AU CULTURE NIGHT: ONE CONTINENT, MANY VOICES, CELEBRATING AFRICAN DIVERSITY
Story by Juliet Sithole
Africa University, through the Dean of Students Department, hosted the annual Culture Night on the 3rd of November 2023. Culture Night is an occasion that celebrates culture, creativity and the arts from various regions in Africa, with this year’s event running under the theme, One continent, many voices, celebrating African diversity.
With a twist to the flow of festivities, this year, halls of residence competed for pole position in categories related to uniqueness of acts, colorfulness of outfits and cultural authenticity . In her welcome remarks, Interim Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Pamela Machakanja said she was glad to be part of the night and to witness the creativity the students had. She urged them to always take part in extracurricular activities to provide a creative and constructive outlet outside of the daily rigors of academic work. Dean of Students Dr. Chinangure echoed these same sentiments and went further to highlight that the world today calls for multidisciplinary and highly adaptive graduands that have a global perspective and appreciation of cultural differences and nuances.
It was a colorful night indeed with the rich patterns of African dress boldly on display in both the male and female modelling categories. Musically gifted students also had the opportunity to share traditional songs and dances from their cultures, much to the enjoyment of all present , transporting them to the various parts of the continent where such arts are native.
With the Ben Hill Hall of Residence clinching 1st place, an excited Ruvarashe Masvosva (hostel subwarden) said, “It really was a stiff competition and we never thought we would come out first. We are really happy and thank all the hostel members for their commitment in making this day a beautiful one.” Rumbidzo Sande , 1st year School of Law added, “Words alone cannot express how excited we are in winning this competition since it is our first time and our hall of residence is mainly comprised of first years. It really was not a competition to us as we just came to perform and expose the multi-talented ladies in our block. It was an opportunity for us to celebrate with fellow African youths as the theme says it all, hence, coming out 1st was really a bonus to us.”
In 2nd position was the Bishop Hasbrouck and Mrs Mera Hughes Hall of Residence (D block). Congratulations also go to the resulting halls who all tied for 3rd place, these being the Highland Park Hall of Residence (H1-H23), Bishop Edwin C and Mrs. Boulton Hall of Residence (Block J1- J20), Bishop R. Sheldon Duecker Hall of Residence (Block K 19 -38) and the James Henry Salley Hall of Residence (Block L1 -18).
Culture Night is a highlight on the Africa University calendar that is eagerly anticipated and thoroughly enjoyed by students and staff alike. Each event is different and highly unique with the purpose being to provide a platform for the university community to gain insight into and take part in the various beautiful cultures that are abound in Africa.