Sunday’s Taste of Africa festival gave Brad Phelps a chance to connect with his past when he was a Peace Corp volunteer for three years in Africa.

Events like this keep me connected to my African experience, said Phelps, a second-year graduate student in political science from Carbondale. I think that opportunities like the Nigerian festival and international students enrich the University.

Bean cakes, puff-puff, jollof rice, melon soup and baked chicken were just some of the African dishes prepared by members of the Nigerian Student Association. About 150 SIUC students, family and friends came throughout the day to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the event.

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Charles Ubah, a member of the Nigerian Student Association, helped organize the event.

We (the Association) feel that we need to share the African culture with American people so they would have a feel of what it is like in Africa, Ubah said.

The event took place at Evergreen Terrace activity room Saturday. The group began serving food at 5:30 p.m., and a party followed shortly after.

It was the last event for the celebration of the Nigerian Independence Day Festival, which started Friday.

Ubah said the food represents African culture and is prepared for the students to enjoy because a lot of them do not get to eat that kind of food at SIUC.

Most African students don’t have this kind of opportunity to cook this kind of food, so we use it to remind ourselves of what it is like to be back home, Ubah said.

On Friday, the festival began with a guest speaker from New York.

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Dr. Obi N. I. Ebbe, an alumnus of SIUC, spoke about the issue of a political system and policies for Nigeria, 2000 and beyond.

The Nigerian community here is very cohesive and united, Ebbe said. In some cities they are not very united. I greatly appreciate the support SIUC has given them.

Mamadou Coulibaly, the president of the African Student Council, said the purpose of the event is to entertain the African student population and to share cultural heritage with the community.

This event is similar to the celebration of Independence Day in America, Coulibaly said. Everybody in Africa celebrates this event, but on different days. The event reflected the overthrowing of colonization that most of Africa endured.

In Africa most of the countries were colonized by the British, Portuguese and French, Coulibaly said. Around the 1960s, they were released from colonization.

Sharon Williams, a junior in pre-law from Carbondale, said she enjoyed the food and the music, but would like to see more ethnic events advertised.

We need new students to be able to know these people (international students) so they will be able to interact with them, Williams said. It is good to experience someone else’s culture.

Williams also brought her mother, Florence Ferrell, to share in the fun of the event.

Ferrell, who lives in Carbondale, said she is always curious about events pertaining to Africa.

I’m always interested in anything dealing with my forefathers, Ferrell said. I also wanted to come to taste the food, and it is different and delicious.