Speaking about the sponsorship, Subaskaran Allirajah, Group Chairman, Lycamobile said, “We are extremely proud to be part of the Africa Day celebrations in Ireland this year marking 50 years of African unity.  We have many customers living in Ireland who regularly use our service to call their families in Africa and we are certain that these fantastic events across the country will grant another means of connecting them home.”

Lycamobile is a prepaid mobile SIM card provider that provides low-cost, high-quality international and national calls to over 30 million customers across 16 countries (UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Australia, France, Germany, Poland, Ireland, Portugal and the USA). Lycamobile is available through an extensive network of more than 1 million retail outlets. The brand was initially introduced in 2006 and is already Europe’s largest pre-pay MVNO. Lycamobile continues to grow rapidly with further market launches planned throughout 2013 and 2014.

For more information, please visit http://www.lycamobile.ie/en/.

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Africa Art and Craft Exhibition

Date: Monday 20^th to Friday 24^th May 2013.

Time: From 10:00am until 5:00pm.

Venue: Irish Aid Volunteering Centre, O’Connell Street, Dublin 1

Africa Night of Music, Dance and Poetry

Date: Saturday, May 25^th 2013

Time: From 6.30pm till late

Venue: Alexandra Hotel, Fenian Street, Dublin 2

The events will complement the annual national flagship event for Africa Day supported by Irish Aid at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

Everybody is welcome join in and celebrate the richness and the diversity of the African culture and heritage

For more information see Africa Day calendar of events 

The post Details of the Africa Day events organised by African Embassies appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

Volunteers will have the chance to take part in a unique celebration of African life and culture. A great team of volunteers is essential to make sure that this year’s Africa Day is better than ever, so we want to hear from you! Typical volunteer roles for Africa Day may include:

• Providing information to event visitors, including distribution of programmes and maps.
• Liaising with performers and groups participating in the event.
• Checking the cleanliness of the venue and providing assistance if cleaning is required.
• Providing assistance to event partners.
• Security and supervising equipment in children’s area.

In return, we will provide all volunteers with an Africa Day t-shirt; lunch and refreshments on the day; and training ahead of the event, to make sure you are fully briefed and prepared for Africa Day 2013.

To apply, simply download the application form , and send your application to africaday@dhr.ie. Come and join the fun!

The post Would you like to volunteer at Africa Day Dublin? appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

Limerick will enjoy the sights and sounds of its African communities with four fun filled days of colourful events to celebrate Africa Day on Saturday 25th May.

A series of FREE family events will take place in Limerick from Wednesday 22nd to Saturday 25th May showcasing many aspects of African culture including music, sport, games, literature and art.

The four day event begins with an African Scene Art Workshop with local artist Jean Ryan Hakizimana at the Limerick City Library on Wednesday 22nd May at 1.45pm. The Hunt Museum will host a Symposium on “Development and Trade – the Relationship between Ireland and Africa” on Thursday 23rd May from 5pm.

One of the highlights of Africa Day is the exciting Africa & Ireland in Harmony Concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday, 23rd May from 8pm-10pm. The event will bring together an incredible melting pot of talent from Africa and Ireland for a FREE gala concert. A large group of international and local performers will create a vibrant mix of music, dance and intercultural fusion.

Limerick City Library will come alive on Friday, 24th May with African Drumming – hands on, interactive sessions facilitated by Urs Wenk, Drum Dance Ireland. This is always a very popular event and booking is required.

Following the success of Limerick City Gallery of Art’s Africa Day 2012 celebration, LCGA welcomes back Limerick- trained Egyptian Artist Paula Bourke Girgis on Saturday 25th May with a free family workshop exploring the symbols of Ancient Egypt. Children and grown ups will learn to write in ancient hieroglyphs by making their own Ancient Egyptian artworks together!

The fun will continue on Africa Day with a Limerick Sixes Sportsfest at Crescent College Dooradoyle from 12 noon with an adult soccer world cup, children’s football blitz, face painting, arts, drumming workshops, dancers and musicians – something for all the family!

