The Oakland Center Banquet Rooms were filled with joy, music, applause and the aroma of delicious cuisine on Feb. 6 as Oakland University hosted the 22nd annual Taste of Africa, presented by the Center for Multicultural Initiatives (CMI).
The event, which drew around 500 attendees, featured cultural performances, drumming, poetry and a variety of food offerings, all in celebration of African American History Month. According to Omar Brown-El, senior director of the Center for Multicultural Initiatives, the event is the result of months of collaboration and hard work across the campus.
“This is an event that requires a lot of collaboration with faculty, staff and students in order to pull something like this off,” Brown-El said. “That group meets for four or five months, not only for this event, but for all of the events for African American History Month.”
Brown-El said what stood out most was the sense of belonging created through the shared experience.
“We eat together, we sit together, we listen to music together and meet people we may not have spoken to before,” he said. “The sense of community and connection is what always stands out.”
That feeling extended to the food servers, several of whom also serve as mentors and student leaders on campus. Daniel Vital-Puente, Joannie Texta-Romero, and Jeremiah Kelley who worked the event through CMI, said Taste of Africa offered an opportunity to learn while serving others.
“I learned a lot, especially seeing how many people came together and were willing to try different foods,” Texta-Romero said. “It really felt like a community.”
Vital-Puente described the environment as welcoming and immersive, noting that the performances and cultural elements made the space feel larger than the room itself.
Kelley summed it up well as “being part of a village, the music, the instruments, the dancing—it was comforting and familiar.”
Students in attendance had similar sentiments. Akasha, a student from Eritrea, said events like Taste of Africa are especially meaningful on a campus where Black students can sometimes feel underrepresented.
“It was really nice to see the whole Oakland community coming together,” Akasha said. “Seeing Black people around campus and celebrating Black History Month together is a great way to kick it off.”
Another student, Metti, spoke about how she witnessed this event over the years.
“I’ve been coming for the past couple of years and seeing it grow into what it is now has been exciting,” she said. “The food was good, the performances were good and the energy was great.”
Specific moments also stood out, including live Ghanaian music performed by a small group with traditional instruments, D9 Fraternities and Sororities performances and various student singers.
“You could tell they really researched and respected the craft,” Akasha said. “It felt emotional, and I appreciated seeing people come together from outside the Black diaspora to honor the culture.”
“It’s a lot of preparation and long hours, but seeing people enjoy themselves makes it worth it,” CMI MC Mike Williams said. “Events like this remind you why bringing people together through culture and celebration really matters.”
Wrapped up nicely, as African American History Month continues, Taste of Africa served as both a celebration and a reminder of the power of shared spaces, meals, and beautiful shared culture on this campus.
