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African Student Union brings culture to MSU

November 7, 2007

The African Student Union, or ASU, said they want to show MSU and the East Lansing community the side of Africa they see themselves.

With their African Culture Week events, which started Tuesday and will culminate Saturday with African Gala Night or Carnival D’Afrique, the group hopes to celebrate the culture they know so well.

Carnival D’Afrique is from 5:30-8 p.m. Saturday at MacDonald Middle School, 1601 Burcham Drive.

The gala will give the public a taste of Africa — with traditional cuisine, dancing, poetry and a fashion show. An educational program aims to give participants a feel for some of the continent’s history, leaders and languages.

“We’re trying to make the campus as international as possible,” said Baba Koumare, vice president of ASU.

A member of the group, who is a native of Benin, will recite poetry and a dance group specializing in South African dance will perform on stilts, he said. The ASU dance team also is scheduled to perform, along with MSU and ASU alumni musicians.

“It’s mostly about reaching out to people, and letting them know about Africa,” said Oby Okolo, ASU’s public relations officer.

Student admission to the gala is free with an MSU ID and general admission is $10 per person, and ASU will be running a free shuttle from campus residence halls. Visit http://www.msu.edu/~asu/cultureweek.html for more details.

The group also is hosting a panel of students who studied abroad in Africa to share their experiences and objectives from 5:30-7 p.m. tonight on the third floor of the International Center.

Friday and Saturday, ASU is having a movie night where they will be showing “Tsotsi,” a South African film at 8 p.m. in Conrad Hall.

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