Griot Institute Intern Blog

Bucknell African Student Association(BASA) Bash 2023.

There is a confidence that comes with familiarity, and absence makes the heart grow fonder. Allow me to take you on a journey, across the Atlantic and through the continent, through my eyes. Several stops include: The Caribbean Islands, the Islands off the West African coast, West Africa, North Africa, Southern Africa, East and Central Africa. In this journey you get to experience and see us, African students, step into our comfort zones.
On y va?
(Ululations)


But first, we need to get you a little integrated in African pop culture:
The award show begins with the current African Giants being interviewed: Burna Boy, Wizkid, Aya Nakamura, Ayra Starr, Davido, Sho Madjozi, Tiwa Savage, Camidoh, Vibez Cartel. Shortly afterwards, the hosts are introduced to the crowd: Amma and Thandeka, who warmed the crowd up, gave snippets of often hidden, misunderstood and misrepresented African history. With every category came a change in attire to showcase our multifaceted culture: they never disappoint!! From formal gowns to traditional attire, most importantly transcending intergenerational boundaries. The awards ranged from best female artists, to best videos, to best upcoming artists, to best collaboration, to best male artists, finally settling the worldwide question of Burna Boy or Wizkid.

Now, for the culture:
Karibu!(Welcome!)
Here, most people thrived by stepping into their comfort zones, showing their incredible talents in poetry, public speaking, music, choreography, photography and dance, some for the first time. (Woo!🥳) And of course, (chef’s kiss), speaking of food, a myriad of African food from parts of the continent: wet fry chicken, Jollof rice, my personal favourites, chapatis and samosas!
We start south of the equator, a poem from our Southern African babe, Omuhle: Love at first sight: She speaks of the beauty of Africa lying in the eye of the beholder, this time, she is the beholder expressing this love in her mother tongue, one that describes beauty by her own terms.
She speaks of a rhythm…

“14. A cycle driven by chaos and fuelled by the community
15. Parallel to the chaos is a rhythm
16. You hear the sound of her heart beating to the value of ‘Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu’ ”.

A rhythm so strong, that is still a part of us, behind those curtains, something you did not get to see: the purest form of Pan-Africanism. (the attempt to create a sense of brotherhood and collaboration among all people of African descent whether they lived inside or outside of Africa.) There was comfort: comfort in our own skin; in our identity; in our music; in our familiarity and obviously our amazing dance moves!

We travelled north to Central Africa, a Congolese dance, very high energy, enjoyable, setting the mood for a great show, not just the show but a show of independence and pride, where the dancers dance moves were controlled by a “scarf” for as long as they had it on.
We head back to the Bisonettes who had a fusion of throwback afrobeat and modern forms of African Music from different regions.

‘Waa gwaan’ Next stop: The Caribbean, specifically Jamaica, where we showcase the not only dutty whine we all know and love, but a craft in dance in a way that just gives good vibes only. Here is a sneak peak . ‘yuh si wa me a seh?’

Crossing the Atlantic to West Africa: Nigeria! Girls wore beautiful vitenges (colourful print, typically referred to as ‘African print’) and a fusion of traditional West African music, throwback and modern afrobeat. My favourite part was when the beat dropped and all the girls came out ululating with their respective flags.

Staying in West Africa but going a little west, 10 islands off the coast, Cape Verde. The dance: Funaná and Batuku. Funaná originated as a form of rebellion against Portuguese colonial rule and was often performed in secret. Batuku is a vibrant dance which is named after the Portuguese word for drumming.

Next Stop: Morocco, North Africa!! The country that kept me on edge the whole world cup season 2022 not missing a single minute including overtime, putting the Maghreb region and Africa as a whole on the map as the 3rd. A beautiful moment such that my sister and I zoomed in to watch the semi-finals! Here, a chance to see their cultural beauty, through dance: A graceful and fluid dance, a sneak peek into North African dances… Where the hips don’t lie.

Last stop: My home region: East Africa!!! The reason for yours and my coffee and tea addictions. An Ethiopian/Eritrean dance, which is shoulder and leg intensive, and I am obviously biassed to its beauty.

Hold up, you thought I was done: We went to church… praise and worship with an African twist, that sent most of us to our childhoods. “Clap with me: ta ta ta-ta”
Like they say, all good things must come to an end.
Thank you for coming on the cruise! Hope you enjoyed!


Finally, Tia Gemechu (president of BASA, for the past 2 years) gave her closing remarks and her experience in BASA. At that moment, it all made sense, I understood what BASA meant, what BASA was, has been, and what it strives to be for many of us regardless of our backgrounds. A home away from home, a familiar space outside the motherland, where we had to restart our lives. The home of beginnings.

“Have to say bye-bye, oh
Bye-bye, oh”
Until next time.
Bisous!!

– Holiness Kerandi