While fest season at Ohio University is typically characterized by beer bongs, handcuffs and neon tank tops, traditional Ghanaian food, music and clothes defined a fest that showcased OU President Roderick McDavis on Thursday.
The fifth annual Ghana Fest was held in South Pole on South Green and hosted by the Martzolff Complex. More than 100 people filled a room to enjoy an array of Ghanaian food, including gari foto, rice and meat pies, which were prepared by Becky Boakye-Yiadom, a Ghanaian graduate student at OU.
“We are celebrating the Ghanaian culture,” Boakye-Yiadom said. “We want people to see the Ghanaian culture, taste our food … and hear our language.”
Speakers with a variety of relationships to the country shared their experiences, such as Kojo Yankah, president of the African University College of Communications in Ghana, and Kevin Smith, director of the new Institute for Leadership Advancement at the University of Akron.
Among those celebrating the rich culture was McDavis, who spent time in the African nation and shared his positive sentiments toward the country.
“If there was one (thing) Ghana should bottle up and export, it is their friendliness,” he said. “(Ghanaian students) have made us a friendlier campus.”
The amiableness of the Ghanaian people was a theme reiterated throughout the night by a number of individuals, including Jenny Hall-Jones, interim dean of students, who attended the festivities.
“The way they treat each other as family is something we can learn from as a culture,” she said.
The night was a celebration of the traditions of the second-largest international student group on campus, McDavis said.
Residents of the Martzolff Complex highlighted four ethnic cultures found in Ghana: Akan, Ga-Adangbe, Dagomba and Ewé. Education was a large component of the evening.
“As we see each other on campus, let us learn about one another,” McDavis said. “Let this (learning) not end tonight.”
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