On Friday, November 12, the Africa Business Club (ABC) hosted the first-ever Owa-mbe party with resounding success. When planning the event, ABC Social Vice-President Felix Ofungwu (OB), had a contingency plan in place for everything – except for New England’s first snowfall of the season! “The party will go on”, vowed Ofungwu, who conceived the idea last year and gave the party its catchy name.
“Owa-mbe” (OH-WAH-MBEH) is Yoruba for “the gathering” and is widely used in Nigeria to spread word on where the party is. Ofungwu’s vision was to introduce HBS and surrounding schools to African music and dance on a large scale. Over 320 people braved the snowy roads to join in the festivities at a new club in Boston’s Theatre District and they weren’t disappointed. “I danced the night away – it was one of the best parties of the year!” exclaimed Karen Horstmann (OD). Danielle Kayembe, a banker who had traveled from New York for the occasion, echoed this sentiment and said that it was well worth the journey.
The evening began with live drumming and traditional dancing by Sidi “Joh” Camara and his dance troupe. Several attendees had not seen such lively performances before and were duly impressed. DJ EddyEd from New York kept the dance floor crowded with his blend of African beats, Reggae, and Hip-Hop.
But there was a serious component to the evening, as well. ABC wanted to draw attention to the crisis in Darfur, Sudan and donated proceeds from Owa-mbe to a humanitarian charity assisting victims of the war. “We feel that it is our responsibility to do something about the crisis,” noted the club’s Co-President Danladi Verheijen (OH).
For those of you who missed Owa-mbe, you’ll have to catch it next year – but rest assured that it’s here to stay as the newest addition to the must-attend HBS party roster. And, one more thing…next time you have to make small talk at a recruiting dinner, try dazzling them with your worldliness by explaining nonchalantly what Owa-mbe means!
