The African Student Association hopes to shock students with culture Wednesday night.
ASA has hosted "Culture Shock" for years. Jelisa Jefferson, special events coordinator, said typically 300 to 400 students attend the event, but more are expected to come this year. It consists of 10 acts, which Jefferson hopes will help students gain cultural experience and become more knowledgeable about different cultures on campus. Students should expect "surprises through singing, spoken word and artful poetry from their peers," she said.
"We as an organization would love to dissolve or do away with common misconceptions of different ethnicities and show that people should not be generalized into groups," Jefferson said. "At our annual event, these mental barriers are broken through performances from our very own U of M students."
The event is Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom A and is free and open to University of Memphis students and the surrounding Memphis community.
"[Culture Shock] will express other cultures through poetry or people just speaking about their love of poetry and their experiences in life through poetry," ASA President Olawale Salami said.
Senior Heather Maclin said her love of poetry began two years ago, but she has never performed in front of an audience. She said she was persuaded to audition for "Culture Shock" by two ASA members she met at Frosh Camp over the summer.
Maclin, who has attended "Culture Shock" before, said she is excited to have been chosen to be a performer this year.
"I will be expressing myself to campus in a way that they have never seen," she said.
She will perform two of her original poems - "Stuck" and an untitled piece. She chose the two because when reading over her list of poems they stuck out to her. She said Culture Shock is a "fabulous event for students to attend."
"Each person adds their own flavor to the show. Students should be prepared to broaden their horizons, relieve stress and have an enjoyable time," Maclin said.
