Nationwide programme of events unveiled for largest ever Africa Day celebrations
Press release
03 May 2022
Minister Brophy celebrates the launch of Africa Day 2022
Minister for Overseas Development Aid and Diaspora, Colm Brophy TD, has today announced an exciting Africa Day 2022 programme, including a free film festival, a stunning exhibition at EPIC Museum, and events held in association with local authorities around the country.
This year will see Ireland’s largest ever Africa Day programme, with events being held nationwide. Africa Day 2022 will see the return of in-person events for the first time since 2019.
Africa Day, which falls on Wednesday, 25th May, celebrates the richness of African cultures and the contribution of people of African descent to Irish life. Africa Day celebrations are organised by Irish Aid in partnership with African embassies in Ireland and local authorities around the country.
Local authorities nationwide will host a wide range of cultural, artistic and family-friendly events. These include family fun days, fashion shows, art exhibitions, movie nights, drumming workshops, street parades, music recitals and food markets, which will take place in towns and cities across Ireland.
This year will also see the inaugural Africa Day Film Festival in Dublin. A number of contemporary African films will be screened free of charge in venues including the Lighthouse Cinema, IFI and the Savoy Cinema. Complimentary tickets to the screenings can be claimed on the AfricaDay.ie website.
Africa Day 2022 will also see the launch of Revolutionary Routes: Ireland and the Black Atlantic, a stunning new exhibition at EPIC museum tracing Irish and African diaspora movement across the Atlantic over the centuries. Revolutionary Routes, which will be on display from 25th May until 30th October, explores journeys undertaken by people and cultural artefacts that demonstrate the intertwining histories of the African and Irish diasporas.
Minister Brophy said “Ireland has been enriched in so many ways by the presence of a vibrant African community. Ireland’s arts, culture, business, community development, sport and so much more have been strengthened by people of African origin or descent. Africa Day is about recognising that contribution and celebrating the culture and potential of the continent as a whole."
“Africa Day is also a chance to recognise ever-strengthening trade, investment and diplomatic links between Ireland and African nations and to acknowledge our decades-long work to support sustainable development across the continent."
“After two years of online events, this year will see the welcome return of in-person events nationwide. Irish Aid’s partnership with local authorities will bring the fun of Africa Day to communities around the country. Whether it is through music, sport, art or a film festival that will for the first time celebrate Africa’s dynamic film industry in Ireland, the Africa Day 2022 programme has something for everyone. I am delighted that Africa Day 2022 is set to be our biggest ever Africa Day celebration.”
For more information visit www.AfricaDay.ie.
Notes to editors
- Minister Colm Brophy is available for interview, on request.
- Africa Day is an international day that commemorates the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963. It falls on 25th May each year.
- Irish Aid has hosted Africa Day celebrations since 2006. Activities in 2020 and 2021 were held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Thirty local authorities will stage events and activities to mark Africa Day 2022. Funding for these events has been provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs. Events will take place nationwide from 21st – 28th May. These events will be listed on local authorities’ social media channels and websites, as well as on www.AfricaDay.ie.
- The inaugural Africa Day Film Festival will see a number of contemporary African films and documentaries screened in cinemas in Dublin. The programme includes Supa Moda, a Kenyan film telling the story of a community that comes together to make a girl with terminal illness believe she is a superhero; Elder’s Corner, a documentary celebrating the history of Afrobeat and other Nigerian music; The Knower, a stylish Egyptian thriller; and The Ants and the Grasshopper, a documentary about two Malawian farmers who travel to America to challenge misinformation about climate change. Tickets for the films are free of charge and can be claimed at www.AfricaDay.ie from today.
- Revolutionary Routes: Ireland and the Black Atlantic explores journeys undertaken by people and cultural artefacts that demonstrate the intertwining histories of the African and Irish diasporas. The exhibition traces this history from the Age of Revolutions to the present day, encapsulating histories of enslavement, abolition, race and anti-racism. Twelve stories of departure, arrival and return allow us to trace inward migration and multiculturalism within Ireland in addition to highlighting the diversity of the diaspora.
ENDS
Press Office
03 May 2022