About 300 people were entertained Saturday night with everything from gumboot dancers to poetry at "L'Afrique," the Harvard African Students Association's annual cultural show.

"They got to the root of what Africa means to people," said Ravi K. Dixit '00. "It shows the diversity within Africa.

Moving toward a greater role in teaching people about Africa and toward a stronger presence on campus during its 20th year of existence, HASA organized an event with a larger focus on African politics and society.

"It was really a great start to our 20th anniversary, but it's exactly that--a start," said Irungu "James" Mwangi '00, HASA co-president.

Performances represented a wide spectrum of African cultures.

"I think it's very important that we have a forum where we can express African culture," said Mbago Kaniki '99, HASA social chair.

The Harvard-Radcliffe Kuumba Brothers opened the show with a rendition of the South African national anthem in Zulu, "Nkosi Sikeleli Africa," meaning "God Bless Africa."

Performing groups also included HASA's Gumboot Dancers, the Mount Holyoke African Students Association and the Harvard Society of Arab Students.

"The dances are very reflective of dances in Africa," said Eric Fakunle, a local student who attended the show.

The gumboot dance, which consists of clapping and stomping, is a recreational activity as well as a medium in which migrant workers in Africa voiced protest and kept up morale while away from their homes, Mwangi said.

The event also included a two-part fashion show, in which students modeled cultural garb from regions throughout Africa.

Mwangi, Derrick N. Ashong '97, Selamawi H. Asgedom '99, Thomas Z. Lukoma '98 and Iyesatta Massaquoi '99 performed dances, poetry and drama.

"Africa's not all fun," said Mwangi, a native of Kenya. "It's nice to get people to think as well."

Ashong, who acted in Amistad, a Steven Spielberg film coming out in December, recited an excerpt from his thesis, a musical titled "Songs We Can't Sing."

Lukoma recited a poem entitled "Congo," inspired by Professor of History Leroy Vail's course, Historical Studies A-21: "Modern Africa from 1850."