JCU Africans in the World Cultural Club Presents African Art Gallery

The Africans in the World Cultural Club hosted its first African Art Gallery event at John Cabot University on Thursday, April 12, 2018. The aim of the event was to inform the JCU community about the African diaspora and to raise awareness about its social and political implications. Students had the opportunity to experience a taste of African culture through art, music, and food.

African Art Gallery Event

The event started off with the opening of an exhibition featuring artwork by students Giggs Kgole and DeZell Lathon. DeZell’s contribution was a video about two young immigrant artists who get the opportunity to showcase their work in a gallery in Rome.

Giggs Kgole’s art piece was a mixed media portrayal of Nelson Mandela. Giggs’ style is characterized by photographic images that are reproduced through different colors, mainly blue and red, on the canvas.

The event was accompanied by music from student DJs Stella Militello-Belgrave and Anna Maria Gehnyei, who played a selection of Afro-traditional, Afro-beat, and Afro-house music. In the student lounge, there was an open mic session where anyone could share their music or poetry.

The event was also an opportunity to create a welcoming space for all African students in Rome. In fact, there was a large contingent of students from Kenya and Rwanda.

Ethiopian and Ghanaian food was prepared by students Helen DeJenie, Emily Akamuli, and Benedicta Quaye-Kumah, Daniel Brobbey, and Selma Coleman, while John Chege prepared Kenyan dishes.

The mission of the Africans in the World Cultural Club of John Cabot University is to create an environment that promotes engagement in African culture and politics through educational and social programs.