It's pretty tough to miss the continent of Africa on a map of the world. But on the scaled-down map of the Princeton social scene, it's easy to ignore the offerings of different cultures, even the cultures of a place as grand as Africa. Akwaaba, the African and Caribbean Club, is working hard to introduce more variation on campus. Presidents Nneka Offor '03 and Chiemeka Ejiochi '03 hope their latest event, the Visions d'Afrique fashion show, will put their group — and Africa – back on the map.
The Visions d'Afrique show will be performed March 3 at 9:30 p.m. in the Frist Multipurpose Room and will feature the works of six designers, two of whom are from Africa, modeled by students. Professional John Cook coordinated the show.
The a capella group, Culturally Yours, will provide musical entertainment, and the group Echoes d'Afrique will perform an African dance, choreographed by Linda Madueme '03. A banquet will follow, featuring Caribbean and African snack items, and an after-party at the Third World Center will cap the night.
Akwaaba was established in 1996, but after the original founders graduated, the group seemed to have lost its vision and drive. Offor and Ejiochi realized the importance of the club last spring and decided to revive it. This fall, they threw a hip-hop dance party, and just recently, they helped to bring the Twerrampon drummers to campus.
"We know that students have a lot of work to do, so they need to feel that it is worth their time to join a club," Offor said.
"We hope this show will prove that we're legitimate, and will propel people to come to our meetings with confidence," she continued. "Right now we have about a hundred people on our email list, but a core group of about 15 that come to all of our meetings."
Akwaaba means welcome in the Twi dialect, and this spirit is reflected in the club's attitude. Akwaaba is open to students of all backgrounds — "anyone interested in learning more about Africa and the Caribbean," according to Offor.
Offor and Ejiochi encourage everyone to attend Visions d'Afrique as an alternative to the usual Saturday night.
The show is free, funded generously by the Alcohol Initiative, but the coordinators ask that students to reserve tickets in advance so they can plan accordingly.
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