For three days, the smells of African food filled the halls of Newhouse III. Students, faculty and professionals from around the world came together at Syracuse University to discuss a far-off issue that for some is much closer to home: healing, reconciliation and reconstruction in Zimbabwe.

‘I went to the forum on sexual violence for women in Zimbabwe. Feminist scholars were talking about the women they were working with in Zimbabwe, and I just thought how much their words could relate to lives of women here,’ said Arkie Tassew, junior international relations major and historian for the African Students Union.

The Africa Initiative and African Students Union hosted the three-day event, which is part of a larger campus-wide event, Africa Week. The week, which is hosted by the African American Students Union, is meant to be a re-awakening of Africa’s dreams and celebrate its achievements. Events for the week started Thursday with the Zimbabwe Symposium, and will conclude Friday with a dinner.

‘It’s all about how we can celebrate Africa and get involved here,’ said Tassew. ‘There is the potential to help here but not the drive yet. We want to initiate that drive to help.’

On Tuesday, Africa Week includes a movie and discussion on ‘This is My Africa,’ a film that discusses the reconstruction of Rwanda following the genocide of the 1990s.

The week will continue with a panel discussion on empowering Africa’s youth and some of the issues facing young adults in Africa.

‘Some kids in Africa learn to be creative without the education we take for granted,’ Tassew said. ‘One kid was amazing. He was able to create something like a windmill all on his own, that’s something we can learn from,’

Before the end of the week, students will present their own African heritage during African Cultural Night on Thursday. The students will compete in African singing, clothes modeling and dancing.

‘SU has a large African population,’ Tassew said, ‘and they will just get on stage and have a good time and compete,’

Every event features traditional African food, but the real food will come on Friday with a finale dinner to close the week and hopefully celebrate the progress initiated by increased awareness on campus.

ampaye@syr.edu

Published on October 31, 2009 at 12:00 pm