Africa Day, designated by the African Union as an annual celebration of the continent’s unity, falls on 25th May each year. It is an initiative of the African Union, which aims to celebrate African diversity and success as well as the cultural and economic potential of the continent. In Ireland, events to mark Africa Day are supported by Irish Aid, which is the Government’s programme for overseas development.
Cork City Council in association with African communities in Cork and in partnership with the HSE, Community Gardaí and NGO’s working in this field come together to organise a number of events to celebrate Africa Day every year.
Click on Africa Day 2022 below for details this years vibrant programme of events.
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To mark Africa Day 2019 in Cork, a fun-filled line up of events were organised to celebrate the diversity and unity of Cork’s African community.
The Lord Mayor kicked-off Africa Day 2019 celebrations on 17th May 2019 in the Atrium, City Hall at 6.30pm with an Art Exhibition showcasing community’s talented artists and a mini Fashion Show highlighting African culture and design.
Following the launch, a meet with the talented local artists that are exhibiting their work. The Art Exhibition ran in the Atrium, City Hall from 17th May to 24th May.
A day of celebrating Africans on-screen in the 'Supa Modo' blockbuster movie on Saturday, 18th May in UCC - Boole Lecture Theatre 3.
An afternoon that made you laugh, cry, and think about our African experience.
Check out the fabulous Supa Modo film trailer here.
Every year Africa Day offers us an opportunity to have a meeting of the hearts and minds as we navigate the issues facing our community through dialogue and discussion. 2019's theme was 'Multiculturalism within Africa-Embracing Unity and Diversity' and explored the dimensions of our African experience in Europe. Dialogue and discussions were held on Thursday, 23rd May at 6.30pm in the Council Chambers, Cork City Hall.
Featuring a number of community leaders and speakers discussing a range of topics relevant to this theme, the evening helped us reach higher levels of cooperation and collaboration. This community forum did not only highlight the diversity of our community, but also the commonalities which unify us and allow us to contribute to Cork, Ireland, Europe, and the world.
Our Family Fun Day will kicked off with a flag-bearing event from Winthrop Street to Grand Parade on Saturday, 25th at 12pm. A parade with revellers dressed in attire representing the diversity of Africa walked through Cork City towards Fitzgerald Park bearing flags from all countries in the continent. 2019's activities in Fitzgerald's Park was bigger and better than ever with kids’ activities including bouncy castle, face painters and interactive games, musical and dance performances, exhibition stalls and much, much more. An afternoon of fun and games that was not to be missed (free event).
Cork City Council hosted a vibrant programme of events to mark Africa Day 2018:
The main Africa Day event was celebrated on Saturday, 26th May, 2018 in Fitzgerald’s Park, Cork City was our most successful one to date with over 3,000 people visiting the park throughout the course of the afternoon. This was a fabulous family fun day out with a DJ playing all afternoon in between acts from African Communities, which will range from music to dance. There were lots of activities for children, such as drumming workshops, hair braiding, bouncy castle and a lizard obstacle course. The park was festooned in colour with national flags and the whole event provided a very visible impact of African Culture in Cork.
An African Film Night to showcase African films was held in St. John’s College on Wednesday evening, 23rd May. The feature film that was screened on the night was ‘Keteke’, staring Lydia Forson and Adjete and directed by Peter Sedufia in 2017. Three shorter films screened on the night were ‘Kanyambo’, ‘Burger and Chip’, and ‘Cross Roads’.
A Seminar, themed ‘African Migration: Motives, Challenges and Opportunities’ was organised and held in Millennium Hall, Cork City on Thursday, 24th May. The Seminar was opened and Africa Day 2018 was launched by the Deputy Lord Mayor, Cllr. Fergal Dennehy and this was followed by a number of presentations and a Q&A session. The keynote speaker on the night was Dr. Naomi Masheti. Other speakers included Dr. Karl Kitching speaking on “Ensuring Equality of Access to Education”, Lassanne Ouedraogo speaking on “Global Migration and Mobility Challenges – Motives and Opportunities”, Alexis Amaye speaking on “Seizing Opportunity: A Diaspora Perspective” and Cork City Council’s Social Inclusion Analyst Maria Minguella speaking on “Cork City of Sanctuary Movement”.
An African Art Exhibition by Love and Care for People was organised and displayed in the Atrium, New Civic Offices, Cork City from Thursday, 24th May until Wednesday, 30th May. In addition to the seminar, the Art Exhibition was also launched in Millennium Hall, Cork City on Thursday, 24th May. Four talented artists exhibited their work - Vanessa Moodley, Zen Tshabangu, Charity Isibor and Leah Kidogo. Artwork consisted of paintings, ceramic pieces, tapestry and photographs.
