MOAA's 2016 Year in Review
As the year comes to a close, we look back at our accomplishments and ongoing commitment to serve our diverse African communities through Mayor Bowser's priorities for the District and related programs and services. We thank all our DC Government partner agencies, our volunteers, our staff and interns, our grantees, and our sponsors and supporters for a successful 2016 and look forward to another year of continued service!
 MOAA Staff and Interns 2016
MOAA
Celebrates Black History Month
On February 17, 2016, the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) commemorated Black History Month under the theme, “Conversations, Community & ConneXions.”
The evening began with a
screening of Diaspora in Dialogue: A Profile of Africans in the District of Columbia, a film produced by the Mayor's Office on African Affairs, in partnership with the Office of Cable Television, Film, Music & Entertainment, and the DC Commission on Arts and Humanitiess. Designed to shine a spotlight on the growing
diversity of African immigrants, this film presents first-person accounts of
six individuals who represent the rich linguistic, cultural, and professional
array of Africans who call the District home.
A post-screening panel
discussion followed in which participants and audience members reflected on the
historical and contemporary ties between African and African-American
communities. Panelists included Rahman Branch, Director of DC Mayor’s Office on
African-American Affairs; Heran Sereke-Brhan, Ph.D., Deputy Director of DC
Mayor’s Office on African Affairs; Greg Carr, Ph.D., J.D., Chair of
Afro-American Studies and Adjunct Faculty at School of Law, Howard University;
and Emira Woods, Director of Global Impacts, ThoughtWorks. Loide Rose Jorge,
Esq., Vice-Chair of the Commission on African Affairs, moderated the discussion
and about 150 audience members attended the event.
Click here to
view more pictures
EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy Web Development
 Graduating Class of EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy
In 2016, the
Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) held two web development program sessions through its' EKO | African Diaspora Coding Academy. EKO reinforces Mayor Bowser’s commitment to focus on high-growth industries
such as technology to stimulate job creation and prepare District constituents
with long-term competitive skills that will place under-served community
members on pathways to the middle class. EKO is a singularly unique program for the African community with goals to extend free, basic coding training to over 120 residents in web and mobile applications, including women and girls.The program was launched in 2015 in partnership with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), the Department of Human Resources (DCHR)’s Center for Learning and Development, and Coders4Africa (C4A).
Click here to see more pictures of the EKO graduation
Learn more about EKO: Video.
MOAA
Presents Mayor's Africa Day Proclamation
 Director Samba, Deputy Director Sereke-Brhan, and Commissioner Barnes present Mayor' Muriel Bowser's Africa Day Proclamation to H. E. Ambassador Serge Mombouli of the Republic of Congo and leader of the African Ambassador's Group.
On Monday, May 23, 2016, the African
Ambassador Group hosted the 2016 African Day Celebrations in Washington, DC. The event, themed "African Year of Human Rights with Emphasis on the
Rights of Women," brought together over 900 guests, representing 54
African member states at a gala evening of food and entertainment, co-chaired
by H.E. Omar Arouna,
Ambassador of the Republic of Benin
and H.E. Professor Hassana Alidou, Ambassador of the
Republic of Niger.
Rousing remarks were delivered by special
guests, including the Rev Jesse Jackson, Sr.,
Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole, Director of the
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and Mamadou Samba, DC Mayor Office of African Affairs. Attendees had
the opportunity to sample the gastronomic flavors from across Africa, prepared
by award-winning Cameroonian chef Jean Chrysostome Olama Mballa, the
Executive Chef for the IMF.
Learn
more
Click
to view Facebook album
MOAA
and COAA Host Know Your Rights Town Hall Discussion
 Commissioner Wilair St. Vil and Director Samba address participants.
On
Monday, June 27, 2016, the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) and
Commission on African Affairs (COAA), hosted a Town Hall titled “Know Your
Rights” at the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration (ABRA) Board
Hearing Room in the Franklin D. Reeves Center of Municipal Affairs. This
event was held as part of MOAA’s Community Outreach program.
The town hall was organized in partnership with the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs, and the Mayor’s Office on Asian Pacific Islander Affairs and was attended by 65 community members. Speakers and panelists engaged audience members in dialogue on topics such as consumer protection,
housing, public safety, language access, and the importance of creating trust
between constituents and government agencies. Among the speakers and panelists
were representatives from Metropolitan Police Department, Mónica Palacio,
director at the Office of Human rights, Delores Anderson, Education and
Outreach Coordinator at the Office of Tenants Advocate, Sylvia Garrick,
Consumer Education and Outreach Specialist at the Office of the People’s Counsel
and Phillip Ziperman, Director at the Office of the Attorney General (Office of
Consumer Protection).
By providing information and resources to immigrant communities, this program reflected Mayor Bowser’s commitment to improve the lives of all District residents and set more communities on ‘Pathways to the Middle Class’ as they continue to contribute to the diversity and economic vibrancy of the city.
Learn
more
The Mayor's Office on African Affairs Hosts Its Second Annual Young African ConneXions
 Participants of MOAA's Young African ConneXions Summit.
On Friday,
July 15, 2016, the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs (MOAA) hosted its second
annual Young African ConneXions (YAX) Summit titled Impact through
Leadership, Civic Engagement, and Social Entrepreneurship. The summit
was held at the Howard University School of Business Auditorium as part of
MOAA’s 10th Year Anniversary Celebrations and its ongoing Youth Engagement
program that is conducted in support of Mayor Bowser's policy priorities. Over
155 members of the public attended the summit which created a platform that
brought together bright minds for idea focused peer-to-peer exchanges. The
summit also fostered interactions between the District’s African immigrant
community and young professionals from the continent on topics such as
leadership, technology, education, and the importance of civic engagement.
