The Africa Awareness Initiative was founded in 2002 in response to the lack of representation and intelligent dialogue of Africa on the University of British Columbia’s campus. In general, Africa was rarely ever discussed in the Academic arena, and when it was, it was presented as a homogeneous and often negative entity.
As such, the main focus of the club is to raise awareness about the African continent, showing her to people in a more realistic light – as a place of hope, of promise, of potential and immense intellectual and resource wealth. With considerable hard-work, dedication and commitment from club executives and various faculty members, the Africa Awareness Initiative has managed to successfully secure an African Studies Minor Program – one step toward our goal of having a well established Major Program. In realizing this dream, the African Awareness Initiative’s success has set itself apart from many other clubs on campus.
