and wants them to see a "more positive side," since "Africa has more to offer than what people generally think." She also believes "a lot of Americans do not know about Africa," and in her opening statement mentioned foolish questions she would like to put a stop to, such as, "Do you have a pet lion," and her knowledge of spears. Edgal thinks the most effective way to inform people is through an "American style of entertainment, infused with an African view."

The show was hosted by a charming duo, and anchored with a drama revolving around an African girl who has come home from America. To her family's surprise, she has entered into a relationship with a boy, and they are at first reluctant to accept the American. Eventually, they come to grips with the inevitable, and respect her decision to grant his request for marriage. The rest of the family is initially resistant to the idea, but end up embracing the new branch of their family tree. The section titles of the event were broken into: arrival; engagement party; pre-wedding; and wedding, a seeming parallel of the integration Africans have made into America.

Artistic endeavors of student-written poetry expressed the theme of the show, promoting the notion that the African culture will always "resonate," no matter how far gone ties to tradition are. A powerful, rapid movement dance performed by Paradigm followed, as did a runway showcasing of modern African daily and formal clothing.

An eye-opening speech given by Kambale Musavuli, who has a long list of accomplishments, spoke of "the world's best kept secret," the heart of Africa. He is just one of many in the war to end conflict in the Congo, and invited the audience to dream with him about how the world could benefit if the restraints the area faces would be done away with. He highlighted the negative portrayal the media has incited, and though he does not believe they are entirely wrong, wants people to understand the breadth of positive contributions the Congo and Africa as a whole have to offer. An evocative quote he put forth was, "Africa is a gun, Congo the trigger, if you pull it, big things will happen," brought his message home.

The event concluded with an awe-inspiring spoken word style poem, written and performed by a talented 16-year-old girl named Adesua, titled, "African American," about how despite what people may think of her skin color, she is proud of her African ancestry.

For more information about the African Student Union, contact Abby Edgal (oaedgal@uncg.edu). To make a donation to the SOS Children's Villages, visit www.soschildren.org, and to learn more about the Congo visit www.friendsofthecongo.org.