Africana explores the motherland

Responding to the sound of the drum was the theme of the third annual Africana Festival Saturday at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. The festival began when guests attended a drum workshop where they were invited to play drums with Austin Okigbo, president of the African Student Association. \n"As an African, even if you are in the diaspora, you always respond to the drum," Okigbo said. "Once you start talking about African music, you think about drumming." \nLearning about African culture was a priority at this year's Africana Festival. Children were taken into a lounge where they learned how to play Oware, an African game. The game was displayed on an Ayo board, and the children had to get as many seeds into it as possible. Children also made Adinkra stamps, which are symbols from Ghana stamped into a cloth and sewn together to make clothing. They also made Samba school flags and "oops" baskets; although the baskets traditionally comprise woven grass, leaf fibers and pine needles, children at the festival made them by wrapping yarn around plastic containers. \nIU President Adam Herbert attended the festival and said he felt it is indicative of the diversity on campus. \n"One of the strengths of the University is its diversity," Herbert said. "It is a great opportunity for people of the University to experience a significant culture."\nAfter the drumming, people participating in the workshops attended a panel discussion about cultural perspectives and leadership. The panel included two students, senior Eboni Gatlin and former IU basketball player and current graduate student A.J. Moye, who discussed the needs of the black community. \n"Every organization needs a sound principle, and that principle should be education," Moye said. "If you haven't learned, how can you teach?" \nPanel members said leaving one's comfort zone to make changes is important.\n"Have an idea and put it into action," said Liz Mitchell, a member of the Bloomington Black Business Association. "When they have the chamber of commerce meeting, go and meet people." \nThe festival's Soul Food dinner at Alumni Hall gave guests the opportunity to do just that. Guests ate fish, fried chicken, cabbage, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and various pies. As they ate, guests got to know each other as they awaited performances by the African American Dance Company, International Vocal Ensemble and a Gumboot dance group. Each performance pulled from traditions of the African diaspora. The International Vocal Ensemble sung African songs that reflected the history of Africa and were accompanied by African instruments. \n"The lessons behind the music remind us of our past," said Samuel Atindanbila, a doctoral student in clinical psychology. "It is therapeutic if you listen to the words." \nOne of the groups performed a dance titled "Revolutions," which expressed the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and incorporated parts of his "I Have a Dream" speech into the music. \nAudience members clapped their hands while a group performed the Gumboot dance, an African dance that originated from gold miners' need to communicate without talking. As a result, the miners slapped their knees and stomped their feet to relay important messages. \nHost and panel moderator Dwyane Smith said the Gumboot is the grandfather of stepping, a dance performed by black fraternities and sororities across the nation. After the festivities ended, Amala Afoaku sang "Oh Freedom," a song about wanting to be free in heaven rather than a slave, and Vice President of Institutional Development and Student Affairs Charlie Nelms gave the closing remarks. \n"I challenge everyone here to make Africana not just a weekend-long festival but a year-long celebration," Nelms said. "I challenge everyone to learn more about the continent of Africa."\nThe weekend-long celebration ended as guests followed the call of the drum from Alumni Hall to the IU Auditorium to see a performance by the Soweto Gospel Choir.\n"You can take away the drum, but you can't take away the drummer," Okigbo said. \n-- Contact Asst. Arts Editor Patrice Worthy at pworthy@indiana.edu.