Learn more
Click here to view YAX Summit 2016 photo album
Click here to watch Second Annual Young African ConneXions Summit video
The Mayor's Office on African Affairs Hosted It's Second Annual Mandela Day of Service
 MOAA staff and volunteer participants of Mandela Day of Service 2016.
As
part of its Youth Engagement program, and inspired by former South African
President Nelson Mandela’s life and years of public service, the Mayor’s Office
on African Affairs (MOAA) hosted its Mandela Day of Service 2016 on Saturday,
July 16, 2016. About 130 community members participated in the Anacostia River
clean-up and removed 1,800 lbs. of trash from the river's banks and surrounding
areas. In its second year, this city-wide program has doubled in size to
include several District government agencies and private sector partners as
well as a greater number of program participants all dedicated to
community-building through voluntarism.
Learn more
Click here to view MOAA's and DPW's Mandela Day photo album
Click here to watch MOAA's second annual Mandela Day of Service video
Mayor Bowser Swears In New Members of the Commission on African
Affairs
 From l-r: Chair Dr. Akua Asare, Commissioners Abdel Maliky and Lydia Nylander, Mayor Bowser, Secretary Kidist Geremew, Director Samba, and Commissioner Dr. Pape Cisse
 Commissioner Ikenna Udejiofor, Mayor Bowser, Director Samba, and Commissioner Chibu E. Anyanwu.
The Commission on African Affairs
(COAA) welcomed new and renewing members to its team in 2016, among them: Dr. Akua Asare, Abdel Maliky,
Lydia Nylander, Kedist Geremaw, Ikenna Udejiofor, Chibu Anyanwu and Dr. Pape Cisse. The Commission advises the Mayor, DC Council, and Mayor's Office on African Affairs on relevant issues impacting the African immigrant community in the District.
Commission meetings are open to the public and are held at 6:00pm on the
first Wednesday of each month at the Reeves Center located at 2000 14 Street, NW, Washington, DC, 20009.
Learn
more
African Heritage Month Diaspora in Dialogue
 Director Samba joins staff from George Mason University's Center for Immigrant Research and members of the Congressional African Staff Association.
In commemoration of African Heritage Month in September, the Congressional African Staff Association and the Mayor’s Office of African Affairs convened for a panel discussion themed Diaspora in Dialogue: Demographics, Policy, and ConneXions. The discussion unveiled the joint demographic research conducted by The Mayor’s Office on African Affairs and George Mason University Center for Immigrant Research to capture and analyze data from the District's African community. The findings of this research will support robust policy discussions and provide much needed source material for various stakeholders.
Click here to view African Heritage
Month: Diaspora in Dialogue photo album
 Mayor Muriel Bowser offers welcome remarks.
The
Mayor’s Office on African Affairs Hosts Its
10th
Year Anniversary Celebration
On
September 27, 2016 the Mayor’s Office on African Affairs celebrated its 10th
Year Anniversary themed A Decade of Service to the District’s African
Community.
The event commemorated
September as African Heritage Month, and featured traditional and contemporary African performances, music, and comedy. Mayor Muriel Bowser delivered welcoming remarks and
presented awards to community leaders that have contributed significantly to the integration efforts and vitality of the African community in the District.
 Director Mamadou Samba shares agency accomplishments.
 Mayor Bowser and MOAA staff with the Mayor's Community Leadership Awardees (l-r): MOAA Deputy Director Heran Sereke-Brhan, Director Mamadou Samba, Awardees Henok Tesfaye, Margaret Kamara and Aisha Saaka, Mayor Muriel Bowser, Awardees Dr. Menna Demissie, Mwiza Munthali, and Gathoni Kamau.
Click this link to watch the full video of MOAA's 10th Anniversary Celebration.
MOAA's 10th Anniversary Celebrations also featured a short documentary film on the Mayor's African Community Grant 2016 Awardees and their work in the community. Awardees featured are: African Women's Cancer Awareness Association; Bread for teh City; Ethiopian Community Center; Hepatitis B Initiative of Washington DC; KanKouran West African Dance Group; Many Languages One Voice; Multicultural Community Service; The Person Center; and the Renaissance Center for Culture and Education.
Click below to watch video
Director Samba Named Advocate of the Year at the 2016 Applause Africa Awards
On Saturday, December 3rd, 2016, Mamadou Samba, Director of the Mayor's Office of African Affairs (MOAA), received the Advocate of the Year award at the 2016 Applause Africa event. In the past ten years, Applause Africa has honored Africans in the Diaspora who have made a positive difference in improving the lives of African communities locally and internationally. Director Samba was recognized as a notable African leader who advocates for over 18,000 African residents in Washington DC. In accepting the award, Director Samba thanked Mayor Bowser, and the entire Mayor's Office on African Affairs team. He dedicated the award to the
memory of the late Malick Diagne, a community advocate who lived in the DMV area and served as an inspiration.
Learn more
Want Your Event Featured in the African Beat?
'The African Beat' is distributed to over 7,000 subscribers every other Friday. If you would like your event to be featured in our calendar, please submit the following details: what, when and where the event will take place. If available, please provide a link to direct readers to more online information. The African Beat will resume electronic publication in January 2017. Please send all inquiries and posts to oaa@dc.gov.
The Mayor's Office on African Affairs Wishes You Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year 2017!
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