Nigerian food, music and culture was in the spotlight at Aurora St. Joseph Catholic Church Sunday afternoon.
After a Nigerian-style morning mass, the church held an international taste fest to raise funds for ImaBridge Africa. The faith-based nonprofit in Sycamore is a 501c3 charity that supports education, clean water, healthcare and economic development in the African nation.
Nigerian-born Fr. Godwin N. Asuquo, St. Joseph pastor and ImaBridge founder, kicked off the event with a welcome and opening prayer.
Highlights included Nigerian food platters, live music, drum making, kids’ games and a cooking contest with Fr. Asuquo.
Food platters included pepper goat meat, baked chicken, jollof rice, white rice, fried rice, red stew, beans, moi moi and fried plantain.
Fr. Asuquo said, “ImaBridge supports local families with microloans, farming tools and cooperatives that create lasting change. The charity supports widows and women’s groups by providing tools to thrive with dignity and hope. Opportunity is the bridge to lasting impact.”
Past successful projects include 12 solar-powered boreholes that give entire villages safe, drinkable water and a palm press and cassava mill that enables villagers to earn an income and feed their families.
Also, a 50-bed medical center offers 24/7 medical service focused on maternal care, malaria treatments and up to 10,000 treatments and surgeries during medical mission trips in December and January. Fr. Asuquo added, “With help from our supporters, we are working towards building our own college of medical science and allied technological sciences.”
—Al Benson