Most inhabitants of African nations have lived with independence for 50 years, and West Virginia University students, faculty and staff think it is something to celebrate.

The sponsors of this year’s Africa Week invite all of the Morgantown community to join in for he week’s events which will be based upon the theme of “Africa: The Next Chapter.” The week will be spent looking at various issues affecting the continent from establishing democracies to solving health issues such as HIV/AIDS to celebrating the unique and diverse people.

Tonight (April 9) will kick off the week with a free public showing of the film “SKIN” at 6 p.m. in the Downtown Campus Library, room 102. “SKIN” is a movie based in apartheid South Africa about a black child, Sandra Laing, born in the 1950s to white Afrikaners, unaware of their black ancestry. The film follows Laing’s 30 year journey from rejection to acceptance, betrayal to reconciliation and her struggle to define her place in a changing world.

The week-long events will culminate with Africa Night on Saturday (April 14) from 5-9 p.m. Ms. Emira Woods will serve as the keynote speaker for the event to discuss her insights to the current needs in Africa and more. Woods has worked in health, economic and foreign policy in Africa and her experience with the Institute for Policy Studies as the co-director of foreign policy in focus makes her the ideal person to conclude the week’s events.

Africa Night will also feature performances by the Bafalon Western African Dance Ensemble, a fashion show and various cuisines from different parts of the continent. Tickets will be available in the Mountainlair and the President’s Office for Social Justice, room B11 of Stewart Hall. General admission to Saturday’s event is $15, and tickets are $10 for seniors, WVU students, faculty and staff.

Other activities during the week include:

Tuesday (April 10) – A Roundtable Discussion on various issues facing the African continent led by WVU students will be held in the Laurel Room of the Mountainlair at 5 p.m.

Wednesday (April 11) – Participants can gather for organized soccer games at 4 p.m. on the Mountainlair Green. To register a team, contact Kevin Ayoola at kayoola@mix.wvu.edu.

Africa Week is co-sponsored by the WVU Office of Student Affairs, Student Organizations Services, Center for Black Culture and Research, Student Government Association, Office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, President’s Office for Social Justice and the Office of the Vice President for University Relations.

For more information on Africa Week events, visit http://www.asa.studentorgs.wvu.edu/events.

-WVU-

04/09/12

CONTACT: Jacqueline Dooley, Student Organizations Services
304-293-3875, Jacqueline.Dooley@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.