For the final events celebrating Black History Month, Wayne State College focused its efforts on showcasing the colorful traditions of heritage with African Night on Feb. 25, and the rich history and joyful expression of dance in black culture with an upcoming line dancing presentation on Feb. 28.
Throughout the month of February, WSC hosted numerous events focused on bringing campus together to learn from and about the history of African-American culture. The most recent and final installment in this series of events brought multiple campus organizations together in a collaboration to highlight the diverse expressions of black identity.
On Sunday, Feb. 25, the WSC International Club and the Office of Multicultural and International Programs hosted African Night, a celebration of the wide range of traditions, customs, cuisines and expressions of the different African countries.
“We really wanted this night to be a representation of the traditional and spiritual practices of Africa, and a relevant way to bring them to life for our young people,” International & Multicultural Programs Coordinator, Peter Mutayoba said. “We want to help the campus understand the colorful culture around them.”
African Night featured bits and pieces of the different cultures of the continent, including five dishes from Nigeria, traditional dancers from the Congo, a church choir performance and an open dance floor with songs from South Africa.
“Of course, since this is the first event, we had a few hiccups, but we learned a lot,” Mutayoba said. “Unfortunately we couldn’t have the full church choir. Instead, we had a very talented pianist and singer from the group that performed in their place.”
Though this was the first time WSC has hosted this sort of event, Mutayoba said he was very pleased with student turnout and has high hopes that African Night could become an annual tradition. From a heaadcount taken as students checked in, there were 55 WSC students and 29 non-students in attendance.
“This was the genesis of something special. We were satisfied with the turnout,” Mutayoba said.
Dancer, historian and associate professor of practice at the University of Southern California Moncell Durden will give a presentation on the history of line dance and its relationship to black culture in America for the final event of WSC’s Black History Month celebration.
Student Activities Board (SAB) and Office of Diversity and Inclusion worked closely together to close out the month’s festivities with a reminder that black history is still in the making.
“This event will be part presentation on the historical elements of dance, part educational performance that will challenge the audience to get engaged,” Mutayoba said.
Durden’s presentation will cover a wide range of dances, from the “Shim Sham” from the 1920s, to the “Electric Slide” of the 70s, to the more modern iterations of line dance.
“It’s a great chance to dust off your dancing boots and join us,” Mutayoba said.
Central to both of these events is the idea that, while black history is tied up with tragedy and centuries of discrimination, it is also rich with innovation, reformation and joy.
“Historically speaking, there has been a lot of negativity surrounding black history. It’s really easy to get hung up on the negative aspects, the prejudice, wars, and hatred,” Mutayoba said. “The goal with these events is to make a switch and challenge our way of thinking about our history. There’s much to celebrate about our culture and heritage. We can not only learn but also take away new experiences we can integrate into our lives.”
Mutayoba hopes attendees of these final events will take away not only a new understanding and appreciation for culture and dance, but a new outlook on cultural education.
“I had my own assumptions about the origins of line dance, but preparing for this event has taught me a lot about the practice and its ties to black culture,” Mutayoba said. “The day we stop learning is the day we stop growing. We want to celebrate our history, yes, but we also need to celebrate our future.”
