The spirit of unity

In the spirit of “umoja” a Swahili word for “unity,” more than 150 members of the Bloomington community celebrated life, cultural identity and the deep ancestral roots of people of African descent.\nA group of multi-ethnic, multi-racial IU students, faculty, staff and Bloomington residents joined together Tuesday to celebrate the Africana Festival at the Alumni Hall in the Indiana Memorial Union.\nThe Africana Festival is an inclusive, educational program aimed at celebrating the heritage of people of African descent with the residents of Southern Indiana, according to the Office of Academic Support and Diversity.\nThe event included a prayer, a “Soul Food” dinner and various forms of entertainment.\nOyibo Afoaku, director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center, said that the program is part of the Black History Month programming sponsored by the Black Culture Center and many other organizations and student groups on campus.\nDe’Ondray Pope, emcee and one of the presenters for the program, explained the meaning of the term “Africana” and the significance of the event.\n“Africana Festival is an event to bring together people from the African Diaspora – whether you are African-American, Caucasian, or even a native of Africa,” Pope said. “We are coming together to embrace the African culture – a culture is all about togetherness.”\nIntidane A. Moore, vice-president of the African Student Association, who has been helping set up the program for the past two years, said he was elated to see an array of people.\n“I hope we can continue gathering together and learn more about each other’s culture,” Moore said.\nSome IU faculty were involved in the event, performing on stage as well as setting up information boards about non-profit work.\nSamuel G. Obeng, a professor in the Department of Linguistics, performed the libation, or opening prayer, from his native country Ghana.\n“During libation, or prayer, you invite God or ‘kwame,’ Mother Earth and your ancestors to the prayer,” Obeng said. \n“You praise the ancestors for their blessings, pray for society, and your own well being.”\nAnn Marie Thomson, an adjunct professor in SPEA, who was born and raised in Congo, set up a bulletin board promoting her non-profit organization, Giving Back Africa.\n“Our goal is to foster education and community service in Congo,” Thomson said. “We support an orphanage, a secondary school and a university.” \nDiane Bolden-Taylor, professor of voice at the University of Colorado and an IU alumna who studied in Europe for 17 years, sang an African American spiritual called “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” by Margaret Barnes.\nBolden-Taylor told the crowd that African-American music is the root of jazz, pop and rock, as well as classical music.\n“It’s my duty and honor to expose black folks and white folks to classical music,” Bolden-Taylor said. “We cannot forget many black composers who have created numerous symphonies. We have a rich culture. It is not just one-sided but has many sides.”\nThe Africana Festival also included music from the Jazz Combo, step shows from the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and Zeta Phi Beta sorority and many others.