The revival of African love:
How a few African students are restoring the continent’s tarnished image.
On April 18, 2014 I attended an event organized by the Organization of African Students (OAS)at the University of Virginia (UVA) in Charlottesville. My niece’s daughter was part of a student dance group performing at the event. I went with low expectations. As a student many years ago at George Mason University, we had opportunity to showcase “African culture, Black Alumni or Muslim Student Affairs.” These activities were frustrating and unfruitful, because we had never defined our goals and objectives. The UVA event was different.
When we arrived at UVA’s Newcomb Hall, we were greeted by African students smiling with their blinding white teeth and wearing traditional kente cloth! The event flyer was titled “Lost in Wonderland, Africa Day 2014.” That caught my attention.
The stage was set up as a “fashion walk style.” The families of the performers sat in the first rows. We felt like fashion merchandisers or celebrity magazine photographers. Just to make sure I fell into that category, I checked my Iphone to make sure that my battery to last through the event.
When the doors opened, the Hall filled to capacity. I scanned every row and was touched by the beauty and behavior of the students. This was the first time I had seen such a large gathering of black students for an African event. With the exception of few other parents who were my age or older, everyone was young and energetic. I whispered to myself, “with hope lost in Africa, I see rising stars that will lead their people to a brighter future.”
The organizers didn’t waste time. The hosts Jennifer Oppong, President of OAS and her co-host Tope Brope Ayoninde came onstage and kicked off the event. They were both beautiful in traditional African dress. The event started with the introduction of the OAS’ mission statement: “A group of young individuals who strive to make Africa a continent that all Members at UVA can love.” The mission is “to discredit the myths about Africa and promote its various cultures as we [students] strive to break down cultural, ethnic and racial barriers.”
After this powerful introduction, I was a believer. The introduction was followed by a powerful short video produced by Queenie Owusu. The video images of the continent were mixed with powerful Africa Music. In these images, I saw a rich and living continent. I saw its roaring rivers, with its lions, giraffes, hippos, elephants, crocodiles, wild buffalo, zebras and cheetahs.. I also saw colorful dancers and of course beautiful cities, and some of the continent’s icons such as the Madiba (Nelson Mandela), Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba, and Kofi Annan. I lost myself in Wonderland!
Another powerful short video consisted of students’ testimonials about the continent. Some of these students had survived the civil wars in the Congo, Somalia and Eritrea yet they expressed love and hope for the motherland. Leila, who is half-Somali and half Ivorian but born here in America eloquently stated how her grandparents from Somalia feel about their motherland. “After my grandparents retired, they wanted to go back to Somalia, but because of the civil war they couldn’t, but now they live in Kenya. My grandmother always talks about the good old days in her town Las Anod and she hopes she will go back one day.” Another student from Congo described how she and her family endured mayhem and civil strife. She lost many members of her family, and yet loves and misses her homeland. These testimonials show the African students’ resilience and their unshakable spirit. Unlike the African strongmen who failed to lead their people to the right path and fell prey to power struggles and greed, these young students are healing their emotional and physical scars by offering a positive future for the continent.
The rest of the event consisted of student fashion shows with an African flair. An interactive short dance by OAS Dancers/Troupe, short drama, powerful poetry by Yolande Pokam Tchuisseu and a song by the willowy Ify Obi and her talented guitarist Trayc Freeman. All of the girls were extraordinarily beautiful and all the boyswere chaming! The event would not have have been as successful without the Eritrean and Ethiopian Student Union (ESU) Dancers. Their cultural presentation dance was original and amazingly well choreographed. Again I was lost in Wonderland!
THe OAS Dancers were incredibly talented. The Dancers, mostly girls impressed me with their choreography and colorful African dress. I asked one student how long it had taken them to master such a challenging African dance. She said “years,” but I later found out that she was a freshman! Whatever the case, this was an amazing group.
The student fashion show was the first fashion show I had ever attended and I was blown away. The mixture of African and American fashion cloth was astounding. The girls’ “cat walk” was splendid and showed the African pride and African women’s’ elegance and beauty. The boys, even though they were disappointingly few, did a “lion walk” that added flavor to the event.
Even though everyone enjoyed the event, the organizers’ goal was not only to provide entertainment, but also to portray Africa as the culturally rich and diverse continent that it is, and to convey a positive image of its people and its vast land. This UVA students’ hope reminded me the last verses of my poem, “Mama Africa”:
Oh Mama Africa ..I miss your blue sky and tropical sunshine,
Roaring oceans and tumbling rivers.
Thirsty for your fresh spring waters that roar from your giant belly.
My soul yearns for your mystic spirit.
Show me your magic smile and take my sadness away.
Touch me with your kind hands and take my pain away,
Wipe away my tears with your gentle hands
Let me dance and give us all hope.
Farah M. Mohamed is a short story author, novelist, and poet, both English and his native (Somali) languages. He lives in Northern Virgina. www.farahmohamud.com