The transformation translated from the surroundings to the people there as well. From the emcee- Yusuf Oni a Nigerian Princeton graduate student dressed in traditional Nigerian

attire, to the fashion models who wore pieces representing their various traditions, the scene was vibrant.

First on the program were Maraiya Hakeem ’12 and Tyrell Hall ’12, two of our own poets presenting us with a sample of their works. They uniquely added to the mix by providing an African American perspective of the theme. Hakeem `12 spoke of her “Hands” and their role in her journey to discover the culture from which she came- African or American. Tyrell `12 spoke of the labels and stereotypes faced by African American men. In particular, he addressed the challenges he faced as an African American at Princeton.

He didn’t “conform” to what was “defined” as part of “his behavior as an

African American male” and hence he was called an “Oreo”.

The next performance was a dance performed by four members of Akwaaba- Kwesi Adarkwa ’11, Eric Kuto `11, Josphat Magut ‘12 and Muhsin Hassan `12. Their dance reflected a style of contemporary African dance to the song Mama Mia! by Chameleone from Uganda.

The showcase also infused elements of West and East African culture with the American tradition of the beauty pageant, in the Miss Akwaaba 2009 Pageant There were 10-15 female contestants representing a number of African nations, with some countries overlapping. With her vibrant personality, Mgbechi Erondu `10, was the emcee for this segment of the show. Her charisma combined with the enthusiasm of the contestants made for a hugely entertaining performance. The supposed “cattiness and rivalry” proved hilarious. The questions asked included why each of the contestants felt that they should be the next Miss Akwaaba 2009. Many responded that their home country would bring Africa the wealth and prosperity it deserved and boasted of how their respective nations were the best. Models hailed from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, Ghana, and Uganda, just to name a few.

The audience also had its chance to contribute with an African themed version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ in which they participated.

The final act of the show was presented by a 10 member Senegalese dancing and drumming troupe from New York, called Cheikh & Co. which lasted for about 45 minutes. Their performance included the audience in a range of activities from responding with rhythmic clapping or getting up and dancing with the dancers themselves.

Like its predecessor “Totally Africa”, “Back to our Roots”, was a huge success. It provided us with a complete experience of the continent, and through the mixture of poetry, music, fashion and dance, we were really able to go ‘back to our roots.’ Whether our roots were African or not, we all adopted the African continent as our temporary place of heritage that night.