13 November 2018
Valeria Rodriguez
The African Student Association (ASA) is hosting Journey to Africa free of charge on Nov. 17 in Berger Hall. The event is dedicated to celebrating the beauty of the diverse regions of Africa.
The event will include signing, dancing and poetry from various parts of Africa, and will be emceed by MrCocoyam, an African-American comedian who will travel from Florida. A presentation will address misconceptions of Africa, and attendees will have the opportunity to join on the performances and learn some African dances.
Dina Atambwe, a junior majoring in political science, is the the event coordinator for Journey to Africa.
“The dancers will be wearing attire representing different regions of Africa for their performances,” said Atambwe. “The dancers from Ethiopia wear beautiful, white fabric with accents of red, and they wear pretty beads on their head.”
Jerome Frimpong, a freshman majoring in business, is a dancer at the event, who is most excited about the choreographed performances that represent some of the many unique styles of dance from several regions of Africa.
“Every fabric on the dancers has a representation to their culture,” said Frimpong.
Diana Scott, a junior majoring in visual arts, joined the ASA two years ago after watching dances at a club fair. Scott has done advertising for the event.
“I’m most excited for the dancing and the food, because we got food from all different regions,” said Scott.
According to Atambwe, there will be an after party at Tropical Vybz, with a $5 cover charge for students and $10 for guests.
According to Scott, one of the goals of the ASA is to showcase the amount of diversity in Africa.
The ASA mission is to ensure a genuine representation of Africa, and show the true identity of all the individual cultures that reside within Africa.
“Our club is all inclusive for all ethnicities and backgrounds,” said Frimpong.
According to the ASA website, their mission is to provide UCCS with understand of African culture ranging from entertainment to food, and even attitudes.
The Journey to Africa event will take place on Nov. 17 in Berger Hall from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. For more information about the event or the ASA, club President Daniella Zuka can be reached at [email protected].