Newly formed McMaster Sudanese Student Association blends advocacy with community through a night of shai and wanasa
In its first official year of operation, the McMaster Sudanese Student Association hosted its Shai x Wanasa event. On Nov. 13, 2024, in the Burke Science Building, students gathered for a evening of games, Sudanese refreshments and conversation.
The MSSA is a student club that aims to empower and build the McMaster Sudanese community. Leen Elshikh is one of the two co-presidents of this association and highlighted the importance of club's recent ratification as a Sudanese student.
"I mean as a Sudanese person myself . . . there's this identity crisis, because some of us come in different shapes and colours obviously. But some of us have always felt like we're not African enough or Black enough to fit in with that side of the community. At the same time, we're also considered Middle Eastern and there is a lot of internal racism within the Middle Eastern community, so you don't fully feel accepted there either ... so it's honestly just great to see our community come together and build a home away from home at Mac," said Elshikh.
It's honestly just great to see our community come together and build a home away from home at Mac.
Leen Elshikh, Co-President
McMaster Sudanese Student Association
Elshikh recalled the tough beginning stages of the club's formation to truly gather the Sudanese community at McMaster. "It was tough last year, especially because I was not very well connected in the Sudanese community personally . . . also, we didn't have a big following, we weren't ratified, we didn't have the resources to build ourselves up so Sudanese people couldn't find us," said Elshikh.
Where as now, Elshikh has witnesses the club's current expansion and positive reception to their events. "I don't know what happened this year but I'm very thankful and very happy. Our events have been really, really big . . . Wednesday [Shai x Wanasa event] was over 60 people and that was shocking to me. I didn't even know there were 60 Sudanese people on campus that is crazy," said Elshikh.
"That's what Sudanese people call tea, we call it shai. And wanasa is what we call conversation," said Elshikh when asked about the title of the event. Traditional Sudanese tea was served at the event and baked goods that are normally enjoyed with it.
The event began with conversation among attendees to get to know each other. "A lot of people are first years and they really want to get to know people who look like them . . . so we gave them an opportunity to do that and then the rest of the time was trivia games," said Elshikh.
"Another thing I love about this club is we've also been integrating advocacy through our work in the club," expressed Elshikh.
One way the MSSA displayed their integration of advocacy was through a trivia game where participants guess the cost of items shown. "The prices of a lot of things in Sudan have gone up exponentially in the past year because of the war and because of a lack of access to resources. So we thought playing this game — yes, it's a game and people get to guess and have fun and work together in teams — but it was also a way to raise awareness," said Elshikh.
The McMaster Sudanese Student Association also provided a credit and debit card machine to allow participants to voluntarily donate. "We are working with a charity that's called Sadagaat Ontario. It is a Sudanese charity and they're working to help people in Ontario raise money and send it to Sudan in a way that's actually actionable," said Elshikh.
The night ended with a Jeopardy game where students were divided into two teams.
"We played a game of jeopardy . . . people got to remember things about when they used to live in Sudan and what they used to eat and where they used to go and stuff like that," said Elshikh. "Just to end it off on a light note and bring that semblance. We always want to end it off with community, we hope that people leave and think yes we did hear about some hard things but in the end we still have community."
We always want to end it off with community, we hope that people leave and think yes we did hear about some hard things but in the end we still have community.
Leen Elshikh, Co-President
McMaster Sudanese Student Association
Elshikh encourages students to become more educated on other cultures and diversify their McMaster experience. "Step outside of the same ideas and the same things that you're used to and learn something new. Learn about a new culture, learn about a new tradition, go to a club's event that you have no idea about simply to learn and to support and to just grow as a person and be more culturally aware," said Elshikh.
This club represents a beautiful culture that is working towards increased visibility at McMaster and bringing together its community. "For Sudani students at Mac I want to let them know they're not alone. I want to let them know that this is a space for them," expressed Elshikh.
The MSSA looks forward to continue bringing Sudanese culture to McMaster. Learn about a new culture or appreciate your own through the McMaster Sudanese Student Association's Instagram. Stay tuned for more culturally immersive and educational events!
McMaster EASA and MacAfricans join forces and kick off the year with MACAFCON to celebrate community and culture through sport and food
MacAfricans and the East African Student Association at McMaster University partnered to host both clubs' first event of the year, MACAFCON. Taking place on Sept. 25, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., this event included a soccer tournament, mini-games, food and lively music.
This exciting event was inspired by the African Cup of Nations, AFCON and the recent World Cup. AFCON is a soccer tournament in Africa that takes place every two years and is played by the national teams of participating countries.
The first portion of MACAFCON began with the soccer tournament at 10 Acre Field at McMaster. All participants were required to register to play. The registration form was accessible via EASA’s Instagram and included the player’s name and country they represented.
Diella Barihuta is the administrative coordinator of the East African Student Association and recalled the expected competitiveness among participants representing all regions of Africa. “MacAfricans has a lot of Nigerians in their executive team and a lot of people that follow MacAfricans [on social media] are West African. So as East [African], we don't really have a lot of representation. So let's see if we can breed a little competition,” said Barihuta.
