UNCA Student Group Hosts Pangea Cultural Festival

Giwayan Mata Peforms November 1

UNC Asheville’s African American Student Association will hold the Pangea Cultural Festival Friday, Nov. 1. Special events include a vendor’s market and a performance by Giwayan Mata, an all-female African dance troupe. Events
are open to the public.

The market will be held from 1:30-6 p.m. in Lipinsky Hall Lobby. With a focus on African items, vendors will sell a variety of goods, including clothing, music and jewelry. Giwayan Mata will take the stage at 6 p.m. in Lipinsky Auditorium. This international dance ensemble, based in Atlanta, combines a wide range of dance forms, including modern, jazz, African and Caribbean. Founded in 1993, the group’s name is taken from the West African Hausa language and means "Elephant Leaders of Women." Giwayen Mata has performed in the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics as well as at the National Black Arts Festival.

Tickets for the performance are $3 and will be available at the door. Advanced tickets may be purchased in UNCA’s African American Student Association Office, Dining Hall room 206.

For more information, call UNCA’s African American Student Association, at 828/2511-6060.

Media Contacts:

• Winston Rose, UNCA’s African American Student Association Vice President, 828/255-7022
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526