The Africa Day celebrations will culminate later that day with music and family fun in Limerick City Hall from 4pm with an African theme and flavour.  Local Primary Schools will have their posters on display with prizes for their Poster Competition being presented by the Mayor.

Africa Day is an initiative of the African Union, which celebrates African diversity and success and the cultural and economic potential of the continent.  This year marks the 50th anniversary of Africa Day and African Unity.  In Ireland, events to celebrate Africa Day are supported by Irish Aid.

Mayor of Limerick, Cllr Gerry McLoughlin, said Limerick City Council is proud to be associated with this event for the fifth consecutive year.

“Africa Day truly brings Limerick City to life with colourful, musical events transforming the City! Hosting such events reaffirms our commitment to integration and our goal of creating a vibrant, inclusive and dynamic Limerick City for all residents. We’re confident that this exciting calendar of events to mark Africa Day will connect communities and promote intercultural exchange through sport, music and the arts,” said Mayor McLoughlin.

Eugene Quinn, Chairperson of Limerick Integration Working Group said Africa Week events provide an opportunity to celebrate African culture and promote integration and diversity. “The Limerick Integration Working Group and Limerick City and County Council are delighted to be a part of the 50th anniversary of Africa Day. There is a huge variety of events for Africa Day 2013 and they are all free so we encourage everyone, especially families to come along,” said Eugene.

Africa Day Limerick will be delivered in partnership with Limerick City Council and the Limerick Integration Working Group. The programme is funded by Irish Aid under its Africa Day programme.

The post Africa Day Limerick Celebrates The City’s Diversity appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

50 Years of African Union to be Celebrated in Ireland

– Minister Joe Costello Announces Programme of Events for Africa Day –

The Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, today (09.05.13) announced a nationwide programme of events to mark Africa Day 2013.

The main event will be a family day in the grounds of Farmleigh Estate in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Sunday, 26^th May.  Regional events will take place during the same week in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Waterford.

Launching the programme, Minster Costello said: “Africa Day this year marks 50 years of the African Union, at a time of unprecedented opportunity for the continent.  This occasion provides an opportunity for all Africans – including those who have made Ireland their home – to celebrate Africa, its people and their potential. 

“The 50^th anniversary of the African Union is an opportunity to underline a change in the general narrative on Africa from despair and hopelessness to the potential of inclusive economic growth and the building of democratic institutions.

“Africa Day will provide a platform to celebrate so much that African nations have achieved, as well as the rich and diverse culture and heritage of the Union’s member-nations.  Ireland is one of the few countries outside the African Union to celebrate Africa Day in a very public way.  By supporting Africa Day again in 2013, we are highlighting our confidence and hope for the continent, and for our relationship with it in the years to come.”

The programme of Africa Day events in Ireland is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.  In addition to celebrating African unity during Africa Day, Irish Aid aims to increase public awareness of Ireland’s overseas development programme, which is strongly focused on sub-Saharan Africa.

The Africa Day events planned for 2013 will see free public performances by well-known African and Irish musicians; children’s entertainment; art exhibitions; traditional African drumming and dance workshops; sports tournaments; and an Africa Day book club.

Dublin

The national flagship event for Africa Day will take place from 11am to 5pm on Sunday, 26^th May, in the grounds of Farmleigh Estate in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.  This will be a family-focused event, and will be free of charge to attend.  Highlights will include:

·     An ‘African Bazaar’ with stalls from over 20 different African countries, offering food, drumming, dance, hair-braiding, henna hand-painting and lots more.  In addition to African community groups, a range of development NGOs will be present in the bazaar, offering fun activities, while the African embassies in Ireland will also be represented at the event. 

·         Main stage performances by Discovery Gospel Choir, Niwel Tsumbu, The Amazing Few, Stone&Jezreel, Madu and Gypsy Rebel Rabble. 

·         A dedicated rap and hip-hop stage, featuring up-and-coming artists and showcasing emerging talent.

