Almaty, Kazakhstan - A celebration of Africa Day took place in the Kazakhstan Peace Embassy in Almaty on May 28 The event was organized and sponsored by the Kazakhstan chapter of the Universal Peace Federation and by the African Union in Kazakhstan (AUK). The African Union in Kazakhstan was founded ten years ago, but this was the first time for its members to celebrate Africa Day on a public level.
There were 110 guests at the celebration. Among them were 52 people came from the African Union, including children of all ages. The others included Ambassadors for Peace, people who love Africa, and journalists.
The program of the Africa Day included an official session and entertainment.
Official Session:
- Welcoming Remarks by the President of the AUK, Mr. Lamin Bangura, and UPF representative, Olga Chuprakova
- Reading of the UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon's message on Africa Day – 2011 (by the UPF representative, Sergey Chuprakov)
- A video about the UPF founder and UPF global activities
- a video about Africa
- a group photo
- African food was served to all guests by the AUK representatives
Entertainment:
- Drums by “Afromiliki” group (Africa)
- Songs by “Reggae Ambassador” group (Africa)
- Songs by Richard Agi (Africa)
- Drums by “Tengri Nur” group and African dance (Kazakhstan)
- “One Love” by Bob Marley, and “We Are the World” sung by all the guests
Art exhibitions were provided by two artists – Mr. Victor Moon (Kazakhstan) and Bob Usoroh Akpan (Africa), reflecting their national colors. It was exciting for the Almaty people to participate in such an event for the first time. Everyone was uplifted by the African people, drums, and music.