It’s five minutes until 6 p.m. in Willamette 112 on a Monday night. Music of banging drums with a mix of guitar fills the room with energy and liveliness. Bodies begin to fill the room and voices hum to the beat. Glances are exchanged and at 6 p.m. the music quiets and a meeting starts, first with a brief presentation on an African country followed by games and an open conversation forum.
This is a typical weeknight meeting for the African Student Association.
ASA is a campus organization that strives to unite, honor, project and celebrate the African heritage at the UO. Its members focus on promoting African cultural awareness through open forum discussions concerning fashion, cuisine, music and offering self-empowerment to its members by supporting them both academically and personally. ASA meets every Monday in a gathering of its seven student staffers and 40 active members.
For many members, joining ASA created an outlet from their busy student life and formed a strong family bond. The group has become a home away from home. Many members enjoy the atmosphere of the ASA and are glad to share experiences with these other students.
“I personally see ASA as a family and I enjoy the support that ASA provides,” club secretary Saba Embaye said. “Coming to Eugene and not knowing anyone was tough but ASA was a great tool for me to network. Being part of ASA has let me express my culture and learn other cultural experiences that I had not known before.”
Members discuss different aspects of Africa and address issues that directly and indirectly affect them. As a group they discuss wide range of issues surrounding the continent and primarily work together to cope with stereotypes they have encountered.
“In our meetings it’s not just about sitting down and talking. We want our members to engage with one another,” ASA co-director Nardos Tadesse said. ”It can be through our activities our staff plans out. For an example, one activity we did was pairing up members and having them teach a word to their partner in their native language and then sharing it with everyone.”
A key component ASA strives toward in its meetings is creating a fun atmosphere for its members while also inviting students to take a moment to learn about the African culture. ASA’s meetings are open to all students and they are more than willing to hear an outside perspectives on some of the issues discussed.
“ASA is a fun place to hangout and it’s a great opportunity to learn about the different cultures that are present at the UO,” Atsan Senghor said. “The fist word that pops into my head when I think of ASA is fun and I enjoy all the activities most of all the African musical chairs.”
A few events that ASA will host are its Inside Africa dinner on March 8 and African Night on June 7.