·       Public discussions on the achievements of the African Union over the past 50 years, and the changing relationship between Ireland and Africa. 

·         Children’s activities, including face-painting, mask-making, storytelling and sports.

·      The Africa Day book club public discussion, featuring special guests – including travel writer Manchán Magan, broadcaster Orla Barry and South African children’s author Thabi Madide – giving their thoughts on the novel ‘How to Read the Air’ by the Ethiopian / American author Dinaw Mengestu. 

Regional Events

In Limerick, a week-long programme of events is being coordinated by Limerick City Council to mark Africa Day 2013.  Highlights will include:

·         Drumming, storytelling and art workshops.

·         A symposium on development and trade in the Hunt Museum on Thursday, 23^rd May, run in conjunction with the University of Limerick. 

·         An ‘Africa and Ireland in Harmony’ concert at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Thursday, 23^rd May. 

·         A ‘sportsfest’ and family fun day at the Crescent College in Dooradoyle on Saturday, 25^th May. 

·         An African-themed workshop in the Limerick City Gallery of Art on Saturday, 25^th May.

In Cork, the City Council is also coordinating a range of Africa Day events.  On Thursday, 23^rd May, Cork’s Centre for Development and Integration will host a seminar on contemporary African issues in the Community Arts Building.  On Saturday, 25^th May, a procession of African music and dance will take place from Grand Parade to Emmet Place.  After music and acrobatic performances at Emmet Place, the Cork celebrations will culminate in an afternoon of cultural performances, carnival games and African food at the Camden Palace Hotel, a community art resource in the city centre.

In Galway, an African film festival will run from 24^th to 27^th May, featuring short films, documentaries, comedies and dramas from Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Nigeria and Senegal.  A soccer tournament will also take place in Galway, and the Africa Day celebrations will conclude with a cultural evening on Saturday, 25^th May, showcasing art, music and food from a range of African countries.

Africa Day activities in Waterford will have a strong focus on local schools.  The City Council is working with the Waterford One World Centre and the Garter Lane Arts Centre to offer schools screenings of ‘The First Grader’, an award-winning film based on the true story of a Kenyan man who enrolled in primary school in his eighties, after the Kenyan Government announced free primary education in 2003.  Each screening will be followed by a workshop, and it is expected that 300 local students will participate in these workshops on 27^th and 28^th May.  A free public screening of ‘The First Grader’ will also take place – in the Garter Lane Arts Centre at 6.30pm on Monday, 27^th May.    

The post 50 Years of African Union to be Celebrated in Ireland appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

At the launch, Minister for Trade and Development, Joe Costello TD, will announce details of the programme of Africa Day events being supported by Irish Aid this year.  2013 is the 50th anniversary of the founding of the African Union, and Africa Day events will take place in various locations across the country from Thursday, 23rd to Tuesday, 28th May.

Irish Aid’s flagship Africa Day event will be a free family festival in the grounds of Farmleigh Estate in Dublin’s Phoenix Park.  This will take place on Sunday, 26th May, and full details of the line-up will be revealed by Minister Costello at tomorrow’s launch.  Events will also take place in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.

Representatives of African communities in Ireland will be in attendance at tomorrow’s launch, dressed in brightly-coloured costumes, traditionally worn in various African states.  In addition, young children from the African-Irish community will be on hand, decked out in colourful t-shirts, representing the different coloured flags of the African Union.

The post Extra-Special Line-Up for Africa Day to be Announced to Mark 50 Years of African Union appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

Dinaw was born in Ethiopia but is currently based in Washington. The book, published by Riverhead Books, is narrated by Jonas Woldemariam, a young Ethiopian-American whose freshly failed marriage to a woman named Angela leads him away from Manhattan. He hits the road, seeking to understand the one traversed decades ago by his parents, Yosef and Mariam, from eastern Africa to the American Midwest. Jonas unites the disconnected lives of the four characters, weaving his parents’ elusive émigré story into the certainties of his own. In alternating chapters, we see Yosef and Mariam, Jonas and Angela, as couples bearing baggage, literally and metaphorically.

