By Oluwatomike Adeboyejo

African Student Association spring show host CJ Obima told students to stand in anticipation for the performer. Students immediately stormed the stage and were met by security, who told them to return to their seats.

Over the next five minutes, the audience became restless waiting for the headliner of the evening. At the sight of Mr Eazi, audience members rushed the stage — again.

Augustine Manga, a junior government and politics major, described the show as “unforgettable.”

“When Mr Eazi came out … everyone had already gotten out of their seats and were about to bombard the stage,” Manga said. “Everyone literally lit up when he came up on stage. When he came out, he really put on a show.”

Mr Eazi performed at Destination Africulture, the African Student Association’s spring show on April 23. The show is an annual event that showcases different cultures and traditions of countries in Africa. It drew students from surrounding universities, such as Towson, the University of Maryland Baltimore County and Bowie State.   

Notable acts such as up-and-coming music artist Hameed Idowu and La Voix Celeste, a singing group from Towson University, performed songs that portrayed the aesthetics of West African culture. Afrochique and the Skelewu boys performed cultural dances to Cameroonian and Congolese songs in the show.

The organization also showcased fashion from different African countries by using up-and-coming fashion designers, such as senior Mary Uwadineke and freshman Anuoluwapo Odusanya.

“The bags and clothes are very basic styles, but then the fabric is what I am showcasing more than everything,” said Odusanya, founder of Eyi Culture. “It’s not really the style but the fabric.”

The fabric used in her fashion line was a variety of different Ankara styles— Ankara, also known as African wax print, is a vibrant cotton fabric. The fabric is often associated with dashikis, head wraps and other apparel, according to allthingsankara.com.

Jasmine Okosun, a junior cell biology and genetics major, modeled some of the traditional clothing at the event. She said one of her favorite parts of the show was presenting her clothes and culture to people who may not be from Africa and were using the experience as a learning opportunity.

“[As a model], what I was symbolizing is our heritage and culture. We were able to express that in a very dynamic way,” Okosun said. “It is actually very inspiring in a way.”

Kwame Abrah, the former president of ASA, also attended the show and said he was pleased with the turnout.

“It was comforting to see that [the organization] was left into good hands,” Abrah said. “The future of ASA is definitely bright.”

Featured Photo Credit: Feature photo courtesy of Mr Eazi on Facebook.

Oluwatomike Adeboyejo is a junior journalism major and can be reached at tm.adeboyejo@gmail.com.