Chairman of the Antigua and Barbuda Reparation Support Commission (ABRSC), Ambassador Dorbrene O’Marde, will represent the country and CARICOM at the Africa Celebrates 25 gathering taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from November 4 to 9.
Ambassador O’Marde will be one of the featured speakers at the event as well as a panelist at the Africa Reparation Forum and Diaspora Africa Konnect of Africa Celebrates 2025, scheduled to take place at the African Union and United Nations headquarters in Addis Ababa.
In line with the theme of the AU, this year’s theme of Africa Celebrates is “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through and Beyond Reparations’’. The Africa Reparation Forum which is scheduled to take place in UNECA and AU 5th and 7th November respectively is necessitated by the African Union theme for 2025.
The Africa Reparation Forum will be rethinking the socio-economic reparation construct, by leveraging on the economic repatriation of human and investment capital of people of African descent back to the continent. Its goal is to deploy a diaspora resource mobilization strategy that will drive impact investment marketplace opportunities to accelerate art, culture, heritage, the creative economy, digital economy, tourism, green, and blue economy.
“Following on the outstanding leadership and advocacy you have demonstrated as Chairperson of the Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission and ViceChair of the CARICOM Reparations Commission, we would be delighted to have you join us as a speaker and panelist at the Africa Reparation Forum and Diaspora Africa Konnect of Africa Celebrates 2025 to share your insights and experiences,” the letter of invitation to Ambassador O’Marde reads.
The aims and objectives of Africa Celebrates are as follows;
- To celebrate Africa’s unity in diversity by encouraging economic, social and regional integration of Africa through promoting intra-Africa’s rich art, culture, heritage, trade, investment, science and technology transfers which can be explored as a catalyst for realizing a prosperous Africa.
- To encourage Africans and the rest of the world to patronize made in Africa by eating African food, wearing African clothes, watching African films, appreciating African arts, crafts, music, dance and other African products and services.
- And to promote intra and inter African trade, investment and tourism with the goal of supporting and empowering women and youths in creating wealth.
Africa Celebrates has grown and expanded incredibly every year since its inception in 2021 when the inaugural event was held. In 2021, 2022 and 2023, 18, 32 and 38 African countries participated. Last year, 41 African countries and Diasporas from 13 countries participated. This year’s event promises to be bigger and more exciting.
