PERSPECTIVESNovember 5, 2009 � Mount Holyoke News 13

WWeellsshh: MHACASA is proud that all proceeds from the dinner and show are going towards“ChildVoice International.” Donating to a charity in the Caribbean or Africa is done yearlyin support of our heritages. As such, we are not only interested in broadening the views ofpeople on campus; we want to serve as an outreach to those who are in need of our assis-tance. With this in mind, we anticipate large crowds in helping us help others.

QQ:: TThhee cchhaarriittyy ooff yyoouurr cchhooiiccee iiss CChhiillddVVooiiccee IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall.. WWhhaatt eexxaaccttllyy iiss CChhiillddVVooiiccee IInntteerr--nnaattiioonnaall,, aanndd hhooww ddiidd tthhee ccoommmmiitttteeee ppiicckk tthhiiss oorrggaanniizzaattiioonn??

BBootthh: Just like the theme for AC Day, org members suggested and nominated severaldifferent charities and then voted for one. Child Voice International won

with 53 percent of our votes.

QQ:: WWhhaatt aarree yyoouurr ffuuttuurree ddoonnaattiioonn ppllaannss aanndd iiss iitt ggooiinngg ttoo bbeeccoommee aa rreegguullaarr tthhiinngg??

BBootthh: As mentioned previously, fundraising for acharitable cause is at the heart of AC Day and is oneof our two purposes for organizing AC Day. Eachyear, money is given to a new charity. We don’tusually give to the same charity more thanonce. Last March, we gave the proceeds fromAC Day to Red Cross Kenya after the post-election violence that occurred. In Marchthis year, we raised money for a hospitalthat helps to surgically treat women, chil-dren and babies raped in the Congo. How-ever, the decision of where the proceedsfrom AC Day should go is entirely depend-ent on the organization and who they votefor. However, if the organization feels it isimportant to give money to the same char-ity again and they vote for that charity,that is where the money will go.

QQ:: AACC DDaayy hhaass bbeeccoommee oonnee ooff tthhee bbiiggggeesstt aann--nnuuaall eevveennttss ooff tthhee MMoouunntt HHoollyyookkee ccaalleennddaarr,,aanndd MMHHAACCAASSAA hhaass bbeeeenn aarroouunndd ssiinnccee 11999933..AAss ffaarr aass yyoouu kknnooww,, ddiidd AACC DDaayy bbaacckkttrraacckk ttoo11999933 aass wweellll?? DDoo yyoouu kknnooww wwhhoo oorr wwhhaatt ssppeecciiffii--ccaallllyy ssttaarrtteedd AACC DDaayy??

OOppookkuu: To my knowledge African Caribbean Daystarted in 1993 when MHACASA was formed. MHACASA

was formed in recognition of the need for cooperation andcohesion among African and Caribbean students at Mount

Holyoke College. I believe that those who formed the organizationalso realized similarities among African and Caribbean students (in

terms of culture). It was important, I believe, for them to share the “foreign”cultures with the new environment students found themselves in. This was essential inorder to breakdown negative stereotypes and let people know who they were. However, ACDay is not the only thing that MHACASA does in order to do this. We also have AwarenessWeek which will take place in the spring, but AC Day is the biggest thing that we do.

QQ:: TThhee tthheemmee ffoorr AACC DDaayy tthhiiss yyeeaarr iiss ““CCeelleebbrraattiinngg OOuurr PPaasstt,, FFoorrggiinngg OOuurr FFuuttuurree..””HHooww ddiidd tthhee tthheemmee ccoommee aabboouutt,, hhooww iiss iitt rreelleevvaanntt ttoo oouurr ssttuuddeennttss aanndd hhooww iiss tthhiiss AACCDDaayy ggooiinngg ttoo cceelleebbrraattee tthhee ppaasstt aanndd ffoorrggee tthhee ffuuttuurree??

