The Nelson Ballroom will play host to Nigerians celebrating their heritage
Walk up to a map and most students wouldn’t be able to pick out the country of Nigeria. Yet, it’s the seventh most populated country in Africa and one many students from Ohio University call home.
Association of Nigerians is the only organization that represents a specific country in Africa, yet not many students are knowledgeable about the group or their culture.
This Saturday there's an opportunity for students to see and attend the cultural aspect through a "Celebration of Nigeria." The event is located in the Nelson South Pole Room at 7 p.m.
“We want everyone to experience the Nigerian culture," said Adedamola Ajanaku, a junior public relations representative for Association of Nigerians. "We are going to have a fashion show to showcase African attire for what we would wear to work, weddings and dances.”
The independence day of Nigeria was on Oct. 1, celebrating the day the country was recognized as an African country in 1960.
“Originally the event was supposed to celebrate the independence day of Nigeria, but because of some problems with venues and the dates, the event had to be pushed back,” said Ajanaku. “Now, we are just having a celebration of Nigeria and all it stands for culturally."
If anything else, the celebration will show students these diverse sectors on campus exist.
“There is a lot of African and African-American related events on campus. But what there isn’t a lot of are events on the African countries specifically," said Jennifer Nzeogu, president of Association of Nigerians and a senior studying broadcast journalism with a specialization in African American studies. "We want to show that at this event the Nigerian interpretation of culture, food, tribes, fashion, sports and music. We worked really hard to put it together.”
Tickets for the event are $2 and will be sold Thursday and Friday from 2-4 p.m. outside the top floor of Baker Center. Tickets will be also sold at the door.
Nzeogu said there will be work on more outreach from the association as the year progresses.
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