Cultural Showcase: African Youth League Returns Off-Campus After Funding Crisis

The African Youth League lost its primary funding source when Ohio State University closed its Office of Diversity and Inclusion. That financial blow forced the group to cancel its annual cultural showcase for the first time in its 32-year history. Now, the organization is staging a return with a new location and a renewed focus on community support.

The event, titled African Night, is scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Southern Theatre in downtown Columbus. This marks the first time the group has hosted the event off campus. Organizers selected the theme “Sankofa,” a Twi word from Ghana that translates to “to go back and get it.” The theme reflects the group’s need to look to its past to move forward after a year of administrative and financial challenges.

Chavel Andoh, a fourth-year data analytics student and the group’s president, described the summer as a period of rebuilding from scratch. Without the university office’s support, the executive board had to secure new revenue streams. Andoh said she contacted past presidents and alumni for advice while compiling a list of potential sponsors. The group successfully connected with local businesses that chose to invest in the event’s mission.

Logistics for the off-campus show required coordination with the Columbus Association for the Performing Arts. Andoh noted that the process was complex but necessary to demonstrate the organization’s stability. She emphasized that the return of the event serves as a symbol of resilience for the student body. The group also plans to use the evening to raise awareness for ongoing crises in Congo and Sudan, as well as injustices affecting Africans abroad.

Nahana Lunfungulo, a third-year civil engineering student and vice president, said the event holds personal significance for his sense of belonging. He recalled being mocked for his African background during childhood because there were few peers who shared his heritage. Finding a community at Ohio State provided a sense of confidence that he hopes to share with attendees. For him, the showcase is a way to display pride in their roots and the diversity of the continent.

The entertainment lineup includes Clifford Owusu, a Ghanaian-American comedian, as the host, along with Ghanaian drummer Lenny Amoo. The program features a fashion show, live music, poetry, and dance performances from various student groups. A central part of the evening is the Flag Walk, where representatives from different African countries dance down the aisle to music from their homelands. Lunfungulo described this segment as a moment where every country is given visibility.

Organizers have opened the event to both students and local community members. Tickets start at $10 and are available for purchase online. The group aims to use the gathering to reaffirm the importance of African unity and to show that local organizations continue to back student-led cultural initiatives.