ADDI inspired Black solidarity at Afro-United Fest’s inaugural event
The Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) Chapter of the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) held an inaugural two-day event that included a Men’s and Women’s Empowerment Seminar, an Afro Royalty Gala & Cultural Dance, and an Afro-United Concert featuring both local and foreign Afrobeats performers on the campus of Howard University.
ADDI was founded in the Washington DC Metro region; despite being registered in Tennessee. Her Excellency (H.E) Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao had the concept for the ADDI after she was relieved of her position as the African Union’s Ambassador to the US in November 2019.
To signify its historic milestone, the festival was held at the Armour J. Blackburn Center of Howard University in Washington, DC – one of the country’s oldest historically Black colleges and institutions, from September 28 to 29, 2023.
In a statement to TheAfricanDream.net in September, Ambassador Chihombori Quao stated that she saw it as her calling to continue to advocate for the “wokeness” of all black people around the globe. She considers ADDI as a “bridge between the African Diaspora and Africa. This vision was born out of the realization that the exodus of Africa’s children from slave trade to more recent immigrants has resulted in Afro Descents losing the much-needed connection to their heritage”.
A soft launching of all other ADDI Chapters also took place during the two-day event culminating into the Arikana Excellence Awards Ceremony. The awards part of the event acknowledged individuals who have shown exceptional commitment and lasting difference in the organization. It also highlighted some individuals’ personal achievements that served as an inspiration to others.
The Men’s Empowerment Seminar was held under the theme “Empowering the Global African Community: Bridging Continents for Economic Prosperity”, it was moderated by Kelvin Williams, CEO of NuHollywood and owner of Columbia School of Broadcasting.
Speakers at the event included: Alexander Cummings, Liberian Presidential Candidate and Former Coca-Cola Africa Senior Executive; Kemuel Van Der Puije, COO, Voice of Africa; Kadmiel Van Der Puije, CEO, Voice of Africa and Experience Africa; Andjelo Cherty Mwembya, US-Africa Senior Business Strategist; Curtis Smith, Founder, and CEO of Africa Tourism Union; and Jerald Boyd, Co-founder of Iceberg Renewals.
The Women’s Empowerment Seminar was themed “Recognising our resilience and Building Bridges to Empower Ourselves and Build the Africa we Envisage” and covered two key topics, Intercontinental Business and Political Leadership in the Diaspora. This seminar was moderated by Ms. Fatmata Barrie Esq.
Event speakers here included Dr. Remi Duyile and Dr. Stella Jeffries who spoke on, Intercontinental Business; and Representative Wala Blegay and Representative Naquetta Ricks who spoke on, Political Leadership in the Diaspora; H.E Ambassador Arikana Chihombori-Quao; climaxed this session by giving an empowering statement covering both topics.
Special guests at the event included H.E SEM Sékou BERTHE Ambassador of the Republic of Mali; H.E Lynn Young, Ambassador of the Republic of Belize; and Maria del Pilar Barona from Columbia, Latin America. Guest speakers included Michael Thompson from OBT Social (a key sponsor) and Dr. Martin Kwende.
There were performances by KanKouran West African Dance Company, Pupa Curly, J-Wils, Izzy Zick and a fashion show by Itel Fashion Modeling. TheAfricanDream.co, a DMV-based communication consultancy firm, and OBT Social as well as Voice of Africa were among the event media partners.
Awardees list
| NO. | NAME | AWARDS |
| 1 | H.E Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao | Lifetime Achievement Award |
| 2 | Prof. P.L.O Lumumba | Presidential Award |
| 3 | VP Damien Cook | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 4 | VP Ray Huggins | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 5 | VP Philip N Catlyn Springer | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 6 | Mrs. Sylvia Litana Ezozo | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 7 | Mr. Agrippa Ezozo | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 8 | Dr. Olayinka Creighton-Randall | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 9 | Mr. Benson Kasue | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 10 | Dr. Stella Jeffries | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 11 | Dr. E. Faye Williams | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 12 | Prince Kalada William Jumbo | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 13 | Dr. Gloria B. Herndon | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 14 | Mr. David Horne | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 15 | Mr. Djimon Hounsou | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 16 | Mr. Basil Ajuo | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 17 | Mr. Curlyn S Arnold | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 18 | Rep Naquetta Ricks | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 19 | Dr. Norma Lozano-Jackson | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 20 | Ms. Liliosa Chambwera | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 21 | Dr. Ambrosia Mondoa | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 22 | Mother Vivian Stuart | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 23 | Ms. Marie Taqui | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 24 | Dr. Lee Whitaker | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 25 | Mr. Thomas Hoktcheu | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 26 | Mr. Kliphord Darkwa | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 27 | Aturah Bahtiyah AKA Nana Adjoa Amissah II | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 28 | Lazare Ki Zerbo | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 29 | Ms. Johanna Leblanc JD | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 30 | Elder Nabeela Uqdah | Arikana Excellence Award (Posthumous) |
| 31 | Ms. Iman Uqdah Hameen | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 32 | Mr. Davies Chirwa | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 33 | Mr. Siphiwe Baleka | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 34 | Prof Linley. Chiwona-Karltun | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 35 | Mwalimu Kbailia | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 36 | Mr. Haki Ammi | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 37 | Bro. Baya Kes-Ba-Me-Ra Bradford | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 38 | Mr. Cliff Kuumba | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 39 | Sydney Francis | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 40 | Prof. Anita Diop | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 41 | Dr. Franklin Abraham | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 42 | Mr. Melvin Brown | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 43 | Dr. Nangula Hopwood | Arikana Excellence Award |
| 44 | Mr. Cletus Prince | Arikana Excellence Award |
Dr. Edmund Folefac received Prof. Lumumba’s award on his behalf, as requested by Prof. Lumumba.
In a post-event interview with TheAfricanDream.co Ambassador Chihombori-Quao expressed her amazement at how huge the event turned out to be, “especially as ADDI is still a very young organization. This is the first of many chapter launches and Afro Festivals as ADDI continues to tell the world that enough is enough, we are ready to take our rightful place on the global stage”.
Source: TheAfricanDream.co
Oral Ofori is Founder and Publisher at www.TheAfricanDream.net, a digital storyteller and producer, and also an information and research consultant.
