Chanting "All my people, say revolution," approximately 30 students walked from College Green to W.E.B. DuBois College House in a vigil "in honor of Our Ancestors" Friday afternoon. The vigil concluded MAAFA, a week-long memorial commemoration of the African Holocaust, marking the end to a series of MAAFA-related speakers, seminars, panels and performances. MAAFA is a Kiswahili word meaning "disaster" or "terrible occurrence." It refers to the African Holocaust which began in 1469 with the first slave ship from Africa. The week-long memorial -- and the vigil specifically -- mourned all those who lost their lives during the Middle Passage, slavery and colonialism. "We are here to mourn the lives of the flow that came out of Africa to America during the slave trade," Engineering sophomore Latressa Fulton said. "This includes our ancestors and our culture." The students said they attended the vigil to show their support for the community, while also gaining recognition for MAAFA. "It's important for us to take time out of our lives and show support for the community since there are not to many of us here," Wharton junior George Boston said. According to Engineering senior Cardell Orrin, the chant that echoed across Locust Walk expressed "what should happen in society regarding civil and human rights." The vigil ended outside DuBois, where students gathered in a circle for a ceremony called libation. "Libation is done in many African societies to acknowledge fallen ancestors and the creator," Orrin explained. The ceremony started with the eldest member in the circle calling out the name of a deceased ancestor. Water was then poured on the ground in the middle of the circle and everyone in the circle said "ashe" --Kiswahili for "so be it." The pouring of water to the earth signifies the pouring of life to life, participants said. This procedure was repeated many times, with others in the circle calling out names of their ancestors. When the ceremony ended, students shared what MAAFA meant to them and why they attended the ceremony. "The African Holocaust was a terrible occurrence in our history, and it's not really recognized," Engineering and Wharton junior Athelst Bellerand said.
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