Ledger

Issue date: 4/20/06 Section: Campus News

The Black Student Union spiced things up for University of Washington, Tacoma students with the Taste of Africa. The event took place in the oUWTpost on Thursday April 6 during the lunch hour. (Victoria Haas / Ledger )

The Black Student Union spiced things up for University of Washington, Tacoma students with the Taste of Africa. The event took place in the oUWTpost on Thursday April 6 during the lunch hour.
"The event was to introduce people to African cuisines," said La Tanya Boyd-McKinney, resident of the Black Student Union. "We wanted to show that there are different layers of culture to us- to enrich the campus."
The buffet was provided by local restaurants and included foods from different parts of Africa including Ethiopian food and Jerk Chicken from the Caribbean.
"We wanted to make people aware of the food and cuisines; to emphasize the black history event," said Albert Purnell, secretary of the Black Student Union. "We wanted to promote the African culture."
Students who came to the event were impressed with the cuisine.
"It's spicier; more flavorful," said UWT student Mary Powers. "I wanted to bring my niece here to try Ethiopian food to see what it tastes like."
"The pita was delicious," said UWT senior Chris Wood. "It had a very foreign taste; it tickled the taste buds."
The Starbucks located on the UWT campus got involved by offering samples of three African coffees to try along with the cuisines.
Steven Mesler, manager of the local Starbucks, was at the event to let students experience the rich, aromatic blends. "It's amazing how the flavors compliment each other," he said.
Local musicians Congo Productions performed music from various parts of Africa. Dressed in traditional African clothing, the duo provided a pulsating rhythmic background to the event.
The group was formed because its founders felt that there was very little minority representation of the arts.
Willie "Congo" Carter, the founder of the Drum Circle, believes that there is a lot of undiscovered talent in the area whose only hindrance is lack of motivation and confidence, according to their website.
"The music was really loud," Wood said. "It was very festive."
The event came in conjunction with the university's efforts to increase awareness of world civics and equality. In March the movie "Glory" was shown to emphasize the participation of African-Americans in the Civil War.
UWT students will have another chance to embrace cultural diversity on May 3 at the oUWTpost with the Latin Student Organization's Cinco de Mayo fiesta. A 12-person mariachi band will play at the event and Mexican food will be provided for lunch.

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