What do twenty ambassadors do on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the African Union? Apparently, they dance. On May 17th at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, 50 representatives from various African states joined together to celebrate a momentous occasion for the continent, replete with a live band and an regional fashion show. To set the tone, Her Excellency Tebelelo Seretse, Ambassador of Botswana to the United States, commented on an “Africa on the move”—an accurate description, to say the least, of a continent growing by nearly 5 percent overall, and at 7 to 8 percent for outliers like Mozambique and Nigeria. She may have also been referring to the crowds’ propensity to dance to the vibrant Cameroonian band downstairs.
Other attendees like Nana Amuah-Afenyi VI—born Peggielene Bartels and informally known as King Peggy—brought a side of Africa rarely mentioned. Adorned in a reported “one million dollars in gold” (according to her aide), the first anointed female King of Otuam, a fishing village on the coast of Ghana, was a powerful female presence, underscoring the more tacit purpose of the gathering: to give homage to the “Mothers of Africa”. In recognition of the contributions African women make in government and society, and also in part to display the unique motif represented by the continent’s various forms of women’s fashions, the celebration’s primary event was the ‘Walk of Nations’. Each nation proffered its unique style with a short runway strut followed by an orated description of the gown.
As the pageantry of the anniversary dissolved into mingling and impromptu dance performances from some of the ambassadors, a lingering and contagious sense of hope hung in the air. Ambassador Seretse’s prescient reminder that her and her fellow countryman “had survived post-colonialization” added to the atmosphere of a people that had been liberated and were coming into their own. Despite growing fears of China’s role in the emerging market, there was no dispute, at least amongst these delegates, that there is a strong notion of self-determination and sovereign ownership over the future of Africa.
A jovial King Peggy entered with gusto this Friday signaling the beginning of festivities at the 50th anniversary of the African Union at the Smithsonian. Photo by Samuel Shaw.
For more photos, check out the Diplomatic Courier's Facebook or Google+ page!
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Remembrance & Revival: 50th Anniversary of the African Union at the Smithsonian
May 30, 2013
What do twenty ambassadors do on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the African Union? Apparently, they dance. On May 17th at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, 50 representatives from various African states joined together to celebrate a momentous occasion for the continent, replete with a live band and an regional fashion show. To set the tone, Her Excellency Tebelelo Seretse, Ambassador of Botswana to the United States, commented on an “Africa on the move”—an accurate description, to say the least, of a continent growing by nearly 5 percent overall, and at 7 to 8 percent for outliers like Mozambique and Nigeria. She may have also been referring to the crowds’ propensity to dance to the vibrant Cameroonian band downstairs.
Other attendees like Nana Amuah-Afenyi VI—born Peggielene Bartels and informally known as King Peggy—brought a side of Africa rarely mentioned. Adorned in a reported “one million dollars in gold” (according to her aide), the first anointed female King of Otuam, a fishing village on the coast of Ghana, was a powerful female presence, underscoring the more tacit purpose of the gathering: to give homage to the “Mothers of Africa”. In recognition of the contributions African women make in government and society, and also in part to display the unique motif represented by the continent’s various forms of women’s fashions, the celebration’s primary event was the ‘Walk of Nations’. Each nation proffered its unique style with a short runway strut followed by an orated description of the gown.
As the pageantry of the anniversary dissolved into mingling and impromptu dance performances from some of the ambassadors, a lingering and contagious sense of hope hung in the air. Ambassador Seretse’s prescient reminder that her and her fellow countryman “had survived post-colonialization” added to the atmosphere of a people that had been liberated and were coming into their own. Despite growing fears of China’s role in the emerging market, there was no dispute, at least amongst these delegates, that there is a strong notion of self-determination and sovereign ownership over the future of Africa.
A jovial King Peggy entered with gusto this Friday signaling the beginning of festivities at the 50th anniversary of the African Union at the Smithsonian. Photo by Samuel Shaw.
For more photos, check out the Diplomatic Courier's Facebook or Google+ page!
