International students lay on a taste of Africa without the travel
Posted on 20 May 2005
Members of the University's Afro-Caribbean Society (ACS) are marking African Liberation Day on 25 May 2005 with a colourful event featuring a wide range traditional crafts, foods and music.
The event in Goodricke College, which is open to the public, will include society members from Cameroon, Gambia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Sudan in national costume.
Hair braiding will be done throughout the evening and a selection of African dishes including appetising starters, delicious main courses and a range of exotic desserts, will be served.
Bukky Ojo, of the society, said: "The ACS has members from all over Africa and we invite everybody to come and celebrate this day with us."
Tickets are £3.50 (£3 for ACS members) and the event will start at 6pm.
The Afro-Caribbean Society in collaboration with Stop Aids Awareness Society and James JCR also presented FULL STOP!!! sponsored by MTV on 20 May. The charity event in aid of the Stop Aids campaign featured Faith SFX (London) and RnB and Hip Hop from LoveDough DJ with Afro-Caribbean Dancing.
Notes to editors:
- The first African Liberation Day conference took place on 15 April 1958 in Accra, Ghana. The conference, originally named "African Freedom Day" was attended by government representatives from Ethiopia, Ghana, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Sudan, Tunisia, the United Arab Republic and representatives of the National Liberation Front of Algeria and the Union of Cameroonian Peoples. It was the first Pan-African Conference held on African soil and represented the collective expression of African people towards issues such as colonialism and imperialism. Delegates called for the founding of African Freedom Day, to mark each year the progress of the liberation movement and to symbolise the determination of the people of Africa. Five years later, on 25 May 1963, a second conference was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at which 32 independent African states formed the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). The conference decided, that African Freedom Day would be held on 25 May and should be named "African Liberation Day". It has been celebrated worldwide ever since.
- More information on the University of York's Afro-Caribbean Society from Bukky Ojo on 07787 185588.