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St. Cloud State University
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African cuisine raises awareness for AIDS
By Sheri Gorny
Published:
Monday, March 3, 2003
Media Credit: Jason Risberg
Blaise Waganda, right, a graduate student from Kenya, dishes up one of six authentic African dishes with Lonzen Rugira, Vice President of OPAA, Organization for Prevention of AIDS in Africa. OPAA sponsored the fundraising event Wednesday from 11 to 1:30 p.m. in the Valhalla room in Atwood.
The aroma of African cuisine filled the Valhalla room in Atwood Center Wednesday afternoon, bringing together a diverse crowd of students, staff and friends for a special cause. The Taste of Africa was an event to raise money for AIDS victims in Africa, organized by members of the Organization for the Prevention of AIDS in Africa (OPAA).
The buffet consisted of foods from the four regions of Africa and was prepared by OPAA volunteers. The foods served were njere, kayewote (meat sauce), jollof rice (eaten in most parts of west Africa), cabbage peanut stew, ugali (corn meal) and kitweo (potatos and vegetable sauce). Some of the entrees were very spicy, but still incredibly delicious and extremely different from what is commonly served on campus.
"The cultural variety is very, very interesting. It's more seasoned," said Monique Russel, an SCSU student.
"(It is) a perfect example of how you can combine food service, programming and student organizations to do a wonderful event, " Ed Bouffard said.
"We decided to do this (event) to let people know what people in Africa who are victimized by AIDS eat in everyday life," OPAA Volunteer Estella Thorpe said.
According to an article in the Washington Post, AIDS kills about 6,000 people in Africa each day. About 28.5 million adults and children are living with HIV and in South Africa, one in every nine citizens are infected.
About 1,500 more are newly infected each day.
South Africa has more people infected with AIDS than any other country, but its approach to aids is weak.
Most of the AIDS control programs are funded by organizations and not by the government.
With a population infected by HIV and continuing to grow, it will take a lot to stop the crisis.
According to the BBC, African countries including Nigeria, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and DR Congo have more than a million people infected with AIDS. This has been consider worse than the effects of war.
The government in Africa is just starting to take action to help with the AIDS epidemic because of pressure from the media, churches, businesses, advocacy groups and local and national outrage.
The South African government has decided to start a program that would reduce the transmission of HIV from mother to child with the help of drug manufacturer Boehringer-Ingelheim Corporation, who will provide the drug free of charge.
Students who attended the Taste of Africa, offered by OPAA, received not only a lesson in tasty international foods, but also one in the worldwide AIDS epidemic.
