Banke Odubela, junior pre-nursing major, said as treasurer of the African Student Association she aspires to educate people in the Sacramento community about African culture.

The African Student Association was founded in 1991 by a group of African Sacramento State students.

These students were concerned with the under-representation they experienced as a group, said Fely Sita, senior biology major and club vice president.

Sita said, in the past, the African population Sac State received little to no recognition, but after the club’s establishment they began to be noticed.

She said because African students began to be represented by the club they noted this establishment as a success.

Sita said the result was not only the formation of a group with extreme pride, but also the creation of a common acceptance of African students within the Sac State community.

“The African culture is here (at Sac State), we just need to educate people about this culture and remove the common stereotypes that Africa is only an impoverished nation,” Odubela said.

There are some bad parts of Africa, Odubela said, but that does not mean the whole continent is bad.

“We do not live in huts – there are houses, skyscrapers and shopping malls, just like what we have here,” Odubela said.

The main strength of this group, Odubela said, is the club’s sense of unity. Odubela said the club is open to all students.

The association will host an event this month to appreciate African art, music and dance in celebration of Black History Month. The event is at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25 in the University Union Redwood Room.

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