The African Students Association will be hosting its annual African Night at 6 p.m. this Saturday in the Ames City Hall.

The theme of this year’s event is “You are the Hope” to help encourage the Ames community to get involved, become aware and educate themselves about the current affairs in Africa and the Diaspora while having a night of entertainment and food from abroad.

“Diaspora is the acknowledgment of Africa beyond the continent,” said Vice President Isaac Owusu, senior in management information systems.

According to the student organization page at Iowa State, the African Student Association is Iowa State’s major organization for visiting scholars. The goal is to provide opportunities for leadership development by sharing the group’s diverse social, cultural, educational and recreational activities, which will motivate and refresh students’ mindsets to enhance academic learning.

Public Relations Officer Massah Massaquoi, senior in psychology, said that African Night is the club’s annual cultural celebration, which celebrates the rich and diverse traditions of the continent. ISU students showcase their talents in dance, poetry and singing during the event.

Entertainment will include displays of African dances, drama skits, poems, music and a guest performance from a local band called DDP. Along with the entertainment, African dishes such as fufu, jollof rice, African fried rice, samosas, mandazi and fried plantain will be served.

“This event is at City Hall this year because we anticipate between 300 to 400 people to attend,” Owusu said. Due to other events on campus, such as Veishea, the African Student Association was not able to procure a venue on campus that could host such a large event and has a stage for the performances.