OOppookkuu: Members of our organization nominated themes andvoted for them. I suggested the theme of “Celebrating ourpast, forging our future.” When I came up with thistheme, I was thinking of what Africans and Caribbeanshave in common and also what makes us diverse asMHACASA. Although they are somewhat differ-ent now, there are still underlying themes ofsimilarities in our cultures and I felt it was im-portant to recognize this and celebrate it. Itis also essential for us to forge our identi-ties as Caribbeans and Africans, not asAfricans and other Africans (who havebeen) taken to the Caribbean. Embracingall these different identities and usingthese differences for the developmentof our regions is what forges our fu-ture.

BBootthh: This year’s AC Day will have actsthat would be different from what peo-ple are used to. These acts will show oursimilarities as well as differences, notjust as people from separate regions, butalso as people from different countries.Some of the acts will show progression,featuring performance pieces from the pastand its evolution to more contemporaryforms. Lest we forget, the mouthwateringfoods that will also serve as a uniting elementfor everyone involved.

QQ:: TThhee pprroocceeeedd ffrroomm tthhiiss yyeeaarr’’ss AACC DDaayy aarree ggooiinnggttoo cchhaarriittyy.. WWhhaatt mmaaddee tthhee ccoommmmiitttteeee ddeecciiddee ttoo ddootthhiiss?? DDoo yyoouu tthhiinnkk iitt wwiillll aaffffeecctt tthhee nnuummbbeerr ooff ssttuuddeennttssaatttteennddiinngg??

OOppookkuu: African-Caribbean Day serves two purposes—to educate stu-dents about African and Caribbean cultures, and to fundraise money for acharitable cause on the African continent or in the Caribbean. Giving the proceeds ofAC Day to charity is at the heart of AC Day and we hope people would be encouragedto know that AC day is not just to entertain and to educate, but also to make a differ-ence in the lives of the people that would be blessed by the money we raise. Therefore,we hope more people would come as a result.

Forging African and Caribbean identities

“Next we have Somalia,” were the first words I heardas I entered Chapin auditorium this week and saw stu-dents rehearsing for the 2009 African Caribbean Day.Crystal Boateng ’10 was calling the names of one Africancountry after the other as students catwalked on stagewith wide smiles glued on their faces. This fashion showconstitutes only one element of the African Caribbean cel-ebration to take place on Friday, Nov. 6.

As AC Day approaches quickly, many students havebeen working hard to deliver another unforgettable showto the Mount Holyoke community. Several nights on end,they gather at Chapin auditorium, dance studios and dormlounges to go over their spiels and synchronize their col-orful performances. During the day, they make final ad-justments to the music and costumes.

“We have so much to show,” said Emelia Hall-Tui-sawau ’11, who is the social chair for MHACASA and theshow’s second MC. “Look at this,” she added with excite-ment pointing to the stage. Up there, barefoot studentswere practicing their Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) dance.But just minutes before they had started snapping their

fingers to the rhythm, a different dynamic occupiedthe stage.

Naa Abia Ofosu-Amaah ’10 swayed her arms,waving a blue-yellowish scarf up and down, backand forth. She was cheered on by the crowd par-

ticipating in the AC Day’s fashion show. Studentsrepresenting different African and Caribbean coun-tries catwalked with the playfulness of professionalmodels. Although they were rehearsing in jeansand casual sweatshirts, at the Friday performancethey will showcase the traditional wear of their na-tive countries. Morocco, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Senegal,Tanzania and Ghana are just a few of the countrieswhose costumes will be highlighted during the fashion

show. A Ghanian native, Boateng is organizing this sec-tion of the program. “I really like fashion, especiallyclothes made with African prints because they are veryvibrant,” she said.

Within seconds, the students shook off their fashionways and took on humorous roles—they started rehears-ing for a Nigerian wedding skit. They quickly regrouped,some leaving the stage and others joining. Their perform-ance drew upon a Nigerian tradition—the groom visits thefamily of the girl he is courting and asks for her hand. Thefamily members, however, are supposed to present himall maidens in the household.

