It is hard to know where to start when summing up Afrik Impact 2023, which was, without a doubt, the African Leadership Group’s biggest and most ambitious annual celebration to date.
What made the 8th Annual Afrik Impact so special was the infusion of talent and dignitaries from Senegal.
Our Community Cultural Event and Fashion Show at the Arvada Center on Saturday August 5 featured two Senegalese international stars. Fashion designer Oumou Sy dazzled the crowd with her beautiful, native-inspired clothing during a fashion show. And recording star Baaba Maal put on an unforgettable concert on the Arvada Center’s main stage. Hip-Hop artist Fata El Presidente opened the show with another great performance..
You can watch a video of the highlights of both events here. A photo gallery from both events can be viewed here.
The other huge Afrik Impact event was, as always, our annual fundraising gala at the Denver Botanic Gardens on Saturday, August 26. A delegation of 17 dignitaries from Senegal attended. They included Minister of Culture Aliou Sow, United Nations Ambassador Cheikh Niang, Consul General Elhadji Ndao, mayors of two cities in Senegal, and a host of business and cultural leaders.
You can view a photo gallery of the gala here. A video of Papa Dia’s speech at the gala is here.
As always, there were other significant Afrik Impact events, beginning with a Youth Empowerment celebration (photos here).The education summit featured a panel of youths speaking about their safety concerns and other pressing education issues. You can view a photo gallery of the education summit here, and a video of ALG Education Committee member Omar Montgomery’s powerful keynote speech here.
There was also a well-attended Business Summit, a popular annual event. View the photo gallery here.
The final event of Afrik Impact 2023 was a Business Investment Forum, attended by the Senegalese dignitaries and several local business owners and nonprofit leaders. You can read a story about that event here, and view a photo gallery here.
No one connected with ALG will soon forget this year’s Afrik Impact. The ALG was tired but happy as the celebration concluded, and already beginning to think about how to outdo themselves in 2024. Stay tuned!
