The much-anticipated Alexander Brown Hall Week is set to kick off today. Although the Hall was plunged into darkness for more than a week, the Hall Week may just be what Brownites need to spark some joy amidst all the troubles.
While we look forward to the commencement of the Week, it also causes us to ponder on what to expect based on antecedent history. No doubt, the planning committee has a number of interesting activities lined up for the week, from the bonfire to the Prof Akinkugbe Symposium, Mr Macho, Prof Salako Quiz and so on. Regardless, one has to wait until these plans are executed well, before we can conclude.
The Publicity for the Hall week this year appears to have seen some improvement from last year’s. The first set of videos sent out about 2 weeks ago certainly had Brownites excited. While the publicity efforts may have somewhat waned since then, it certainly still was impressive that the planning committee thought to make a video to remind Brownites of what was coming and hopefully, spur their participation in the activities.
However, speaking of Publicity, certain events are yet to be publicized at all, notably the Hall Week Dinner. In a Hall where the Dinner has not held for two consecutive administrations, this year’s Hall Week Dinner is a particularly anticipated event. While one wonders if this may mean another cancellation is in view, we can only hope that it holds and Dinners will not soon become ancient history in the Alexander Brown Hall Week.
Another event that seems to be missing amongst this year’s Hall Week activities is the Warden’s Challenge. We cannot say if a decision to do without a Public Speaking event is because of the low turnout last year, or if Public Speaking is gradually losing its relevance. We will recall that the UIMSA Health Week also did not have any public speaking event like it used to. UAD’s week appears to be the only one with something for Public Speakers with the second edition of the Prof. Denloye Oratory and Debate Competition. We can again only hope that this does not become a trend.
Regardless of the foregoing, the Hall Week is packed with activities lined up every day for the next 9 days. Thankfully, power has been restored in the Hall, so activities should go on smoothly without the need for accompanying generator noise. Hopefully, in another week and half, Brownites will be discussing and reminiscing the Hall Week fondly.
