MSU NEWS SERVICE
BOZEMAN — The African Students Association at Montana State
University will host their first-ever A Night in Africa, an evening celebrating
African culture on Sunday, March 1, showcasing different aspects of African culture, including talks from
prominent members of the Southwest Montana community.
Enjoy African
dance, music, fashion and food from different countries represented by the
students on campus, followed by a keynote talk by Wilmot Collins, the
mayor of Helena and the city’s first black mayor. Collins will talk about
African excellence and draw from his personal story of coming to the United States
as a Liberian refugee.
“We want [attendees] to come
in and see a different type of Africa that is not just what the media says,”
said Nnamdi Kalu, the secretary and public relations officer for the African
Students Association. “It is a continent with so many countries and so many
diverse cultures and experiences.”
Kalu said that he, along with
group president Sam Ojetola and financial secretary Edwin Allan, decided last
summer to put together this event to share another side of Africa with the MSU
and Bozeman communities.
The African Students
Association’s purpose is to showcase the mass influence of Africans throughout
the world, while also providing a home away from home for students of African
descent and those interested in African culture, Kalu said.
A Night in Africa starts at 4 p.m. in “Ballroom A” in the Strand Union Building on MSU’s campus and is free and open to the public.