Africa Day is an annual celebration of milestones that changed the history of the Continent.

The idea for the event was formed at the First Congress of Independent African States held in Ghana on 15 April 1958.

It finally came to life on 25 May 1963 as ‘African Freedom Day’, held to mark the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity and symbolizes determination and resilience of Africa and its people.

Though this day carries a lot of importance in both African and global history, the degree of awareness about it varies significantly across different parts of the diaspora.

Calabash: traditional African cultural markings symbolising intergenerational connection

Omek Summit x Africadelic 2022 aims to change this by bringing together different voices from the African global community.

The event is set to continue the tradition of the first World Festival of Black Arts in 1966, convened in Dakar, Senegal, which gathered over 2,000 writers, artists, performers, and dignitaries from Africa and the African Diaspora. The notable attendees included Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, Langston Hughes, Alvin Ailey, Aimé Césaire, Leopold Senghor among others.

Themed around nurturing the global African spirit, the event creates space for collective learning from the past and capitalizing on the present in pursuit of a successful future.

This year’s edition aims to build on the conversation from the Summit held previous year promoting Collaboration as a central theme.

The 2022 edition of this cultural festival will offer a mix of music, films, workshops, talks, club nights and networking opportunities both online and at a variety of eclectic venues across Amsterdam.

The mosaic of speakers and performers attending the event includes:

• Mulatu Astatke, a.k.a the Father of Ethiopian Jazz
• Prof. Dr. Gloria Wekker, Ducth-Surinamese socio-cultural anthropologist, human rights activist, poet, and emerita professor in Gender Studies at University of Utrecht
• Chidiebere Ibe, Nigerian medical student and illustrator, globally acclaimed for creating the black foetus illustration that took the world by storm this past year
• Ellen Bailey, Vice President for Diversity and Culture at Harvard Business Publishing
• Tamkara Adun, author, researcher, indigenous African historian, and founder of Odunife African Language & History School
• …and a lot more.

This year’s agenda includes: 

• 2 concert nights
• 10+ online panel discussions 
• 6 movie screenings
• Mama Baranka award ceremony 
• 3+ in person networking sessions
• 2 dance workshops
• 2 club nights
• recruitment opportunities
• …and more.

Attending this event is an opportunity to participate in conversation, community empowerment and education tailored around the needs of the global bicultural community.

Omek Summit x Africadelic 2022 runs from 25 until 29 May. This hybrid event is held online and in person in Amsterdam. Tickets are released the first week of May.

A Signature event created by:

Omek is an Amsterdam-based black-owned startup founded in 2019. Our mission is to amplify the talent, voices, and energy of biculturals of African descent. Equipped with a global reach, our process is two-fold: First, we create programs and events that make connection and collaboration simple amongst biculturals of African descent and their allies. Second, we work with partners to bring insight and access to a diverse pool of talent.

Africadelic is an Amsterdam-based non-profit organization committed to promoting cultural creativity and diversity in and out of Africa and the African diaspora in the Netherlands and beyond. The Africadelic Festival is an annual festival on and around May 25, International Africa Day. Through concerts, films and talks, the festival offers a reflection on the state of Africa and a celebration of the cultural expression from the continent and the diaspora.