BY KORI TUCKER
VN SPECIAL WRITER
Student got a taste of African and Caribbean food and music recently in the Fountain Lounge, when the African and Caribbean Student Organization hosted an Oct. 1 event.
The club focuses on empowering students of African and Caribbean descent and educating students who may not know about the cultures.
The event featured foods from the Caribbean and Africa, including jerk chicken, jollof rice, fish, plantains and more.
The club added six additional members to its roster of 15 at the event.
Emmanuel Pillah is founder and president of the organization.
He puts his heart and soul into this club, especially because he takes pride in being Nigerian and hopes to “empower the African and Caribbean students on campus.”
He said the club offers African and Caribbean students a place to better themselves.
Pillah is a senior architecture major and hopes that this will be a good year for the club that he is so passionate about.
Before he graduates, he wants to make sure that “people on campus know about the club and know that the club is here to stay.”
A huge goal is making this club one of the most student-friendly and -oriented clubs at Detroit Mercy.
He wants to make sure that everybody feels welcome and that people not just learn but understand the values and traditions of different cultures.
One common misconception is that Africa is one big place that has the same culture and traditions, he said.
In fact, cultures vary from tribe to tribe and country to country, he said.
Adetola Owaduge, a sophomore, has been involved since her freshman year.
This year Owaduge is being trained to be on the executive board and will take over the events and volunteer chair when the current seniors graduate.
Owaduge joined the African and Caribbean Student Organization because she “wanted an African community at college” because she “was leaving the one at home.”
The club allows her to meet people on campus who she can relate to, she said.
It has allowed Owaduge to go to many events and even attend a conference in Indiana, where students came together representing African and Caribbean student organizations from universities around the United States.
She said that she hopes “people know it’s a whole different life out there and become open minded because it’s not just one big continent or one big island.”
The organization has many events planned for this school. Among them are a fashion show, African Night, movie nights and discussion nights.
For information, email Pillah at pillahet@udmercy.edu.