The idea for MACAFCON emerged during a brainstorming session among the EASA executive team. “I can't even pinpoint the moment, I just feel like it happened and then it was just snowballing,” said Barihuta, highlighting the enthusiasm and collaborative spirit during the event's creation.
After the soccer matches, attendees gathered at Peter George Centre for Living and Learning. The event was designed to be inclusive, featuring a range of activities for everyone. The room buzzed with excitement as students participated in a variety of mini-games and enjoyed complimentary cultural food.
“The mini-games that we did we kept simple . . . We had Uno, Pig and cards of humanities . . . it was beautiful, we wanted for people to feel relaxed enough to play against each other," said Barihuta.
Barihuta also recalled some memorable moments from the tournament. “One highlight was definitely the music. We played a mix from various regions in Africa, and it was heartwarming to see everyone vibing and dancing together,” said Barihuta.
One highlight was definitely the music. We played a mix from various regions in Africa, and it was heartwarming to see everyone vibing and dancing together.
Diella Barihuta, Administrative Coordinator
East African Student Association
The turnout for MACAFCON exceeded Barihuta's expectations. “That huge of a turn out at the first event and all the stress that was going through the last two weeks to get it done was incredible,” said Barihuta. “Even though it rained a little bit people still showed out, and that was really lovely to see.”
Food played a significant role in bringing people together at MACAFCON. Catering was provided by Swahili Fusion, featuring Kenyan dishes such as pilau, chicken, pork and chapati. “Because it was such a huge turnout, we ended up having to add pizza,” shared Barihuta, highlighting the unexpected success of the event.
At the heart of MACAFCON was the emphasis on community. “It's really the community aspect,” emphasized Barihuta. “I've lived in five different countries, four of them being African and community was something that was so normalized.”
EASA and MacAfricans aimed to foster an environment where students, regardless of their backgrounds, could come together to share joy, laughter, and food. “Even though they might not come from our country there's that shared connection and community,” said Barihuta.
Even though they might not come from our country there's that shared connection and community.
Diella Barihuta, Administrative Coordinator
East African Student Association
With MACAFCON’s success, both clubs are excited about future events and initiatives. Students can follow EASA and MacAfricans on social media for updates and opportunities to get involved.
Different generations of African diaspora share their stories through performance in celebration of Black history month
After taking a break during the COVID-19 pandemic, NEXIM International Development Organization returned to Canada to honour Black history month. NIDO is an international social enterprise aiming to support communities in Uganda and improve access to education and human rights. This year, they created a series of events to promote their core focus of the four Es – Education, Environment, Equality and Economic Sustainability.
Of the events they organized was 3 Generations of Black History Come Together, a night which showcased talent from Black artists in Hamilton at the McIntyre Performing Arts Centre at Mohawk College on Feb. 27.
This event started in 2013 and the last time it was held was in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic. The purpose of this event was to raise awareness and provide a cultural exchange by bringing artists’ talents and putting a spotlight on Uganda as part of their continuous efforts to support the country. So far, they have helped to build a secondary school and they are hoping to build more primary schools.
The event featured three generations: Minnijean Brown-Trickey, a civil rights legend; Emmanuel Jal, a war child survivor from the Sudan war, peace ambassador, NIDO ambassador and music artist and the Suubi Fusion Troupe, a dance group consisting of NIDO’s secondary school students from Uganda ages 10 to 20 years old.
Danny Wells, project lead and communications manager at NIDO, wanted to help Black artists share their stories and talents around the world.
“A lot of [the guest speakers and performers] came from underprivileged families that may have led to some difficulties because of . . . economic instability, where they live, where they access education . . .This opportunity [allowed them to] share their culture and talents,” explained Wells.
By showcasing the challenges, history and difficulty accessing education encountered by the African diaspora, it spread messages of the importance of providing opportunities for self-empowerment to unlock one’s full potential. Due to various factors, those from Uganda often have to overcome barriers to receive these opportunities. By having the performers share their stories through arts and music, Wells wished to prompt attendees to reflect on the injustices they have experienced in their own lives and how they overcame them.
“We hope people . . . [feel] the power of the music, the power of culture, the power of story, whether we've been disenfranchised in our own lives,” said Wells.
“We hope people . . . [feel] the power of the music, the power of culture, the power of story, whether we've been disenfranchised in our own lives,”
Danny Wells, project lead and communications manager at NIDO
A significant part of the event was music and dance, particularly through Suubi Fusion Troupe and Emmanuel Jal, who primarily focused on celebrating African tradition and evolving global culture through their performances.
The students of Suubi Fusion Troupe shared their personal stories while healing and moving on from their past traumatic experiences through their performance using African music and drums.
Wells hopes visitors left the event wanting to spread the word about the talent and stories from the performances. He also wanted to inspire everyone to share their stories, make changes in their communities and be creative.
“Our economy is growing globally – in terms of different nations working together [and] building together. Especially . . . [in] Canada, a land of so many different immigrants, it's important that we can find common ground and work together as a global community,” explained Wells.
Overall, it is important to take time to reflect on global historical events that deprived Black youth of their fundamental human rights. This event aspired to bring together a community of likeminded individuals and establish a strong connection with the performers and audience, while sharing stories about three generations of Black history.
