by Adedoyin Junaid

What seemed like a typical dinner at Dorchester Dining Hall took a drastic turn in Oct. when wall-to-wall speakers began to blare the music of African singer, Jessy Matador.

The flash mob was led by Salisbury University sophomore Georgette Ndamukong. Wearing black T-shirts, African Student Association members burst from all corners of the room and danced between tables.

“They enjoyed it…. they applauded and cheered and even during the performance people from Marketplace and Bistro came to watch,” said sophomore ASA member Tolani Akindele.

The flah mob in Dorchester has roots that can be traced back to Bill Walsik’s creation of the email address: themobproject@yahoo.com.

According to Stay Free Magazine, Walsik, who is credited as the founding father of flash mobs, circulated an email giving New Yorkers the opportunity to become the show and confuse their audience.

The concept of the flash mob has spread amongst people of all ages with various causes since 2003, when the first successful flash mob took place at Macy’s in New York.

Flash mobs have taken a different kind of extension of the first amendment, allowing people to express their artistic, political, economical and social views.

The idea for the Dorchester flash mob came from ASA member Keisha Miles Freshman. ASA member Ayobami Awe said that their flash mob opened doors for its members and inspired them to get creative.

It was well-received by students at The Commons, and a video of the performance was even uploaded to YouTube.

ASA co-president Mariama Saffa said the flash mob was meant to raise awareness about ASA and diversity as a whole.

“People always hear about clubs on campus but they don’t know what we’re really about,” Saffa said. “The Flash mob provided an opportunity for us to bring our diversity to the SU community and show them who we are and what we do.”

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