They may have only brought 60 cups, but the co-sponsors of Wednesday night's photo exhibit had upwards of 100 people to entertain.

The exhibit -- entitled "Confusion and Clarity: Philly Through an African Eye" -- was a showcase of College junior and Ghana native Owusu Akoto's photography.

"The work you see is basically his journey since he came here," Penn African Students Association President Chuma Chike-Obi said.

The Penn African Students Association hosted the event along with the Philomathean Society and the Greenfield Intercultural Center in honor of Africafest -- a week-long celebration of African culture.

The exhibit was well received among the many students who attended.

"You can definitely sense his perceptiveness," College junior Smita Jain said.

"The pictures reveal the unique interpretation he has of Philadelphia given his African background."

"He's an artiste -- like they say in francais," College junior Papa Wassa Nduom added.

And while Akoto considered the turnout and compliments to be his "greatest honor as an artist," the exhibit had another purpose as well.

All of the proceeds from the sale of Akoto's works -- which ranged in price from $22 to $60 -- will be donated to the Ghana UPenn Network Initiative, a project that raises proceeds to fund health and education projects in Ghana.

"He's really talented, so I figured, why not do an event for charity?" said Chike-Obi, a College senior.

Optimistic about the exhibit and charity initiative, Chike-Obi introduced Akoto to the crowd with praise.

"I hope you enjoy this," he announced to the crowded gallery. "It is certainly beautiful to me."

Akoto, for his part, had little to say about the photos themselves.

"The writing is on the wall," he told his admirers.

Akoto describes his art as a "diary with pictures" that traces his introduction to Philadelphia and American culture.

In this respect, the works -- which the event flyer described as "a conversation through images on such topics as cultural dissonance, paradox in metaphor, race politics, and equanimity" -- held appeal for both Americans and foreigners alike.

Calling the exhibit "very profound," Philomathean society member and College junior Caroline Mair felt she could understand the exhibit because of her Caribbean roots.

"There's that struggle to remember who you are within a different culture without assimilating," she said. "I can understand that in a lot of his metaphors."

Conversely, another Philomathean Society member, College junior Ariel Ben-Amos, also felt a special connection with the photographs, but for a very different reason.

"As a native Philadelphian, it means so much to me to look at my city from anew, from afresh," he said.

And while Akoto said he found it strange to part with his photographs, he called the experience of his first exhibit amazing.

While Akoto intends to pursue photography as "definitely something on the side," another exhibit is planned for next semester.