BY SARAH SAID –
In my mind, with perfect clarity, the afternoon reconstructs itself.
It was reserved particularly for Olumide Yinka-Kehinde, a then nineteen something Nigerian-Australian economics and computer science major. A friend, above all else. Following one of his many extracurricular obligations, I watched as he ambled through the automatic gates of Campus Centre with a slow smile playing on his face. We conversed by Grafali’s on seats that squealed as we shifted.
If you thumb through the pages of dialogue we exchanged, you’d inevitably stumble upon the question that incubated what is now commonly known as the Monash African Society.
“Why don’t we have a designated space here as African Australians?”
The desire was palpable. We took to the internet to gauge whether this precarious skeleton of a club was of interest to anyone who dare read our inquiry.
The answer was a resounding yes.
What followed was a rapid, blurry succession of meetings and batches of paperwork. A committee evolved and warped into a colourful ensemble of friends from all walks of life. Positions where appointed and dates were underlined with red ink. When there was nothing was left to check off, we held our breaths. The IGM- the day that would ultimately determine our validity on campus- hurled towards us at lightning speed.
On our entrance, my heart lodged itself in my throat. Our fate was suspended before us. The empty lecture theatre was soon crammed with faces unfamiliar, a nice surprise. Pleasantries were exchanged, names were recited, and hands were tentatively shaken. The attendance stressed the obvious- this club was desperately needed.
On the final round of applause, I exhaled. In relief, my body collapsed in on itself. The commotion rang in our ears, and the force of what we had accomplished had finally hit us. Newcomers and friends alike shot up to embrace. The ecstasy electrified our fingertips and trailed into our homes. The club was a living, breathing being. We had been recognised.
We stood aside and watched the seeds of a safe, inclusive space for Africans and non-Africans alike, germinate and develop into something larger than ourselves. During open days, cultural food fairs and club days, non-Africans wandered in our stall- a space once dejectedly empty- to be enriched on our respective cultures. Conversations granted us a foreign power we brandished to dismantle what Carlos Cort dubs the “mass media curriculum”. Alternatively, the means of misinformation that bundles us all into easily digestible caricatures. This curriculum has a particularly devastating educational influence on those “who have little or no direct contact with members of the groups being treated”[1].
Now, we were granted a podium by which discourse pertaining to our cultures could be reflected on our own, unique terms. The importance of representation on campus was unprecedented. These moments peppered throughout the semester had awoken something in our spirits. We felt empowered, wielding a resolve to enact change and take matters into our own hands. We had seen a gap and we had filled it. What had once been a blur of foreign faces had become a family. The possibilities now were endless.
To cultivate a safe, inclusive space was to cultivate a collective movement dedicated to the betterment of our corresponding communities. We controlled the stage now, to discuss the “taboo” of mental health in African communities, to address the hurdles in our professional and academic development, and to befriend those we otherwise would have walked past in another, drearier world. MAFS grants us a purpose that resides outside of our degrees and personal lives. Our exertions are for the greater good of our small, yet important community.
It offers us ample opportunities to be proud of our roots and to rejoice in the commonalities and differences between our respective cultures. As we continue to nurture this thriving, bustling community, I only hope we can set a precedent for those courageous enough to craft their own spaces.
I am proud to have this club nestled into the chaotic trajectory of my life.
Sarah Said is the Media and Communications Manager of the Monash African Society (MAFS).
You can learn more about MAFS at: https://www.facebook.com/mafsmonash/
[1] Cortes, Carlos. “A long way to go: Minorities and the media.”
