The second female president in our coverage of women in leadership on campus is Amarachi Chukwu, the current president of UBC’s Caribbean African Association. Born in Nigeria, Chukwu then moved to Holland at the age of 10, and decided to pursue a degree in Psychology here at UBC. She has been actively involved with CAA for almost three years now, starting off as an enthusiastic member and then taking upon the role of VP Administration, before taking on the role of president. As well as CAA, Chukwu is also passionate about different forms of art, ranging from music, dance and fashion – she believes that various artistic mediums allow her to voice her thoughts and beliefs.
1. What inspired you to become a part of CAA?
Experiencing CAA for me played a huge part in Vancouver no longer feeling merely like the place where I study, but as another place I would consider ‘Home’, and the hopes of creating that community for others similarly interested in Africa or Caribbean-based issues fueled my desire to be part of it. The goal of the CAA to raise awareness about the diversity and complexity that epitomizes Africa and the Caribbean as opposed to the singularity and homogeneity that is usually presented in Western reference to Africa and the Caribbean in their cultures and people was inspiring, and their aim to do so through open dialogue, artistic expressions of experiences, cultural events celebrating diversity were also a huge part of why I joined CAA.
2. Tell me about CAA Connection Week. What are some of the events you have lined up?
CAA connection week is about celebrating the diversity, complexity and uniqueness of Caribbean and African culture and our theme for the week this year is ‘Unraveling the Fabric of Cultural Identity’. Connection Week will be from March 10-15th, and during the week we will have four events.
The first is the opening night which will be a panel-led discussion featuring a keynote speaker and UBC Faculty members whose research deals with issues around culture and identity mostly in an African, Caribbean or African Diasporic context. The second will be The Black Monologues, which deals with subjects of race, culture and identity through artistic modes of expression. Here we invite members of the club and others in the community to share art pieces, poetry, music etc. that address and portray their interpretation of our chosen theme. Our third event is a Caribbean dance class which leads up to our final event – Carnival. Carnival is our dance party that’s inspired by the Carnival festivals experienced across the Caribbean and that ties up the week!
3. What are some other CAA events and projects that will be taking place this term?
We have a movie night and discussion coming up on March 1st that sets the stage for the Connection Week, and introduces the theme for the week to our members.
4. What are some of the responsibilities you have to undertake?
As president, most of my responsibilities are in leading the team and helping to direct the course of the events we hold throughout the year, as well as scheduling meetings to discuss and plan each event to the best of our ability. Also, delegating tasks and responsibilities and working to the team’s collective and individual skills and strength is a great part of what I have to do and what makes the team work.
5. How do you maintain a balance between school work and extra-curricular activities?
These are the moments where I’m grateful for my insomnia! Less sleep, more time to work on both school and extra-curricular activities! Actually, in all seriousness I think a huge part of the reason I am able to balance my school work with my extra-curricular activities as President of CAA as well as Co-captain of Unlimited Dance club’s Nu Era crew is the team of amazing people I work with, who help lighten the load and do their part to the best of their abilities so I’m able to do my part and not be overwhelmed by all of it. Passion for what I do both in my school work and with the clubs I’m involved in make it all easier to balance as well!
6. What are some of the challenges you face associated with the your role in CAA?
Mostly in the beginning, it was challenging realizing how much of an effect your position has on the trajectory of the club and not feeling like you could possibly carry on the legacy set by past presidents and feeling like you would single handedly destroy the club (I have tendencies towards catastrophic thinking…) but with support from past presidents and the executive team that challenge is continuously being handled – it’s an ongoing challenge of belief in one’s self. Also, trying to continue the development and improvement of the club and stay true to its values is a challenge that is always encountered.
From what Chukwu and Chih told us last week, it’s evident that our UBC ladies are ambitious multi-taskers and have real passion for what they do – what better role models could we ask for? Keep a lookout for the next week’s leading lady on the Campus Celebrity section!
Be sure to check out CAA’s Connection Week! You can learn more about them on their Facebook page.