On Saturday, April 18, Carleton’s African and Caribbean Student Association (ACA) hosted its annual ACA Night featuring artistic performances, a fashion show and a dinner buffet.
While the exact performances at ACA night vary year to year, core elements remain the same. “Performance-wise, [we] have a dance every single ACA Night. So it was a matter of who signed up to dance, who signed up to sing and who signed up to be a part of [it],” said Maboron Sherif ’29, an ACA member who co-emceed the performance portion of the evening. The ACA choreographed dances for members to perform, including a set that plays off the series “Avatar: The Last Airbender.” The group made a video introducing the dances titled “Avatar: The Last AfroCaribenders.”
“Vivian [Agugo] was part of the dances, and she had this idea where each Avatar or element represents a different dance and a different culture in the African diaspora,” Sherif said. “One dance was based on South African dance, movies and music, another one [was] based on West Africa. I think it was just a good way to separate it.”
In fact, performing at ACA night has become a tradition for some Carls.
“I sing every year,” said Opeyemi Adeyemi ’27, an ACA member. “I sang Best Part; I picked it because I feel like it’s a good song that people could sing along to, and that’s what I wanted… Last year I also emceed the event, [this year] was definitely more relaxing.”
Outside of dancing, there are a variety of other performances by student groups and individuals. Undergrad, a Nigerian-fronted St. Olaf College student band performed for the second year in a row, a Carleton student recited an original poem and emceeing by Precious Ijenwa ’29 and Sherif helped create a cohesive program.
“It was cool. I thought I’d be more nervous because it’s a lot of people,” said Ijenwa. “But when I got up there, I was with [Sherif], so it just felt like we were just having a conversation.”
To make the event more casual and welcoming, the ACA board also planned audience participation activities. Ijenwa and Sherif led a red-flag-green-flag activity, asking audience members everything from the best way to eat the West African dish foufou to whether or not someone was marriage material.
The emcees also led a fit check, in which audience members were invited onstage to share their outfits, many of which drew from African cultures.
“I really like the fact that people actually took it upon themselves to come up,” Sherif said.
ACA night is the organization’s biggest event each academic year, and logistical planning and preparation for performances span multiple terms.
Sherif said that “in Winter Term, we have a big ACA night planning meeting, and that’s when they talk about it. And then in Spring Term, like, maybe in week one or two, [we] start talking about it more and trying to set everything straight.”
Nonetheless, the ACA was working on its event plan until the big day was quite close. “I will say, nothing was really set in stone until maybe a couple of days before ACA [Night],” said Ijenwa.
Despite the festivities, the night felt bittersweet as students prepared to see their peers graduate in a few months’ time.
“It’s difficult because the last two ACA Nights, I was kind of detached, because [while] I had friends who left, I was a freshman,” explained Adeyemi. “So it’s weird, because this is my second-to-last ACA night, and I’m seeing my friends have their last ACA nights. I feel like I’ve developed a close relationship with all of them, and it’s just gonna be so odd next year without them.”
For African and Caribbean students at Carleton, the ACA and their public celebration of culture this evening represent community and have helped them feel a sense of belonging.
“Being part of ACA helped me get closer to the African community,” said Ijenwa. “When I first came to Carleton, I was worried about not finding my people to relate to. And ACA has helped with that.”
Sherif agreed and reflected on Carleton’s status as a predominantly white institution where around 34% of Carls identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color. “The ACA community really serves as a community for me, but for any person who relates to being African,” she said. “And the events, and the fact that you get to meet new people who have similar upbringings to you, really helps a lot, especially when you’re going far away for college.”
