The African Student Union (ASU) has returned to Southern Adventist University, excited to share its culture with the campus. Charity Ogoti, the president of ASU, re-instated the club this year with about five of her friends after a discussion about issues on campus and their desire to showcase their culture to Southern.
“Not only do we want to educate Southern about the African culture, but would like to create a community where fellow Africans would feel that they’re welcomed,” Ogoti said. “We want to create an atmosphere and setting in which other Africans would know they belong in, while also creating a platform that we will use to empower ot
her people from all backgrounds about the African culture.”
Ogoti said that a surprising amount of people ask her and her friends questions like, “Is Africa a country?” and “Do they wear clothes?” She hopes to educate Southern about African culture through events, photoshoots and videos.
“We’re hoping that people can use this information in their future careers, so that they know how to interact with Africans,” Ogoti explains. “They won’t have to ask if lions roam the streets.”
ASU is excited to announce that they plan on having their African Student Union night on Jan. 19 of next year, which will feature food, a fashion show and a play. Having received several questions about why ASU was created in the first place, and the implications the club carries for the Black Christian Union (BCU) night, Ogoti explains that ASU was not created to segregate Africans from Americans, but to bring greater awareness to African culture.
“We’re still black people. We’re still African Americans,” she said.
ASU plans on participating in BCU night, as well as connecting with other cultural clubs like the Latin American Club, Asian Club and the Black Christian Union for other worship events. ASU invites students of all backgrounds to come together and learn more about the African students on their campus.