'The African Story' presents history of continent
Allison Oubre
Culture Associate Editor
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The production incorporates dance, poetry, music, a slide show, traditional costumes and varieties of African food to tell Africa's story from its fabled beginnings, through colonization, to the freedom movement of modern times.
The evening concludes with a reception in the lobby, during which guests can sample a variety of traditional African foods.
Inspired by a similar production at her high school, Nana Prempeh, president of VASU, researched at the library and created a preliminary outline for the program.
Over spring break, Prempeh, Precious Boone, and Vivan Agbegha stayed in Nashville to begin turning the rough outline into a refined production.
"From the basic outline, we've expanded and added things that we want to see in the program. It's definitely a work in progress. The outline is a basic guide, but everyone chips in with suggestions for what they would like to see in the program," says Prempeh.
"The African Story chronicles the birth and rise of African nations today," says VASU member Andrea Alvord.
It employs many different techniques to present a comprehensive look at Africa's roots and their effects on the peoples there today.
This is the inaugural year of The African Story, as the VASU itself is only a little more than a year old. After its 1996 breakup, the organization was revived in the spring semester of last year by eight students and has grown over the past year to about 40 members.
Prempeh hopes to have some type of production each year, making it a household name at Vanderbilt, comparable to other shows like Café con Leche. To make this year's show exciting and energetic, members have been taking dance lessons and having their routines choreographed. There will also be live drums from the Village Cultural Center.
The VASU held an Africa Day celebration Friday, March 15, as a prelude to their bigger production.
Members danced traditional dances, read the poetry of notable African-American figures such as Maya Angelou, and read short biographies of other important African-American leaders. Many varieties of food, mainly from West Africa, were served after the event.
VASU's mission is presented through the performance of The African Story. The participants hope to promote positive aspects and show the cultural variety within the entire African continent.
"We hope that The African Story will raise awareness of the diversity throughout the continent of Africa. Too often Africa is depicted as a single country when actually there are 54 countries in Africa, each with its own culture and background," said Prempeh.
"Many of the negative aspects and the problems in Africa are exaggerated to the public. We want The African Story to serve as a platform to showcase the many, yet underexposed positive aspects of Africa, not to simply highlight the problems," she continued.
Tickets are $7 at the Sarratt main desk or on the Wall and $9 at the door.
The proceeds from the show will help to finance the arrival and stay of a woman who works with AIDS victims in Uganda.