By: Erika Lampert ~Staff Writer~

To celebrate its 10th year as a club, the African Student Association (ASA) plans to hold its ninth annual African Gala on April 17.

This year, the African Student Association’s Gala is called “A Warrior’s Tale of Africa” and features the keynote speaker Titlope Sonuga, as well as several African cuisines, African entertainment from their members and its special host, Clifford Owusu. Two ASA members will also be honored during the African Gala with a book scholarship for the upcoming school year.
“We have an amazing keynote speaker this year, Titilope Sonuga, and an entertaining host, Clifford Owusu. We also have a drama presentation that has been directed by one of the board members, and this year we decided to have a bigger event with 350 people, which is a drastic increase from 200 people last year,” Treasurer of ASA Chioma Orizu said.

This year’s African Gala plans to display the club’s theme of African pride, to expose other African values, cultures and current events to the Xavier community, to exhibit diversity through cultural displays and social gathering and to facilitate interactions between Xavier students, faculty and staff.

“The Annual African Gala was organized to address the misrepresentation of the African continent while simultaneously acknowledging the challenges facing the continent and upholding the foundations of the African culture,” Orizu said.

ASA hopes to promote diversity and inclusion during the African Gala. It also hopes to ensure connections between the Africans living in America back to their motherland by bringing African culture closer to them. It would also like to expose the community to African culture, and give everyone the opportunity to experience it.

The event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on April 17 in Cintas Center. Students can buy tickets this week in GSC for $15 with their student ID or $20 without their ID. Students are asked to dress in formal or African attire if they plan on attending this event.
“As students you get to experience a great deal of the African culture from the attire, cuisine, music, fashion shows, dances and dramas for just $15. It promises to be a very entertaining and rewarding night,” Orizu said.

ASA also held a Durbar in the fall semester where it invited ASA alumni to campus to discuss their Xavier journey and their life after Xavier. It will have its end of the year party on April 25 as well as a naming ceremony this semester.

“ASA appreciates the support of the Xavier community these past nine years since we started hosting events in 2007,” Orizu said “This year, the ninth Annual African Gala promises to be yet another wonderful celebration of Africa and we look forward to having the Xavier community join us.”