The African Students Union kicked off the 46th annual Pan-Afrikan Week Saturday with “African Night: Black To Our Roots,” a showcase of African culture through music, dance and food. The event was held in the Talley Student Union Ballroom.
This year’s Pan-Afrikan Week has the theme “Rooted,” which co-president of ASU Adaeze Egolum, a senior studying biochemistry, took to heart when planning the show.
“When you’re in America and come from a different place, your culture kind of washes down because you adapt to your surroundings,” Egolum said. “We’re just remembering where we came from and what our parents did.”
The event began with a performance of African drums followed by a spoken word poem by Maya Angelou, recited by ASU members, highlighting the hardships that Africans face.
Nigerian actor and comedian Mama Tobi hosted the show, which was based on a skit that followed the fictional engagement of Ogechi and Yonas, a young African couple. The story brought up a controversy that is common in African culture, marriage between East and West African families.
Parts of the skit were interwoven between musical performances that included Mauta Brothers and multiple dance groups such as NC State’s Botewa Dance Team. Naomi Ejim, a freshman studying genetics and member of the Botewa Dance Team, played the role of the bride.
“Those girls are my sisters; I really love them to death,” Ejim said. “We’ve been through everything together. Girls can be catty. We get mad at each other, but then we get over it and perform at our best.”
The show also featured a fashion show of traditional African garments by Mike Lekwuwa, with MNL Designs to be worn on the day of Ogechi and Yonas’ wedding.
Temini Ajayi, chair of Grow With Nigeria, a nonprofit organization that helps Nigerian students make informed choices about their careers, was one of the guest speakers. During the event, ASU presented a donation to Grow With Nigeria.
The other guest speaker, Tsegga Medhin, founder and president of the Pearl Leadership Institute, spoke about STEM programs and empowering women and girls to emerge as leaders and succeed in those fields. Both of Medhin’s daughters graduated from NC State.
“A lot of times you hear someone speak, and it can go in one ear and out the other, but I think what [Medhin] had to say stuck and people were motivated by it,” said Gift Coker, a senior studying bioprocessing science and co-president of ASU.
The show culminated in a celebration at the wedding of Ogechi and Yonas where all the participants of the show came together on stage to appreciate their similar, yet varying, African cultures. Later, the audience had a taste of African cuisine at the post-show reception.
“This year, there’s a spirit of camaraderie,” Egolum said. “All of the executive board members have sat down to come together to support one another. Each year has been individualized and now we want to bring it all together.”
Pan-Afrikan Week lasts through Saturday, with more than 20 events hosted by various black student campus organizations. Some of the events include a gospel concert, a step show and a TUFFtalk by Johnathan Butler.
We’re just remembering where we came from and what our parents did.”
