Africa comes to Crossroads

• Looking at exhibit

Zita Kistow (left) and her mother, Liesl, look at one of the African exhibits. (Bulletin photo by Judy Spooner.)

Talk about it

Those who were curious about how the African zebra got its stripes got the answer Aug. 19, when Crossroads Church in Woodbury hosted A Taste of Africa.

During the evening of African food, exhibits, vendors and entertainment, there was something to interest everyone including listening to Ignatius Kadoma tell a story about the zebra who was all white before his encounter with a bossy baboon who would not share water with the other animals.

Children from the church helped illustrate the saga by acting it out on stage while Kadoma told the story, which ended with the zebra getting stripes after falling on a burning fence. The baboon was humbled and all the animals shared the water.

The moral of the story, for children of all ages, is that it is better to share than fight.

The evening, though a night to share fellowship among church members and guests, was also a time to reflect and learn about African cultures.

“We have so many African members that we decided to embrace this,” said Eileen Ruess, who wore one of the colorful dresses and head coverings from West Africa. “All of us need to step out of our comfort zone.”

The new church, formerly located at Jamaica Avenue and 80th Street in Cottage Grove, has more space. Behind the church, the gently rolling hills of the prairie show through a wall of windows.

The church also has a large patio with tables where the African dinner catered by the Casablanca Restaurant could be eaten outside.

Patty Knutson said the only food she recognized was the rice. “I had to ask what everything was,” she said. “It was all good.”

Knutson thought attending the event would be good for her and her children, who filled boxes with items that were sent to African children. She wanted them to connect the items with the culture.

“It’s good to try something different,” said Jim Rowell, who was eating roasted goat meat.

In the church’s auditorium, there were exhibits from countries including Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa, Malawi, Somalia, Swaziland, Namibia, Rwanda and Kenya.

Lukas Olson said he liked the exhibit about Malawi best, especially the lions.

The program in the worship center included native dancing, singing, storytelling and a fashion show.

Event organizers included Naomi Dalldorf, Shartsi Mushuarere and Kadoma.

For more pictures from A Taste of Africa, see the Aug. 26 print edition of the South Washington County Bulletin.

Tags: crossroads church, a taste of africa, lifestyle, africa, faith