Eventually, he loses patience and, as Temitope Ojo ’10said, he asks, “Where is my real bride? This is the person.I want to marry.” As a Nigerian native, Ojo directs the skitand has included in it an authentic groom—her highschool mate and current Amherst College student,Charles Oluwunmi. Appropriately enough, the weddingskit ends to the song No One Like You by Nigerian twinperformers P-Square.

The funny wedding skit, Cote d’Ivoire dance and fash-ion show provided me with a quick peek into the colorfulcelebration of AC Day. The Friday show, however, willhighlight a lot more elements of the African Caribbean

cultures. It will deliver a celebration justifying the hardwork and celebrating the genuine laughter at the re-hearsals.

BY EMILY CHOW ’12STAFF WRITER

BY MAGDALENA GEORGIEVA ’10PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Fashion show participants pose for a photo in Chapin.From left to right: Zohra Damji ‘10, Naa Abia Ofosu-Amaah ‘10, Laura Turyatemba ‘11, Hope Mbabazi ‘10and Asinath Rusibamayila ‘10.

AC Day organizers Abena Opoku ’10 (African co-chair) andNatalia Welsh ’11 (Caribbean co-chair) talk about their biggestevent on-campus.

Behind the scenes: students rehearse for AC Day

Photo By Magdalena Georgieva

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PERSPECTIVES November 5, 2009 � Mount Holyoke News14

At this year’s convocationMarsha Allen ’10, of Trinidadand Tobago, and her red-plumedcarnival hat rocked the seniorparade. Bouncing along withthe pace of the parade, her redfeathers gave our convocationa taste of the Caribbean Car-nival culture.Allen entered the modelingindustry at the age of six-

teen. “Both my par-ents and I thinkthat modeling isa good way to

build self esteem,”she said. Taller than most

of her peers, Allen did notlike her image when she wasyoung. “I always walkedwith my back bended,”she said. But the catwalktraining helped her gain a

better appreciation for herbody. As she said, cat-walking

raised her self esteem “from one to ten.” On the runway,the poise and elegance of her walk freed her from the fearof standing before big crowds. After joining two local com-panies in Trinidad, Allen participated in many fashionshows and several TV shows.

Her experience in modeling in Trinidad prepared herto sign a contract with BT Entertainment in New Yorkwhere she participated in photo shoots and a jeans adver-tisement. Unlike the modeling industry in Trinidad, inNew York, Allen found that the business was exercising a

humongous influence on the aesthetics standard. “TheAmerican models looked like skeletons. They would beconsidered unhealthy in Trinidad. Most of them weredriven to be on a diet and never satisfied with their im-ages,” said Allen. As she described, this trend of slimmingdown, as promoted by the media, was deeply rooted in theway society has defined beauty. This was when Allen de-cided not to consider modeling as her career field in thefuture. “I personally do not want the physical image to de-fine who I am. So I chose education—to study in college.”Coming to Mount Holyoke as an economics major,

Allen also developed an interest in geology. “Geology re-ally makes me happy, regardless of the heavy workload,”she said. It is also the career that she wants to pursue inthe future. But her interest and keenness in fashion arenot buried in the study of rocks and earth structure. Hav-ing been on the runway and surrounded by fashion de-signers for almost eight years, the retired modelspecializes in costume design. She designed some of theoutfits for the 2007 and 2008 African-Caribbean Day cele-brations. The culture of the Caribbean Carnival also influ-enced her to design the plumed headpiece she wore atconvocation.

The Caribbean Carnival inspired Allen in many ways.The celebration, which originated in the French-Catholiccarnival tradition, is now influenced by contemporaryfashion trends. “I think that plumed and beaded costumesare always in high demand,” said Allen who has partici-pated in three parades. Trinidad costume designers areespecially creative with their design themes each year. AsAllen said, “It is always very hard to choose which cos-tume you want because of the high quality to which theyare created, and the wide variety you have to choosefrom.” Observing recent trends in costume design, Allennoticed that designers have been adding trendier ele-ments such as bowler hats and colors of the year. Manydesigners, however, stick to the traditional costumes thatbetter represent Trinidad’s national culture.

