Christopher Webster and John King, who shared amazing stories and pictures with the audience about their respective stays in Niger and Gabon while on Peace Corps
MTU celebrates African culture
By: Lola Oyebola - Staff Writer
Date Posted: April 07, 2004
Last Saturday, April 3, 2004, Michigan Tech witnessed a transformation of sorts at the 2004 African Nite, as the audience was transported back to Africa with an impressive array of African music, dance, poetry and drama performances.
This year's event was tagged "Sankofa," which in the Akan dialect of Ghana means, "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward, so we can understand why and how we came to be who we are today."
The evening started at around 5 p.m. with an hour-long dinner that featured many tasty dishes and deserts from various African countries that left the audience getting second helpings. Eric Warren said, "I thought the food was really great. It really brought a taste of Africa to America."
The entertainment started at 6 p.m. with a welcome address by the President of the African Student's Organization, Adetoun Ayorinde.
The night was hosted by Jean Marc Niaba. The welcome address was followed by many other spell-binding dance, poetry and drama performances that showcased the many facets of African culture. Some of these performances included courtship dances from Nigeria and Ghana along with other traditional performances.
The evening featured two guest speakers, Tech Assistant Professors Christopher Webster and John King, who shared amazing stories and pictures with the audience about their respective stays in Niger and Gabon while on Peace Corps.
There was also a step show performance by the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity that elicited loud applause from the audience. The fun-filled night ended slightly after 8 p.m. with a fashion show by ASO members and a closing address by the Vice-President, Godwin Iduma.
Iduma later remarked, "It was really great seeing such a large turn-out and a lot of people enjoying the food and having such a great time".
Eclectic, cultural, unique, original, "Sankofa" portrayed just a tip of the rich culture that makes Africa such a diverse continent.