We are encouraging book clubs throughout Ireland to celebrate Africa Day and choose ‘How to Read the Air’ as their May book club choice. In addition to this, a discussion on ‘How to Read the Air’ will be held as part of Irish Aid’s flagship family event ‘Africa Day Dublin’ in Farmleigh on 26th May 2013. Readers are also encouraged to share their thoughts to discuss ‘How to Read the Air’ on our Africa Day Twitter and Facebook pages.

Follow Africa Day on Twitter and like us on Facebook  for the chance to take part in the book club quiz and win a free copy of ‘How to Read the Air’.

The post The Africa Day Book Club 2013: ‘How to Read the Air’ appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

The event is free and not-for-profit, and aims to promote a positive image of African culture and Ireland’s relationship with Africa  To help make Africa Day Dublin 2013 a success, DHR Communications is currently looking for Africa Day volunteers. 

To become a volunteer, you must:

• Be available to attend a compulsory volunteer briefing / training event on Monday, 20^th May at 6pm.  You will be notified of the venue for this briefing / training event closer to the date. 
• Be available to work a volunteer shift at Africa Day Dublin in Farmleigh during the hours of 8am and 8pm on Sunday, 26^th May 2013.  
• If possible, be available for a number of short volunteer shifts in the weeks leading up to the event to assist in the distribution of Africa Day promotional materials around Dublin City.

Volunteer roles for this event might typically include:

• Providing information to event visitors, including distribution of programmes and maps.
• Liaising with performers and groups participating in the event. 
• Checking cleanliness of venue and providing assistance if cleaning is required.
• Providing assistance to event partners.
• Security and supervising equipment in children’s area.

Apart from taking part in a unique celebration of African life and culture, all volunteers will be provided with:

• An Africa Day t-shirt to wear on the day and to keep as a souvenir.
• Lunch and refreshments during your volunteer shift(s).
• Training and background information to ensure that you are fully briefed and prepared to work at the event.

If you are interested in volunteering for Africa Day Dublin 2013, please visit http://africaday.ie/get-involved/volunteer-at-flagship-festival/ to download the application form.

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The theme of the 2013 Africa Day Conference is ‘Investing for Sustainable Success’. Following on from last year’s theme of ‘Taking Ownership’, The Africa Club aim to explore what is being done in Africa to ensure that success is not only achieved but also sustained. The conference brings together a distinguished roster of heads of government, entrepreneurs, financiers, innovators, cultural icons, and thought leaders to conduct an extensive dialogue on the requisites for sustainable success in Africa.

Speakers include Wale Tinubu, CEO of Oando, Alex Okosi, Senior Vice President & Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa and Becky Anderson, Anchor of CNN International.

For further information, please visit http://www.lbsafricaclub.org/africaday2013/.

The post Investing for Sustainable Success – Africa Day 2013 in London appeared first on Africa Day Ireland.

We are now accepting applications from groups and individuals who would like to participate in the event in Dublin.  Applications are being accepted under the following categories:

• Community groups.
• NGOs.
• Commercial concessions (dry goods / non-food).

To apply to participate, please complete the relevant participation form available by Wednesday, 1^st May 2013 at 5pm. Applications are available here: http://africaday.ie/get-involved/participate-in-flagship-festival/. As there is a limited amount of space available for groups and individuals wishing to participate, it will not be possible to consider any applications made after that date.

While we are not seeking to prescribe the precise nature of participation, applicants may wish to consider the following before submitting their application form:

• The event is aimed at families and, as such, interactive elements are welcomed.
• The event will be free to members of the public, and is aimed at increasing the public’s understanding of Ireland’s development programme in Africa, as well as broadening public understanding of African culture.

With your participation, we can create a lively, interactive, educational and entertaining atmosphere for Irish Aid’s flagship Africa Day event in 2013.  Please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01-4200580 / africaday@dhr.ie if you have any queries.

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