African students talk diversity

Maintaining individuality on campus against a backdrop of stereotypes was the focus Tuesday night as students of various African ethnicities met as part of the Africafest '99 celebration. In a program called "Where Do We Fit In?" presented by the Penn African Student Association, a panel of about a dozen students met in DuBois College House to discuss interactions among black people of different ethnic backgrounds. "People from the outside don't see us as being Caribbean, Nigerian or Zimbabwe," PASA President and Zimbabwe-American Fungayi Kapungu said. "They just see us as being black." Disappointed by the perception of Africa as "one big entity," Kapungu, a College senior, stressed that important distinctions exist between the unique African nations. Fellow PASA members agreed that individual interests are products of such cultural demarcations. "My experiences [and] my heritage are very different from some Africans," said PASA Secretary and native Eritrean Luam Keflezgy, a College senior. "My parents were not slaves." In light of the diverse African population that exists at Penn, many PASA members were happy to see their differences recognized and maintained within the Penn community through organizations like PASA, the Caribbean American Student Association and the Dessalines Haitian Student Association. "PASA, CASA and Dessalines are formed by deep bonds," Keflezgy said. Linked by a common ancestry, "they are your family." Others, however, like Wharton senior Curtis Redding, perceive the distinctions as "a double-edged sword." According to Redding, students should be proud of their uniqueness on one hand, but on the other, strictly-defined boundaries and groups can be an "element of separation." "The more we separate ourselves," agreed Kapungu in reference to the small population of Africans at Penn, "the more we make the whole weaker." PASA members finally agreed that the distinct Penn cultural organizations are beneficial in maintaining cultural identity, but need to be connected via "umbrella organizations" like the Black Students League. "It's OK to have bubbles of different groups," Keflezgy said, "but we must be networked." Students also discussed the unjust stereotypes associated with black Americans versus native Africans. "Africans are prejudiced against African Americans," said Keflezgy, who noted that he was raised in America. According to Keflezgy, such prejudices are formed mainly by negative African-American portrayal in the media. African countries that witness American culture only through television and the like are drawn to such prejudices. In response to such stereotypes, PASA members realize that it is their responsibility to "bridge the gap" between Africans and African Americans and to expand their unique cultural experiences to the larger community. Keflezgy, for example, pointed out the present conflict between the African countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea. "We have so many responsibilities, its amazing," she said. "We need to bring everything we have to the table."