africa day

4th Annual Africa Day: Building Sustainable Development with Africa 06/07/2025

From the organizers:

Africa Day is more than a celebration. It is a call to reflection, solidarity, and renewed purpose. It commemorates the founding of the Organization of African Unity—now the African Union—and continues to inspire a global vision of unity, peace, and cooperation. This year’s theme, “Building Sustainable Development With Africa," reminds us that ourfutures are deeply connected.

Whether in Vermont or Africa, we share the challenges of climate crisis, inequality, and displacement, but we also share the strength of community, resilience, and innovation. We gather to listen, learn, and celebrate together—with music, panel discussions, and the powerful voices of African leaders and advocates. As a peace activist and filmmaker, I’ve seen how cultural exchange can build bridges and foster transformation. That is the spirit of Africa Day. Let us stand together in celebration and solidarity and honor the beauty and strength of African communities in Vermont and around the world.

Africa Day, celebrated annually on May 25th, commemorates the founding of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) (now the African Union (AU)) in 1963. It's a day
to celebrate African unity, achievements, and collective struggles against adversity, while also recognizing the continent's diverse cultures and resources.

3rd Annual Africa Day: Pan-Africanism 05/11/2024

From the organizers:

Speakers include Nilus Kinuani and Eric Agnero, with food from Afro-Gastronomy. The event will include presentations, a panel discussion, African food and music.

Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day) is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity on May 25, 1963. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent, as well as around the world.

Hosted by The Caroline Fund, Toward Freedom, VICII, AALV, and WILPF.

African Variety Show: Africa Day in Vermont 04/25/2024

From Dr. Wetchi:

Africa Day is on May 11th, 2024. Africa Day (formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day) is the annual commemoration of the foundation of the Organization of African Unity on 25 May 1963. It is celebrated in various countries on the African continent as well as around the world. The organization was transformed into the African Union on 9 July 2002, in Durban, South Africa, but the holiday continues to be celebrated on 25 May.

Africa Day - Africa and the International Criminal Court 05/28/2023

From the Organizer:

On May 27 and 28, 2023, Burlington was the Capital of Africa for a Weekend.

In celebration of Africa Day 2023, area groups invited professor Gnaka Lagoke for a series of discussions on Panafricanism, including the presentation of his new book: Laurent Gbagbo's Trial and the Indictment of the International Criminal Court, A Pan-African Victory, on Sunday, May 28, at the Fletcher Free Library at 3 PM.

Sponsoring groups are the Vermont Institute for Community and International Involvement (VICII), a non-profit, educational organization based in Burlington, Vermont; Toward Freedom, a news and analysis publication offering a grassroots perspective on world events and the Caroline Fund, helping women in crisis lead healthy and productive lives.

Africa Day - Pan-Africanism and The New Scramble for Africa 05/27/2023

On May 27 and 28, 2023, Burlington will be the Capital of Africa for a Weekend.

This celebration features an afternoon of music, including a performance by folk singer Mikahely from Madagascar, a discussion on "The New Scramble for Africa," and delicious Afrocentric food on Saturday, May 27, from 3 to 8 PM, at 300 Maple St. Burlington.

African Variety Show: Monkeypox Virus and Africa Day 05/26/2022

From Jules Wetchi:

Africa Day is intended to celebrate and acknowledge the successes of the Organization of African Unity (OAU now the AU) from its creation on May 25, 1963, in the fight against colonialism and apartheid, as well as the progress that Africa has made while reflecting upon the common challenges that the continent faces today.

"On Africa Day, the world celebrates the diverse and dynamic continent’s 'enormous promise and potential,'” António Guterres, the UN chief Secretary-General said in an upbeat message to mark the day on Wednesday.

This year, we are showcasing a documentary film about Thomas Sakara from Burkina Faso, also known as "the African Che."

More than three decades after his death in 1987, "this film examines the life and meteoric rise of Thomas Sankara, a charismatic and visionary leader who committed the most taboo of actions in the post-colonial world: he tried to free his country from the neo colonial rule and western dependency," according to Joseph F. Jordan, from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

-------------------

La Journée de l'Afrique vise à célébrer et à reconnaître les succès de l'Organisation de l'unité africaine (OUA devenue UA) depuis sa création le 25 mai 1963, dans la lutte contre le colonialisme et l'apartheid, ainsi que les progrès que l'Afrique a réalisés tout en reflétant sur les défis communs auxquels le continent est confronté aujourd'hui.

"A l'occasion de la Journée de l'Afrique, le monde célèbre "l'énorme promesse et le potentiel du continent diversifié et dynamique", a déclaré António Guterres, le secrétaire général de l'ONU dans un message optimiste pour marquer la journée de mercredi.

Cette année, nous présentons un film documentaire sur Thomas Sakara du Burkina Faso, également connu sous le nom de « Che africain ».

Plus de trois décennies après. sa mort en 1987, "ce film examine la vie et l'ascension fulgurante de Thomas Sankara, un leader charismatique et visionnaire qui a commis les actions les plus taboues du monde post-colonial : il a tenté de libérer son pays de la domination néocoloniale et occidentale dépendance", selon Joseph F. Jordan, de l'Université de Caroline du Nord à Chapel Hill.

Featured Story

Paid Summer Internship Opportunities: "Conversations" and "Places"

Town Meeting TV is now accepting applications for TWO unique summer internship opportunities: Conversations and Places! Both internships will begin June 30th and run until August 15th. 6 hours per week, $16 per hour. Application deadline: Monday, June 2nd. Click here to learn more and apply!