Though now far from the modeling industry, Allenstill thinks of her past experience as special. “Modelingshould be a good class to take in college if it is offered. Al-though some scenes behind this industry are not neces-sarily good, it is still a good way to build women’sself-esteem as they will present themselves with moreconfidence,” she said.

BY SHUYAO WANG ’11STAFF WRITER

In Lukodi, a small community north of Gulu inUganda, hope resonates again after twenty-threeyears of war, through the Christian organization

Child Voice International. In 2007, the Lukodi Child Center was established by the organ-ization to reintegrate and empower child victims of the civil war in Uganda, a war thathas ravished scores of communities since the 1990s. This year, Mount Holyoke Collegewill partake in the healing process through the Mount Holyoke African and CaribbeanStudent Association (MHACASA). For its annual African-Caribbean Day, the organiza-tion has nominated Child Voice International, Uganda to receive the proceeds raisedfrom their event.

As a cultural organization, MHACASA educates and exposes the campus and its en-virons to African and Caribbean cultures. This is an effort to eradicate stereotypes per-ceived of these regions of the world as promoted by the mass media. One such avenue forcultural exposure is through the African and Caribbean Day celebration. But there ismore to this event than mere festivities.

As a tradition, the organization believes in giving back to their roots. Since its in-ception in 1993, MHACASA has donated funds raised from the African Caribbean Daycelebrations to organizations, which support the progress of African and Caribbeancountries. The organizations are voted on, out of a pool of nominees, by MHACASA mem-bers. This year, member Christiane Koenig ’11 nominated Child Voice International,Uganda.

Though Child Voice International has other service points globally, the ordeal of thechildren at the center at Uganda spoke loudest to Koenig. In the wake of the political un-rest in Uganda since the 1980s, several families have been displaced, separated and prop-erties destroyed. The most vulnerable victims were children, who were abducted and

coerced to witness and partake in the horrific realities of war. They were taken as childsoldiers, forced to kill and hurt family members; they were raped and made sex slavesfor the Lord’s Revolution Army (LRA) and Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). These tworevolution forces wreaked devastation all over the country, putting a prolonged hush tothe development of Uganda’s future—the children.

Over the summer, Koenig worked at a Christian retreat camp located in Toah Nipi,New Hampshire. There, she met a camp worker who volunteered for Child Voice Inter-national at the Lukodi Center in Uganda. Her interest was piqued by the vision of the or-ganization to give voice to the war-silenced children of Uganda through education andvocational skill training. Koenig was convinced that the campus community could bepart of this vision. She found a window of opportunity through MHACASA’s charitabletradition of donating AC Day funds.

At the Child’s Voice Village, Uganda, young mothers and their children are housedand taken care of. They access free health care provided by staff and volunteers. The oc-cupants of the Village are enrolled at the school, established in the center. The teachingcurriculum has been designed to assist the children in catching up on the missed schoolyears while incorporating life-survival lessons and healing sessions. This well-roundedprogram caters to the collective vision to assist the children in overcoming their trau-matic past and invest in a positive future. The organization also aims to establish theLukodi Center as a self-sustaining unit, by teaching the occupants entrepreneurial andmarketing skills. This is practical for progress and survival in Uganda, a society that stillails from war wounds.

This year from South Hadley, Massachusetts, MHACASA will reach out, 8512 milesaway to Lukodi, investing in the vision of a brighter future for Ugandan children. Forthis campus organization, distance is definitely not a limitation to uplift one of their own.

BY TEMITOPE OJO ’10ASST. PERSPECTIVES EDITOR

Marsha Allen merges Caribbean culture and fashion

Photo Credit of Marsha Allen

Photo Credit of Marsha Allen

MHACASA amplifies the voices of Ugandan childrenThe Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Student Association (MHACASA) will donate proceeds from AC Dayto the Uganda-based charity Child Voice International

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