On Sunday, July 17th the members of the Fulani community of Cincinnati, under the auspices of Roselawn Mosque and Pulaar Speaking Association, gathered together to celebrate our youth. We dedicated the day to celebrating the Eid and our recent high school graduates/class of 2022. The day was filled with joy, laughter, food, family, and fun. Even though the day was cloudy and filled with rain, we still came together as a community and had a good time. The picnic was held at Koenig Park, located in Reading, Ohio.
The food was prepared very well, and we had hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken, lamb, snacks, and drinks. The women of the community came together and grilled all the food and made sure everyone ate and was satisfied. The event started at 1 pm and ended around 7 pm. After everyone ate, some of the children went to the playground and some went to the basketball court. Both groups had so much fun and bonded with their peers. The adults also bonded and sat at the picnic tables and discussed the future of our children. In retrospect, this event was put together very well, and I can say that everyone enjoyed themselves and will be returning next year for more fun. Some of the things I have noticed that could be improved was that we should have checked the weather before we decided to settle on
a date. I believe that the event would have been more manageable if it wasn’t raining constantly.
My suggestion would be for next year and years coming that we do this event on a sunny day, that way we don’t run into issues. Another thing I observed was that there was no structure where the food was placed, and many people did not know where to get their food. Next year we could have one section dedicated to all the food that way there is less confusion.
Aside from that, the event went very well, and I hope we can continue this for years to come. The community came together and worked very hard to show love to the younger generation, and that is a blessing.
Many thanks to the GCIA Youth Committee, Puular Speaking Association,
and the leadership of the Roselawn Mosque.
Cincinnati, OH 7/22/2022
Fatimata Gasama
Grilling at Koening Park during the youth event 2018
A High School graduate recognized by the youth committee with gifts that makes her smile.
