http://digital.lib.buffalo.edu/upimage/RG9-9-00-3_40_57_1991-culture.pdf

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Part of Cultural show models talent, February 22, 1991

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Cultural show models talent
HEATHER WILLETT

Spectrum Staff Reporter

•ment of Black people in South Af­
rica.
The show also had three fashion
shows featuring campus, career, and
evening wear with clothing pro­
vided by local retailers.
The excitement and involvement
of the audience peaked during the
musical finale. An elaborate dance
sequence was performed by the
African-American Cultural Center
and the Dance Troupe:
The dancers, many of whom were
children, wore traditional African
dress and danced to the beat of the
drum s. Their energy was recipro­
cated by the audience. African
clothing and ornamentation en­
hanced the effect.
The costumes for the dance troupe
were made by Bola Sobande, a
graduate student at UB in the de­
partment of Architecture and Urban
Planning.

The second annual Black Student
Union Cultural Show was held
Sunday night in Katharine Cornell
Theatre as part of UB 's celebration
of Black History Month.
The show featured three hours of
singing, dancing, poetry readings,
and several fashion shows.
The crowd was pumped up by
several rap songs and then soothed
by the sounds of "Devotion." The
harmony of the six male vocalists
left the audience not only si nging
along, but cheering for more.
Other musical entertainment was
provided by UB junior Janessa
Quarles who interrupted the
cheering audience with the com­
ment 'Tm not finished yet!"
Quarles adopted the cliche "leave
them wanting more" by not satiat­
ing the audience's appetite for an Sobande's talent
encore.
Sobande' s talent reaches beyond
the drawing board as evidenced by
Treatment of Black people
a fashion show featuring African
On a more serious note was the styJes which she designed and made.
monologue by BSU Vice-President She creates both South African and
Tabitha Ngwashi in which she American style clothing. Sobande
painted a vivid picture of the treat- described her designs as "western

variations on the original African
designs."
The clothing ranged from casual
to formal outfits typical of those
worn by the elite, according to
Sobande. They includedcandlewax
batik designs, tie-dyed, and em­
broidered work.
Both men's and women's cloth­
ing was done in cotton and topped
off with headpieces of colton or
silk. The headpieces are "one long
cloth ju st wrapped differently ,"
Sobande said. Styles from the west
coast of Africa were also modeled.
Strips of cloth are sewn together
to create a larger piece of fabric and
is still made in "the traditional way
ofdress-making which is passed on
from generation to generation,"
Sobande said. This is because of
the belief "that something will
happen to the family" if a different
method were used, Sobande ex­
plained.
Sobande creates African designs
for the public and can be reached
through the BSU at 636-3029. Due
to her responsibilities as a student,
Sobande produces most of the
clothing during the summer.