����ֱ��

They came, they sang, they danced, they performed, they told their stories, and they put it all on the line for their ancestors and their cultures.

The annual Culture Show, hosted by the African and Caribbean Students’ Association (ACSA) under the theme of Legacy, was held Friday, March 15 at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts, with students and community members taking the Performance Hall stage to tell their stories.

The evening was filled with colourful, intense, and informative performances through dance, spoken word, rap, vocal, storytelling, instrumental, as well as the much-anticipated fashion show.

“This year specifically we chose to build the show around the theme of Legacy. Legacy can mean something to each and every one. To ACSA our legacy is our strength, hope, resilience, diversity, and creation of home…of family,” says Nirosha Balakumar, ACSA president. “We wanted to take the opportunity to honor and celebrate the ancestors and acknowledge that they have carved out the spaces in which we thrive and work in today. We wished to pay homage to them for keeping our culture and traditions alive, for allowing us to continue to be a part of the diaspora by understanding our roots and histories.”

This year's show also marked the first time ACSA invited local high school students to perform. The students were from ACSA’s mentorship program at Regiopolis-Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School.

This year’s chosen charity for the Culture Show was the Vaah Junior Foundation, an organization that raises awareness on maternal mortality due to lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure and healthcare capacity in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Ghana. 

Earlier this month the ACSA executive team received the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Impact Award, which recognizes individuals or groups who have demonstrated involvement in, and a commitment to, social justice causes that impact the Queen’s community on a broad or small scale. The AMS club strives to be home and family for students within the African-Caribbean diaspora during their time at Queen’s and engages students from different backgrounds and lived experiences.