Ethiopian night excites all
A night of cultures was presented to students during Ethiopian and Eritrean Night hosted by the Ethiopian & Eritrean Student Association (EESA).
EESA event organizer Fahmi Nuru said the event’s goals are twofold.
“We want this night to be memorable for both Ethiopians and Eritreans, and then for the others to learn more about Ethiopian culture and Eritrean culture. There will (also) be our cultural food,” said Nuru. “I’m very excited. We worked for this for a long time.”
The Ethiopian and Eritrean Night is an annual event. President of EESA Ruth Asmamaw said she believes hosting the event is a good way to celebrate the culture.
“We want to show that we are welcoming people,” said Asmamaw. “We are so glad to share cultures, traditions and our costumes with society. We are going to have vegan food, vegetarian food and we are going to have drinks as well.”
During the event, guests got to see the video presentation of Ethiopia and Eritrea, as well as watch the dancing performances and cultural clothes. At the end of the event, visitors ate cultural meals. Performers Rekik Dinku and Bethel Gebregiorgis were ready to share their cultural backgrounds with everyone at the event.
“First, we’ll be showing our cultural clothes and then some of our cultural music. And later on, there is going to be a dance performance or some of the different cultures we have in our country. And we’re going to be performing different songs,” said Dinku.
“The event is kind of just combining Eritrean and Ethiopian cultures. Ethiopian cultures had their diversities as well, so it’s going to be a lovely night because it’s a perfect combination for tonight,” Gebregiorgis added.
Attendees also felt excited about different parts of the night. Junior David Mesta said he was happy to have the opportunity to connect to other cultures.
“I thought it’s a great way to see a different cultural aspect of our campus community and also enrich my view of Ethiopian culture. The best part now is just getting a chance to talk to people and see a little bit of their story,” said Mesta. “I would like to go to different events where it has more cultures and different sides of our campus that I haven’t experienced yet.”
Other students said they were excited to see the fashion show and documentary.
“I’m excited to see the fashion show because a few of my friends are performing in it and I’ve been waiting to see them,” said freshman Suzanne Skaria. “They have a few dances. I do know there’s gonna be food and I’m very excited. They gave me the whole menu and I’m waiting to try all of it.”
“I liked the documentary they showed earlier about the Ethiopian and Eritrean cultures. It was very nice. I’m looking forward to the food and seeing what else they bring up tonight,” said freshman John Evju.
Attendees experienced new cultures, tried their food, and got an opportunity to take a photo at the decorated photo booth. The successful work of the EESA team left visitors happy and energized.
Header photo: Students gathered in the CSU Ballroom to share in Ethiopian and Eritrean culture. Performances occurred along with a plethora of vegetarian dishes served and a fashion show of traditional cultural clothes. (Lilly Anderson/The Reporter)
Write to Amalia Sharaf at amal.sharafkhodjaeva@mnsu.edu