FORGE at UCLA is set to host a free event titled “Baridi Night” tonight to celebrate and raise funds for displaced refugees in Zambia, Africa.
Facilitating Opportunities for Refugee Growth and Empowerment is a United States based nonprofit organization designed to educate and mobilize students regarding international human rights issues and an official partner of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees agency.
Baridi, which means “cold” in Swahili, is attached to the issue of experiencing the physicality of refugee struggles in a symbolic act.
“People will have the opportunity to pledge at the event to sleep a night without a blanket,” said Ushma Vyas, Baridi Night co-director and third-year political science and history student.
Students will additionally be able to choose where their money and efforts will go by voting during the event on a specific project they want to see the organization carry out in Zambia.
“One of the projects is a newsletter that will be circulated around various (refugee) camps so people can know where their families are. Another project is building a preschool. One involves scholarship,” said Aruna Cadambi, Baridi Night co-director and third-year international development studies student.
By voting, students will be able to directly affect the projects in Zambia.
“We want people to understand the dynamics that go behind aid and development. It’s good to see how everyone participates in it,” Vyas added.
With an assortment of food, activities and performances, Baridi Night seeks to display the cultural richness and ethnic heterogeneity found in Africa, while also calling attention to the African refugee situation in Zambia.
“We’re trying to highlight the refugee situation in a different way by highlighting the diversity that is Africa,” Cadambi said.
The event will feature Ethiopian food and North African food alongside Moroccan, ska and jazz band performances, added Cadambi.
Speakers expected to be at the event include Moroccan MC Alfaress, UCLA Fulbright Scholars, and Ben Moore, third-year political science student, who will be sharing a testimonial based on his recent experience volunteering at a Zambia refugee camp.
“A lot of dialogue goes on in the (refugee) camp. Any music they can get their hands on, they like that a lot. And sports, soccer, it’s huge. A good portion of the camp comes out to watch the soccer games when they have them,” Moore said of the Kala refugee site in Zambia.
In the same spirit of sharing cultural conversations, the theme of Baridi Night will be a Nairobi bazaar, based off big city marketplaces in Kenya that are concentrated in exchange services, and a general networking feel. A multitude of cultural vendors and various student groups will be present at the event to add to the bazaar-like environment of exchange.
“Kerckhoff patio will be transformed into a pseudo Nairobi by putting up booths for general awareness and understanding of the nuances of the African continent itself, whether it be political, historical or social,” Vyas said.
Games and activites will provide a firm balance to the academic aspect of the night, Vyas added.
Amid the vibrant street culture atmosphere, efforts remain focused on educating students about the realities of poverty and neglect in Africa.