Traditional dances, fashion shows and presentations on Nigerian culture filled the Great Hall of the Memorial Union on Saturday evening as the Nigerian Student Union celebrated Nigerian Independence Day.

“The Nigeria We Love” celebration marked the 45th anniversary of Nigeria’s independence from Great Britain.

“Nigeria is a wonderful country and we are proud to be a part of it,” said Miriam Azuoru, president of Nigerian Student Union and senior in biochemistry.

The celebration contained several informative presentations about Nigerian culture and presentations to dispel common thoughts that African nations are “monolithic and homogenous,” said Yemisi Kuku, program coordinator and graduate student in human development and family studies.

“When people hear that I am from Nigeria, there are three main responses that I get: ‘Nigeria – I know where that is.’ ‘Nigeria – where is that?’ and ‘Nigeria – that is in Africa, right?'” she said.

Kuku said African countries do not all have the same cultures.

“I want you to get that picture off of your mind,” she said.

Because Nigeria gained its independence from Great Britain, it has had eight military governments, four civilian governments and one transitional government, she said.

“We like democracy, but it is a system that maybe wasn’t built for us,” said Junior Nwobodo, junior in microbiology and member of the Nigerian Student Union. “Before the British came, we had a system of government that worked for us.”

Nwobodo moved to the United States three years ago with most of his family, but his father still lives in Nigeria.

Nigerians are passionate about their politics, said Jan Beran, who traveled to northern Nigeria with her husband George, a retired ISU professor, to teach at a Nigerian college as a part of the Fulbright program in 1980. Jan taught sport education and George taught veterinary medicine and public health.

Although Nigeria has had some political problems, its press is “very open,” Jan Beran said.

“The Nigerian press was far more open than the U.S. press,” she said.

The fashion shows and traditional dances displayed Nigerian clothing and headdresses.

“When we went to church [in Nigeria], especially the Baptist church, the women tried to outdo themselves with the headdresses,” Jan said.

Nigerian clothing does not have “male” or “female” colors, Nwobodo said.

The presentation on the Nigerian movie industry had clips of popular “Nollywood” movies, such as “Keeping Faith” and “Games Women Play.”

The Nigerian movie industry is becoming larger, and although it cannot yet compete with Hollywood, Nigerian movies and actors are popular all over Africa, Kuku said.

“You guys love your Julia Roberts, we love our Genevieve Nnaji,” she said.

Kuku said Nigerian movies generally feature love stories.

“Ninety-five percent of Nigerian movies are chick flicks,” she said.

Most Nigerian movies also contain religious aspects, she said.

“Nigerians,” she said, “are a very religious people.”