By Mathew Shaw/se news editor

To combat misconceptions about Africa and to express their cultural heritage, members of the SE African Culture Club will host Africa Unleashed April 3 on SE Campus.

The event, which will begin at 6 p.m. in the SE North Ballroom, will have a red carpet opening for guests. Inside will be tables with displays of African works of art such as traditional clothing, sculptures, artifacts and paintings; a fashion show; traditional and modern musical performances; poetry readings; and food provided by Kemi’s Kitchen, a Grand Prairie restaurant.

“Basically, it’s going to be an outreach to our fellow TCC students,” club vice president Ignatius Onsando said.

Some members of the club, many of whom are African natives, get approached with assumptions about their heritage, club treasurer Grace Gakuba said.

“Some people have a weird vision of Africa,” she said. “They think it’s basically the jungle.”

Gakuba, who was born in East Africa and lived in Belgium before moving to America at age 17, said she is fluent in French.

She once had someone ask if she also spoke “click.”

Onsando said there are “over 2,000 languages in Africa, and that is an estimate.”

Club president Abiola Orekoya said even though Africa is home to many cultures and countries, she wants to get as much information in the show as possible.

“Some people think Africa is a country instead of a continent,” she said.

Club member Akeem Masha said he hopes the event shows people the good parts of Africa and “not just the ‘feed the hungry’ parts.”