Creighton University’s African Student Association (AFSA), the African Student Association (ASA) at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Blue Bench came together last Saturday to host the Afro Reception in the Skutt Ballroom. About 240 students attended the Afro Reception to celebrate unity, love and culture.

The Afro Reception included a fake wedding, and attendants were given the opportunity to watch a video (created with the help of Blue Bench) before the wedding ceremony. This video provided background on the days before the fake wedding ceremony. In the video, people from the wedding party and other family members gave their opinions about the upcoming wedding during interviews. Some people in the audience laughed during the production video, especially when the camera panned over to the interviewer whenever someone made an unhinged comment.

“I would say Blue Bench is the one who wrote the scripts,” Britney Homawoo, the vice president of UNO’s ASA, said. “So, hearing the scripts was definitely my [favorite] memory. I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought it was hilarious.”

In the wedding video, it was revealed that someone stole $5,000 of the wedding money, but the video never revealed the thief. Ephrata Geda, president of Creighton University’s African Student Association (AFSA) and College of Arts and Sciences senior, said her favorite memory so far as president has been “planning our biggest event of the yearthis Afro wedding.” AFSA’s executive team included Brian Kinyua, Chido Amaonwu and Remi Marealle, who helped organize the Afro reception.

“It’s been really great working with my team in collaboration with UNO and Blue Bench,” Geda said. “They’ve been great, and it’s been really good.”

Following the wedding video, it was time for the ceremony. As the wedding party began to process down the aisle, the crowd got excited. When the bride processed down the aisle, the crowd erupted with cheers. The wedding ceremony was a way to celebrate different cultures.

“So tonight, we are showcasing wedding cultures,” Geda said. “Africa is a huge continent, so we are trying to put every little piece that we can. So, we have an east and west combination wedding. It’s going to be really exciting. We’re showcasing food, entertainment and…what an African wedding looks like.”

When the bride reached the end of the aisle, the wedding began. Pamela Abalekpor, the public relations officer for UNO’s ASA, officiated the wedding ceremony. After the couple made their vows to each other, suspenseful music began to play. Abalekpor asked the crowd if there were any objections to the union and, after a moment of silence, said, “Okay, if there are no objections —”

“I object!” rang out from the back of the room. People gasped and whirled their heads around to see a lady in red walking down the aisle showing a diamond ring to attendants. She alleged that the groom had proposed to her the week prior. Security took the lady away. The fake wedding continued as normal, and instead of a kiss, the wedding couple dabbed each other up.

According to Abalekpor, they rehearsed the wedding for a month before the event. To celebrate the fake wedding ceremony, people had sparkling cider and raised their glasses for a toast to the pretend bride and groom. A QR code was projected on screens at the front of the Skutt Ballroom. Attendants could scan the QR code to take a survey on who they thought stole the wedding money. It was later revealed the narrator of the video was the thief.

The night continued with dinner. African salad and veggie samosas were offered as appetizers. The main entree was jollof rice and curry fried rice with grilled chicken or fried fish. Sides consisted of plantains and tomato sauce, along with puff-puff and thiakry cups for dessert. Following dinner, it was time to dance. Students came together on the dance floor to feel the music under flashing lights.

“In the future, I really hope that when people join [Creighton’s AFSA], they just have an open mind [and are] ready to learn about our culture,” Geda said.