ISU students and Ames residents celebrated African culture and traditions Friday night.

The African Students Association hosted “Africa Night: A Vision To Promote Diversity” in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union, at which more than 100 people attended.

Adolphina Addo, graduate student in food science and human nutrition and president of the association, said the event was organized to promote diversity and demonstrate cohesion between African student groups, including the Kenya Students Association, Nigerian Students Union and Sudan United Students Association.

“The problem is that we have lots of subgroups, and it’s hard to get everyone together,” Addo said. “By putting together Africa Night, everyone had to participate together . we wanted to show that we are united.”

Entertainment included musical performances, ethnic dances and a fashion show. A buffet of African food was offered, including dishes from Botswana, Ghana and Madagascar.

Robert Baum, associate professor of religious studies and association faculty adviser, spoke about the value of African indigenous religion and culture.

“Africa is struggling to retain the focus of the world,” Baum said. “It is because people don’t know about Africa . but African culture is a rich source of knowledge and innovation.”

Thomas Helmer, an Ames resident who attended the event, said he could see how much African heritage has affected the world.

“If you watch the dances and the music here, it looks very familiar,” he said. “You can tell that African culture has definitely influenced American culture.”

Baum discussed the repression of leaders of the indigenous Diola religion in southern Senegal, a subject on which he has been published.

“They are endangered by lack of resources, but they are a great source of indigenous knowledge,” Baum said. “It will be a tragedy if this knowledge is lost.”

Kendall Townsend, freshmen in Spanish, said she understood Africa’s importance.

“I like to be able to get more knowledgeable, and it’s important to understand other cultures,” she said.