Thursday marks the beginning of San Antonio’s first annual “SA Celebrates Africa,” a new celebration formed with the vision of celebrating the African culture, arts and community while addressing the major issue of HIV/AIDS reaching a local and global front. The month-long celebration was created in part by Peter Gakunga, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., assistant professor of orthodontics, and his wife – both natives of Kenya, East Africa.
“Although San Antonio is culturally diverse, my wife and I felt that there was insufficient awareness of Africa within our community,” Dr. Gakunga said. “This feeling was further reinforced by a trip I took with my wife and two sons to Africa last year. We were able to re-experience Africa and for the first time, our sons were able to experience it, as well.”
Dr. Gakunga shared his ideas with the Women and Family Health Information Network and the World Affairs Council of San Antonio, which then led to further discussions with other San Antonio organizations. Finally, September was identified as “SA Celebrates Africa” month. The department of orthodontics at the Health Science Center has also been a strong supporter of the celebration.
Several events will take place during the month of September that will help raise awareness of the African cultures and the challenges the continent faces. Among the events are: a private tour of the exhibit
Resonance from the Past: African Sculpture from the New Orleans Museum of Art; discussions about Africa, AIDS and the threat of disease; an African handcraft sale benefiting AIDS widows; and authentic African music, cuisine and art. Some of the events require pre-paid reservations.
“We hope that members of the Health Science Center community will experience some of these events,” Dr. Gakunga said. “We also hope this will increase our community’s knowledge of and empathy for the people of Africa.”
For more information and the list of events, visit
www.wacofsa.org or
www.txsaaf.org.
