Mamadou Coulibaly basked in the afterglow of President Bill Clinton’s recent to his home continent as he and 75 other people attended Monday night’s proclamation of Africa Week at SIUC.

Coulibaly, president of the SIUC African Student Council, said Clinton’s trip helped him and other SIUC African students feel at home in the United States.

Clinton is the only president to visit the continent while in office.

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Visiting our country gives us a good feeling, Coulibaly, from the Ivory Coast, said. It makes us feel more comfortable being in this country. We see Americans more as friends now.

In the Student Center Auditorium, Mayor Neil Dillard, and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost John Jackson proclaimed April 6 to April 11 the 24th annual celebration of Africa Week at SIUC and in the Carbondale community.

African students have been on campus for more than 35 years and represent more than 30 African countries and four Caribbean countries.

The Black Fire Dancers performed a short dance and Coulibaly played African Drums to welcome guest speaker Aisha Blackshire Belay, a professor at Indiana State University. Belay presented a short speech on African Languages and Culture in the 21st Century in honor of the proclamation.

The proclamation of Africa Week came after President Clinton’s trip to Africa to promise United States assistance to many African countries. In Uganda he pledged $120 million to improve education. In Rwanda he apologized for failing to stop genocide in the country in 1994, and contributed $2 million to a new genocide survivors fund.

South African President Nelson Mandela bestowed Clinton with his nation’s highest honor, the Medal of Good Hope. Hundreds of thousands of African people turned out to see Clinton in his various stops throughout Africa.

Coulibaly said when a person leaves their home continent and visits Africa, Africans consider the trip as a high honor.

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Anyone who comes to see us as a guest is considered king, Coulibaly said. This is the first time I have heard of an United States president’s trip to Africa. It’s very important.

In celebrating Africa Week, the African Student Council will sponsor a variety of events. Those events include a showing of Cry Freedom, a movie about apartheid in South Africa, Tuesday in the Student Center Auditorium.

African culture will come alive at noon on Thursday in Student Center Ballroom D with a Taste of Africa, an event featuring foods from all over the continent. And at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Student Center Ballroom D, African students will display their culture in a Cultural Show.

The highlight of the week is the concluding banquet 5 p.m. Saturday at the Student Center Ballrooms.

Alicia True, vice president of the African Student Council, stressed Africa Week is an important showcase for African students.

We wanted to let people know that we are here, she said. We are trying to show our culture to everybody else.