By TENA L. COOK, CSC MARKETING COORDINATOR
CHADRON – Two additional cultural events, Navajo poet Orlando White and African Soul International, have been scheduled to expand this year’s Chadron State College International Club’s Food Tasting Party into an international weekend.
The events will kick off Feb. 9, when White reads his work followed by a Q&A session at 6 p.m. in the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center. The speech, sponsored by the English department and the Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion committee, is free and open to the public. White, a faculty member at Dine’ College in Arizona, is the 10th writer in CSC’s Distinguished Writer series. Previous writers include Kent Meyers, Karen Gettert Shoemaker, Frank X Walker, Markus Jones, Brad Aaron Modlin, Ken Ilgunas, Sarah Green, and Jonathan Rovner.
The International Club’s annual Food Tasting Party will be Feb. 11 at 6 p.m. in the Student Center’s Ballroom. The presentation of cultures includes fashion, food, and dancing. Tickets, limited to 400, will be for sale at the Student Center Lobby Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Monday, Jan. 30 to Wednesday, Feb. 1 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Adult tickets are $20 each and children ages 6 to 18 and senior citizens are $15 each. Children ages five and younger will be admitted for free.
The menu will include crab Rangoon, creamy cucumbers, arepas, Ethiopian tibs, tamales, Korean meatballs and rice, Ghanaian Jollof spiced chicken, Pepian stew with pork, and Discada, a beef and pork dish from Mexico. Dessert items will include a Mexican cake, Pastel de Carlota, chocolate scotcheroos, Puff Puff, Wocapi, and frybread.
Competitions with prizes include a head wrap contest, dancing, and trivia. Attendees will also be able to receive a henna tattoo. Entertainment will include Jr. Miss Oglala Nation Suraya Kelly and CSC student Natali Keni of Hawaii.
On Feb. 12, African Soul International will present a concert at 2 p.m. in Memorial Hall. The group has performed in the Black Panther I and II movies and the music video Say Yes by Michelle Williams featuring Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland. It received first place in the 2019 African Dance Award in Los Angeles and the 2019 Congressional Award for Community Service. Admission will be a free-will donation to help support trips for the International Club.
