WKU students will be able to immerse themselves in African culture at the Taste of Africa event in the Kentucky Museum this Wednesday.

The African Student Association and Phi Beta Sigma fraternity are working together to hold the event. 

Nashville graduate student and vice president of ASA Grace Egbujor is a first-generation Nigerian American who visits family in Nigeria every year.

She said Taste of Africa is an event that has never been offered before.  

“The African Student Association started it this year,” Egbujor said. “We wanted to give Bowling Green just a little taste of African culture, knock down some stereotypes they could have about Africa.”

Nigeria native Kathy Onwu, who was Miss Africa USA 2013, will be speaking at the event.  

Nigerian sophomore and ASA president Nneka Nwosisi said she and Onwu are already familiar with each other. 

“I live in Nashville and there’s an association in Nashville where Africans get together… and she’s actually in it so we’ve been around each other for quite some time,” Nwosisi said.

Nwosisi said Onwu will speak about the volunteer work she does. 

“She’s going to talk about her platform and what she does and she’s also going to present a poem,” Nwosisi said. “And that’s her talent. That’s how she won the event for Miss Africa USA.”

Taste of Africa will also feature African food, dancing and a fashion show.

 “We have different sections of the fashion show,” she said. “There’s going to be an area for modernized African outfits…and there’s going to be like the real village outfits and there’s going to be the outfits you wear out to eat.” 

Nwosisi said the event will likely place the most emphasis on the cultures of Western Africa. 

“A lot of us in the organization are from West Africa so probably definitely more West African countries,” she said. “I know a majority of people (in ASA) are Nigerians.” 

The event will feature an array of traditional African dishes. 

“We’re going to have the major, the basic, African foods,” Nwosisi said. “A lot of Africans eat rice and chicken.”

She said other foods will include meat pies and chin chin, a sweet donut-like snack food from West Africa. 

Taste of Africa will also have a showcase of traditional African dances that will include two male dancers from Kenya, a Liberian couple and six female dancers from various countries.

She said Taste of Africa will also feature games and drawings for prizes like bracelets and necklaces as well as a dance-off. 

“They’re free to choose whatever they feel comfortable wearing, but they’ll probably be wearing traditional attire,” Nwosisi said. The dances performed will be freestyle.