My African Experience

I attended A Night in Africa Event on April 1st. It was a great opportunity to experience the elements of the various African cultures. I feel like in America we focus on the American black experience, but often forget that we have immigrants straight from Africa who are very in touch with that unique culture. It was very cool to see so many different students representing their country of origin. It was a great opportunity to learn about cultures I knew very little about, and to see UND students perform their talents. Some things that stood out for me include the fact that it just wasn’t black Africans that were a part of this event, but also North Africans were also a part of the show. I thought this was important, as many different colors …show more content…
I won’t pretend like I knew all about Africa, or even that this event added a lot of knowledge about it to my brain. I did however show me how little I did know about Africa, and gave me a better appreciation of the cultures in Africa. The most surprising thing was that I didn’t even know what the Egyptian flag looked like, or even any of the other countries’ flags. It was nice to hear about and see the cultures of countries that I knew little about beforehand and become more aware of these cultures. Another reason why events such as this one are important, is because it exposes people to other cultures. Not only is the knowledge important, but also the way the view diversity afterwards. For example, this event might help someone realize that they shouldn’t assume that because someone is black, that their family has a history of slavery. Also, realizing that Africa itself is made up of a wide variety of cultures is also a valuable to gain. I believe that these events deepen respect for other …show more content…
As, a future social worker, being culturally competent is a key skill which is necessary. I believe that one can never be too knowledgeable about other cultures, and that it is a continual process. This event was a great opportunity to learn and enjoy cultures in which I am not familiar with. I hope to attend event like this one in the future and gain even more cultural experience. If I had to add any recommendations, it would be to focus more on culture and less on talent. I think that was their intention, however this event raised my interest in learning more about African countries and it would have been great to do that at the event. Particularly, I’m interested on the variations in the many countries that encompass Africa. I’d love to have a better understanding of African cultures, as this event only offered a little. To sum up my experience, I would say that not only did I have a fun night, but I also gained a lot from it. The chance to experience other people’s cultures is a great thing, and I am glad I got to be a part of this event. African culture is rarely seen in North Dakota, but it is still amazing part of this country and the world. To respect others, one must step into their world, and experiencing their culture is the first step. I learned a lot from this event and hope to continue to learn more about the African cultures, and other unfamiliar cultures in