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src="index_files/archives.gif" width=87></A> </TD> <TD vAlign=top width=15><IMG height=1 src="index_files/spacer.gif" width=15></TD> <TD align=left colSpan=3 vAlign=top><BR> <center><h2>campus gathers</h2></center> <center><img src="index_files/green.gif" height="2" width="300"></center> <br> <p ALIGN=LEFT>By Chinelo Onwualu</p> <p ALIGN=LEFT>World & National Co-Editor</p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>This Monday, Nigerians from Calvin and the Grand Rapids community gathered on campus to commemorate their nation's history.</p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>The room was awash in color-- the reds, greens, yellows and blues of various traditional outfits all crowded together, jostling for the eye's attention. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>On one side of the room, a long table was piled high with traditional food. From every corner of the room voices rose in unity, singing a song I hadn't heard in a long time: the Nigerian national anthem.</p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Oct. 1 marks a special time for Nigerians all over the world, the date of their independence from the British colonial government and a time for celebration. In Nigeria, it is a public holiday replete with parades, speeches and impromptu parties thrown in the streets. All across the country, friends and families come together in joy. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Here in Grand Rapids, however, family is hard to come by for many Nigerians. Most are either students or working to support their families back home. Yet Monday's event, organized by students in the Calvin Seminary, let many Nigerians experience a brief taste of home.</p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Home to 11 million people (as of 1999), Nigeria is the largest of the three English-speaking nations on the West coast of Africa. It is also the biggest producer of crude oil on the continent. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>As with many other African nations, there are more than 300 distinct tribes within the country, each with its own individual language and traditions. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Following their independence from the British government in 1960, the nation adopted a parliamentary government. It lasted until 1966 when several states tried to secede from the union and the country was plunged into civil war. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Afterwards, Nigeria was run by a series of military rulers whose careers seemed to end, more often that not, in bloody government coups. Today, Nigeria is a democratic government in the process of rebuilding its economy. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Held in the Zeta-Lambda lounge of Calvin's Knollcrest East apartments, Grand Rapids' Independence Day gala was attended by most of the Nigerians on campus, as well as other guests from in and around the community. The festivities began with a brief devotion led by Abraham Mbachirin, followed by a few speeches from some special guest speakers. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Sam Ojo, a successful architect from Illinois, and Weibe Boer, a Calvin Graduate now at Yale University, spoke about the importance of retuning to the Motherland and contributing to her development. And thanks to the efforts of many a tireless cook, there was no shortage of food throughout the afternoon.</p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>At the end of the afternoon, the celebrants gathered on the deck to pose for pictures. </p> <p ALIGN=JUSTIFY>Each person was from a different part of the country with a unique dream for the nation yet all came together as one. Which, in the end, is what Independence day is all about. </p> </td></tr></TABLE> </BODY></HTML>