Sweet smells filled the Skutt Student Center on Oct. 25, with the aromas given off from the ethnic food prepared by the African Student Association. Selling their home-cooked food for only $4 a plate, the event gave students the opportunity to try some ethnic food as well as get an affordable lunch.

This event titled “Taste of Africa” is just a little taste of what the society really does on Creighton’s campus. There were vegetarian and non-vegetarian options available for students. Some of the items offered included fried plantains, jallof rice, chicken peri peri, samosas and baklava.

“’Taste of Africa’ is a time for us to showcase our culture through food for the Creighton community,” Arts & Sciences senior and president of AFSA Amal Hamdan said. “It started off with us always talking about how much we miss home-cooked African food.”

This idea blossomed into the event that it is today and is put on to give fellow students a chance to know how it feels to miss this food. According to Hamdan, the students in AFSA make all of the food the weekend before at “cooking parties”, which not only gives them a chance to cook their traditional food but also allows them time to get to know each other more.

Although this event is focused on the food aspect, it is also a learning opportunity for the Creighton community.

“We’d like to give everyone the chance of trying something new and different…and enjoying it,” Hamdan said. “Part of Creighton’s mission is to produce well-rounded, culturally knowledgeable students and this is our way of providing that opportunity for students.”

“I hope Creighton students are able to experience part of other people’s cultures,” School of Nursing freshman and member of AFSA Jasmine Knox said. “This was an event that was meant to show individuals a part of African countries’ unique cultures.”

“Taste of Africa” is just one of the multiple events the organization puts on every year. Some of the other events they host are Multicultural Explosion, which is geared toward welcoming new ethnic students; a benefit night at Noodles & Company where profits go to relief efforts in Somalia; and this year they plan to host a weeklong AIDS commemoration in December to bring attention to the AIDS epidemic in Africa and other countries.

“However our largest and most anticipated event is our annual banquet in the spring,” Hamdan said. “This is a time for us to bring all aspects of African life, food, dance, music, contemporary issues, fashion and showcase them to the Creighton community. This event usually attracts around 400-500 people…it’s come to be a tradition at Creighton, and last year our banquet was awarded ‘Best Event of the Year’ at the Student Organization Awards hosted by SAO.”

Look for more details about AFSA’s AIDS commemoration in the upcoming weeks.