New York, New York (Ugandans Abroad) —The diaspora in New York continue on-going protests in solidarity with Nigerians back home who are holding nationwide demonstrations against the removal of the fuel subsidy and corrupt leadership.

The diaspora are calling for good governance in Nigeria and a stop to corruption; and they are protesting the Jan. 1 removal of the fuel subsidy which has kept the price of gas low for over 20 years.

Demonstrations organized by the Nigerian diaspora to show solidarity with their motherland.

When the removal of the fuel subsidy caused the price of gasoline to double from $1.70 per gallon (45 cents per liter) to the minimum of $3.50 per gallon (94 cents per liter) overnight, consequently the price of transport and food also doubled, causing frustration and anger for Nigerians back home and abroad.

With justifiable anger from citizens inside and outside Nigeria, demonstrations were inevitable.

As country-wide strikes brought out Nigerians of every political, religious, and ethnic affiliation together to protest, the same is mirrored in Diaspora communities in New York, with diverse groups mobilizing together through social media, in solidarity and in support of Nigerians back home.

When photos poured in through social media showing images of dead protestors and police brutality, Diaspora communities were quick to act. They were enraged and quickly began to mobilize and organize using Facebook group Occupy Nigeria New York, hosted by Joe Ugochukwu Ofili, Fisi Sahed and Harrison Nwozo. 

Abimbola Ishola, who is host of a radio show at www.cultureshocknigerians.com, who attended the second protest at the Nigerian Consulate on Jan.11, said that it was important to support fellow Nigerians.

“I was born and raised in Miami, Florida and my family is Nigerian so I am a Nigerian. I think it is very important for me to be out here today to be in solidarity with my people back home who are fighting for freedom,” Ishola saidd.  “I call it ‘freedom’ because people need to make enough [money] to survive. By increasing the fuel prices, it is hard to survive, especially when the minimum wage is very low in Nigeria.”

Ishola said that she wants Nigerians back home to know that the Diaspora loves them and cares about them. “Just because we are here [in New York] doesn’t mean we don’t want Nigeria to improve. We want things to get better so that one day we can go back,” she said.

 At the protest in front of the United Nations, Nigerians from diverse backgrounds—born in Nigeria or born here in the U.S.—came together as one, under the green and white flag, shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Africans and American friends from the Occupy Wall Street movement. Standing outside of the UN building, they repeated over and over, “Enough is Enough!”

Ibrahim Ahmed, a protestor addressed the crowd, saying, “On behalf of the Nigerians and friends, all over the world including New York, they have been struggling with us and at this point we have made it in front of the United Nations to express ourselves and tell the world what is going on in Nigeria today.”

“The government does not care about the poor people, The government does not care about her citizens…Now Nigerians are suffering of bad leadership. To make a mistake is not a mistake but to repeat a mistake is a mistake. Nigeria, we are not going to make a mistake.” Ahmed said.

One of the women vocal at the U.N. protest was  Olutosin Mustapha, founder of the Afro Heritage Magazine.  She said that is time for Nigerians to speak up for what is in the best interest of the country and for all Nigerians.

“Today we are rising up in New York City and fighting for our rights. Nigerians don’t have electricity. Nigerians don’t have clean water. Many Nigerians are out of a job. We are here to support Nigerians,” Mustapha said passionately into the bull horn, her voice shaking. The crowd cheered after her words, saying in unison and singing, “Solidarity, Solidarity, forever…”

Edward T. Hall, III, or “Ted Hall” as he is known by fellow protestors and friends, a vocal member and activist from the Occupy Wall Street movement, came out to support Nigerians in the movement now known as “Occupy Nigeria New York.”

A symbol of the Occupy Nigerian movement.

“I remember being a privileged man of white skin going to U.N. [United Nations] meetings as a youth leader and hearing these people talk about the riches of Africa, about what opportunities they were but they have done nothing to empower the people of Africa,” Hall said.  “This last year, which I believe is utterly true, we had an Arab Spring, A European summer, an American fall and a Russian winter but this year is the Native year. All of us are colonized, be it by nation or by mentality and this is where we begin our fight. ”

Currently, four Nigerian diaspora protests have occurred—the first and second protest was on Jan. 10 and Jan. 11 in front of the Nigerian Consulate; the third protest, on Jan.14, started at the Nigerian Consulate and ended at the United Nations.

The most recentprotest occurred on Wednesday night Jan. 18, at a town hall meeting where the Viola Onwuliri, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs was present, as well as Hon. Habib bab Habu, Consul General and Ambassador Jerry Sonny Ugokwe, Secretary of the Presidential Committee.

According to the itinerary, the town hall meeting was supposed to take place promptly at 6 p.m. between Professor Viola Onwuliri and representatives of Nigerians in the Tri-State. At the meeting, frustrations and pinned-up anger quickly moved from cybersace to face-to-face when protests ignited as a result of the minister’s late arrival.

