CWU CELEBRATES AFRICA

November 5, 2007

ELLENSBURG, Wash.--Central Washington University's seventh annual International Education Week is a celebration of Africa and its people. This year's weeklong celebration is titled Mama Africa and will explore the diverse cultures, environments, economies and governments of Africa. Festivities start Tuesday, November 13 and go through Friday, November 16.

According to Kate McCarthy, Central's International Education Week chairperson, the committee felt strongly about the need to raise awareness about how diverse Africa really is. With roughly 14 percent of the world's human population living in Africa and the fact that it makes up six percent of the earth's total surface, McCarthy says Africa is so much more than what we assume.

"That's what we want to get people thinking about," explains McCarthy, "that Africa is far more complex than the images we see in the media."

International Education Week at Central will celebrate the diversity of Africa and its people. A full slate of engaging cultural and academic events are planned for the week. The celebration begins in the SURC Pit Tuesday, November 13 at noon with a forum on hip-hop. The evening ends with a dynamic performance in the Music Building Concert Hall by Ghanaian performance group Obo Addy.

Other events throughout the week include a parade of nations involving more than 75 students from Central's international and multicultural communities dressed in traditional attire and representing the myriad of cultures at CWU and in the Ellensburg community; discussions on water resource issues, a passport program in the residence halls and understanding Africa and the Diaspora; an African Sports and Games Expo in the Recreation Center; a session for those interested in studying in Africa; and a showing of "La Última Cena" ("The Last Supper") in the SURC Theatre. A complete list of events is available at www.cwu.edu/~intlprog.

International Education Week is designed to bring a variety of international educational experiences to Central and to the Ellensburg community. Sponsored nationally by the US Departments of State and Education, the program promotes international understanding, builds support for international exchange and prepares future leaders for work in a global world.

Central's weeklong celebration brings together the many groups on campus that work to achieve these goals. CWU sponsors are the Office of International Studies and Programs; Office of the Provost; Diversity Education Center; College of Arts and Humanities; College of the Sciences; College of Business; College of Education and Professional Studies; CWU African American, African, and Black Diaspora Studies Program; University Housing and New Student Programs; Study Abroad & Exchange Programs; Back2Basics Hip-Hop Club; Department of Foreign Languages and the Department of Music.

International Education Week events are free and open to the public. For more information, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call 509-963-3617, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD 509-963-2143

Contact: Kate McCarthy (509-963-3617 / fax: 509-963-1558/ e-mail: mccarthk@cwu.edu)Teri Olin, CWU Public Relations & Marketing, olint@cwu.edu, 509-963-1416