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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1998)
Six groups to praise God in song at conference Gospel Extravaganza By Sarah Baker Senior Reporter The rafters will be ringing with praise for the Lord as gospel choirs from around the Midwest gather together in celebration this week end. Gospel Extravaganza, part of the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government, takes place Friday at 8 p.m. in the Comhusker Hotel Grand Ballroom, 333 S. 13th St. Nakia Jones, president of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Afrikan People’s Union Gospel Choir, said the theme for the event is “... and the greatest of these is J love.” “The event encompasses six choirs from Midwestern schools as well as a Praise Team,” Jones said. “It’s basically just a big, two-hour musical.” Jason Terrell, minister of music at Salem Baptist Church in Omaha, said the church was excited to be a part of the event. “We got involved after Nakia, who is a member of our church, asked Us if we would want to be a part of this,” Terrell said. “We are really excited about coming down.” Terrell said this was the church’s first outside engagement “We are bringing down our Anointed Praise Team, which is a group of about 25 singers,” he said. “Our contribution is going to be congregational singing as well as instrumentation.” Jones said the APU choir was a good way for students to get involved. “Anyone can be a part of the choir. We have all kinds of people,” she said. Terrell said the form of worship the extravaganza offers is unique. “The type of praise worship our Praise Team offers is a new activity that we do during our services in Omaha,” Terrell said. “We have never been to Lincoln, and we want to take our worship throughout the Midwest.” He said he thought the Praise Team would be able to get people involved in the spiritual part of the music. “This form of worship isn’t tra ditional, and we think it will really reach out and grab the young peo ple,” he said. “We are excited to be able to have the chance to share it.” Jones said she hoped for a good turnout at the Gospel Extravaganza and assured people they would be treated to something special. “I think a lot of people are going to be shocked by the perfor mance,” she said. “It’s a good way to hear gospel music, and we hope to inspire the young people.” Couple to lecture on African culture i . • -I By Todd Anderson Assignment Reporter History and age-old cultural tra ditions are two elements that create a bond between the members within every society. But Ashra Kwesi, an expert on African culture and history, said many black Americans have lost touch with their historical and cultur al identities because of misinterpre tation of history and lack of docu mentation. Kwesi and his wife, Media, will speak and give a presentation Friday during the Big 12 Conference on Black Student Government at the Comfausker Hotel, 333 S.13th St “Therefc information on the his tory of African people going back • ' - " thousand of years,” Kwesi said in a telephone interview from Dallas. His travel and research in Africa have enabled him to document and < 1 rediscover the contributions African people have made to Western soci ety,he said. “Even today the Western world has utilized African knowledge, even to the point of plagiarism.” Kwesi said knowledge of that history has been lost because of lack of Visual documentation. “Images shape our reality,” he said. “That’s why we come with a visual representation.” He has worked in Africa for more than 18 years documenting aspects of African civilization through film documentaries, books, Please see KWESI on 8 ' pm ' -J I ■ \\, "V; "A,."!! 11*11,^1. ifUL.. mil p JnannawoqmH IctnmH no -birtz neansmA-oitA a'notsonnH gm to abaowsidmm otit gnoraB again