Government and industry leaders to come together in celebration of Africa’s first Integration Day on 7 July
SAT, JULY 04 2020-theG&BJournal- Leaders from across African business and government are set to unite this July for the first-ever Boma of Africa Festival, led by the African Union Commission and the AfroChampions Initiative.
In celebration of the inaugural Africa Integration Day on 7th July, the Boma of Africa Festival will host a series of insightful convenings seeking to drive sector integration across Africa. Leading speakers from a range of sectors will aim to generate high-level discussion delving deep into how actions can inspire Africans to hone their talents for the common good.
The festival kicked off today with The Grand Debates, where Africa’s most prolific, incisive and prominent minds were invited to debate for and against themes including inclusion, innovation and integration, chosen to highlight the creative tensions the continent faces.
Later in the week, the Showcase Day will highlight a number of innovative projects accelerating integration across Africa, including an initiative bringing Africa fashion designers, cotton growers and manufacturers together to make masks branded by the NBA.
The festival is one of a number of innovative programmes taking place around Africa Integration Day to highlight the new African economic order, following agreement by the African Heads of State to establish the yearly commemoration during an Assembly of the Africa Union session in 2019.
“We are pleased to welcome both government and private-sector leaders across science and technology, education and the creative arts to the first Boma of Africa Festival, our flagship event for Africa Integration Day. We created this day as an opportunity to highlight Africa’s trade and economic integration potential and showcase our breadth of creativity and talent. I encourage all Africans to get involved in the festival and help celebrate our future”, said Dr. Edem Adzogenu, Chairman of AfroChampions Executive Committee.
As part of the virtual festival, the continent’s brightest creatives and artists are invited to participate in a Creative Challenge, with the opportunity to win the grand prize of USD$50,000.
Artists are invited to explore and celebrate the journey towards Africa’s future through artistic works in categories including poetry, short stories, video/audio and animations/games, through to visual arts, cartoons, culinary art, fashion and crafts. Artworks will explore the festival’s uniting themes:
African Unity is About Difference
African Science is Universal Science
Africa’s Future is in its Past
Globalization is Africa’s Friend
The Creative Arts Challenge is free to enter and open now to all Africans, who can enter as many times, and in as many categories, as they wish. Artistic works entered will be showcased on the festival’s website, and towards the end of June the top works will be selected as finalists to participate in the challenge, with the overall winner announced on 7th July.
Further sessions will include an inaugural Panel Discussion on Africa trade and economic growth post COVID-19 and the Africa Futures Scenarios, which will see two universities compete in painting a vision for Africa.
The Boma of Africa Festival encourages collaboration between the African private-sector and continental governance institutions to transform the hope of unity into action, that brings prosperity and pride to Africa and its people. The Boma of Africa Festival is a unique opportunity to bring the leaders of African industries together to generate real action that will lead us into the future.
The festival is anchored by strategic partners with organizations including Speak Up Africa, a Dakar based advocacy tank, African Export–Import Bank and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA).
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