Cultural Madness performs at Student Center tonight

Race and comedy may sound like a politically incorrect combination, but that's exactly what Mike Okuendo, the producer of Cultural Madness, was thinking when he put together his ensemble of comedians.

Multicultural Programs and Services, along with Inter-Greek Council, Hispanic Student Council, Latin American Student Council and Sigma Lambda Beta Fraternity, will present "Cultural Madness" at the Student Center at 7 p.m. tonight in Ballroom D. The event is free and will present various comedians ranging from Latino to Irish-American, as well as Son de La Habana, a Chicago based Afro-Cuban jazz band, which will also be offering free dance lessons before and after the show.

Felipe Gomez, a graduate assistant for MPS, said they decided to bring the performance to SIUC because of the high turnout and good reviews from other universities such as Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois Chicago. "We wanted to get a good demographic and the opportunity to get comedians with as many different types of backgrounds as possible in terms of promoting diversity," Gomez said.

Kari Stark, the treasurer for Inter-Greek Student Council, said the Council decided to sponsor the event because campus and community involvement is a priority. She also said the Council wanted to bridge the gap between Greek and non-Greek students. Okuendo, who started the ensemble two years ago, said the purpose of the show is to attempt to bridge differences in cultures.

"We may come from different cultures, but in the end, we're all trying to do the exact same thing," Okuendo said. "Our days don't start that different, we all get up, we all go to work, we all play, the end result is the same, we're all trying to live life."