ANNVILLE, PA (09/17/2010)(readMedia)-- Kanyah, benni cake, and tropical fruit salad will be among the featured items at a dessert and cultural presentation about Sierra Leone to be held at Lebanon Valley College at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2 in Mund College Center. Attendees also will learn about efforts to assist people in the war-torn country.

Tickets are $3 for general admission, $8 for a family with children, and free for LVC students. Space is limited. For reservations, call the Office of Spiritual Life at (717) 867 6135 by Wednesday, Sept. 29.

Osman Kamara, a native of Sierra Leone who currently resides in Harrisburg, will discuss the Sierra Leone Initiative of the United Methodist Church (UMC) and its goal of initiating recovery from the ravages of that country's decade-long war. Two delegates from Sierra Leone visiting central Pennsylvania under the sponsorship of the UMC will tell of the latest developments and needs in this West African country. Singer Vic Fortna, also from Sierra Leone, will perform gospel music in Sierra Leonean style.

"The relationship between pastors and parishioners of Sierra Leone and congregations in central Pennsylvania spans more than 100 years," said Ken Mengel, conference secretary of global ministries for the Susquehanna Conference of the UMC. "Perhaps hundreds of missionaries to Sierra Leone have come from central Pennsylvania over the past century."

LVC shares in this history, having welcomed students from Sierra Leone as early as the 1890s, according to Rev. Paul Fullmer, who serves as chaplain and director of community service at the College. LVC has an historic affiliation with the UMC. "We're overjoyed to be able to host this informative event for local congregations and community members," Fullmer said.

Kanyah is a sweet snack from Sierra Leone made from peanuts, rice and sugar. Benni cake is a traditional dessert said to ward off evil spirits. According to legend, if one sprinkles benni cake on the ground where evil spirits are thought to lie, the spirits will be kept so busy collecting the delicious benni that they will not be able to finish until the morning hours when humans will prevail over them. Cassava, banana, guava, mango, and pineapple are among the tropical fruits commonly available for dessert in Sierra Leone.

The event is co-sponsored by the officers of LVC's Disaster Relief Coalition, a student-led organization that seeks to raise awareness about major national and international disasters within the LVC community as well as to facilitate a communal response toward relief. "The devastation wrought by 10 years of civil war is hard to imagine," said Jimmy Kroll, student president of the Disaster Relief Coalition, "but we are learning how the harsh economic situation there is slowly improving. We are more than happy to help out in any way that we can."

Posted Friday September 17, 2010 at 09:30 am by Lebanon Valley College
Last Updated Tuesday September 21, 2010 at 10:52 am