The Southern African Students Association is kicking off its first school year as a club, and club executives say it fills an important gap in Carleton University’s cultural fabric.
“It’s a space to find community with people and just find that home away from home,” said the club’s president and co-founder, Tumelo Mpofu-Mketwa.
Mpofu-Mketwa, a third-year global and international studies student said finding people with similar cultural experiences has been important to her since she moved to Canada from South Africa in 2023.
“Coming from another country to Canada, when you find that you might not have common interests with other people, you do feel a bit lonely on your weekends.”
Co-founder Lwazi Mpofu-Mketwa, also a third-year global and international studies student, says membership registrations exceeded her expectations.
She said organizers expected around five to eight members to register for the club, but now have close to three dozen.
“They’ve got these slight differences … whether it’s the music, whether it’s the food itself, and the sort of people that have come from those countries.”
They are also planning networking opportunities, which could include meetings with ambassadors from southern African embassies, and connecting students with professors from common cultural backgrounds.
Tumelo Mpofu-Mketwa, who is from Zimbabwe and South Africa, said it’s been heartwarming to watch the club find its footing on campus.
“In our region, there’s this word that we have,” she said. “It’s called ‘Ubuntu,’ which means the essence of humanity and community.”
The association welcomes all students, including Canadians, Tumelo Mpofu-Mketwa said.
“We’d love to have you — if you’re from any part of the world, actually, and you want to learn about southern African culture.”
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Featured image provided by Tumelo Mpofu-Mketwa.