When the minister arrived late, Publisher and Editor of Sahara Reporters, Mr. Sowore Omoyele, went to the microphone, to assert his displeasure, saying that the Nigerian people should be respected. Soon after, a full-out protest, with repetitive chants calling for solidarity grew louder and louder until protestors were escorted out by the New York Police Department.

Nigerians in the diaspora are inundated daily with dismal pictures streaming in via Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites, showing pictures of dead and injured protestors, photos that are captured by ordinary citizens armed with a camera or mobile phone, to letting fellow Nigerians and the rest of world know what is happening in Nigeria.

 The Diaspora community says they are angry about what is going on in their homeland and will stand up for their motherland.

Nigerians in New York, especially the youth, using social media as a tool of protest, continue to mobilize and have discussions in cyberspace, with a surge of Facebook groups called “Occupy Nigeria” increasing daily and constant updates with the hashtag #occupynigeria, #fuelsubsidy or #nigeria with updates every few seconds. These discussions in cyberspace serve as a rally call and give momentum to protests and rallies in the Diaspora.

Discussion from Nigerians in New York and abroad, between intellectuals, youth and ordinary citizens, are also taking place in Yahoo groups about topics such as fuel subsidy and corruption in government. Yahoo Groups like NigerianWorldForum and NigerianID continually have up to date discussions, sometimes heated, about what to do about the fuel subsidy, the current protests and corruption in government. Tumblr, a photo micro-blogging site, is awash with photo essays, with Nigerians in New York and in other parts of the diaspora re-blogging or re-posting photos of protests inside and outside Nigeria.

In the Nigerian Diaspora in New York, the displeasure of governments is visible on two fronts—in cyberspace and face-to-face— as a protestor who did not want to be identified, who regularly posts messages on Facebook and Twitter could be seen holding a poster board at the United Nations rally which clearly displayed in bold black ink, a sign which says, “Nigeria, this is only the beginning.” as he sang “soli-, soli-solidarity…forever.”

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The Ugandan community gathered in Baltimore to celebrate the marriage of Dubar Kamara and Apolo Ndyabahika today.

A special Ugandan-Senegalese wedding, in Baltimore.

Ndyabahika’s family hails from Kabale in Uganda, and Kamara is from both Kabale and Mufore in Sierra Leone.  The ceremony incorporated both cultures.  A cultural group also performed Kiganda dance.

Winnie Byanyima and Dr. Kizza Besigye came as honorable dignitaries to the event.

Kamara was the first in her village to graduate from college.  She went to John Hopkins University.  Ndyabahika studied at Messiah College.

The couple plans to settle in the Washington metropolitan area.

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) forensics lab. Photograph by ICE.

Compiled By Ugandans Abroad Staff

-Employer Crackdown on Undocumented Workers.   More than 2,300 U.S. companies have been audited this year by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, to see if they have been employing undocumented workers, the Wall Street Journal reported. 

Chiplote Mexican Grill, for instance, recently laid off 450 undocumented employees after being audited.  The audits have forced many undocumented workers further underground.

-U.S. Community Meetings Scheduled On Secure Communites Program.  The Security Communities Program,  a federal task force that lets immgration authorities access the fingerprints of people who have been arrested, is holding a Los Angles community meeting to hearing from immigrants and advocates.  Other similar community meetings have been scheduled after Immigration and Customs Enforcement has told state governments that the program is mandatory, despite many refusing to get involved with the program, the Washington Post reported.

Some of Security Communities’ critics say many of the undocumented immigrants arrested have not committed criminal acts, and immigration enforcement should focus on violent offenders.  The program was initially voluntary.

“The recent actions constitute a crisis not only for our civil rights but our democracy as a whole,” said Pablo Alvarado, director of the National Day Laborer’s Organizing Network, according to reporting by the Huffington Post.  “Governments cannot rule by decree.”

Kenyans Living Abroad Have Opportunity For Absentee Ballot.   A bill in Parliament could allow Kenyans living in the diaspora to vote next year during the Kenyan presidential elections, Capital FM reported.  About 3 million Kenyans live abroad in the diaspora.

-The U.N. is investigating whether aid for famine victims is being stolen and sold in markets, the Daily Mercury reported.  The Security Council has called on governments to meet a $2.4 USD billion appeal to cope with drought in East Africa.  The U.N. World Food Program said it would suspend any parties responsible that work with the agency.  A special force has also been set up to protect food and distribution to starving people.

-Mabira Controvesy.   President Museveni said he would allow  a public-private sugar corporation to farm 7,100 hectares of old-growth forest  for sugarcane, Reuters Africa reported.    The Sugar Corporation of Uganda Limited (SCOUL) is owned by the Ugandan government and Indian privatei nvestors.  Mabira Forest has about 30,000 hectares of old-growth forest, and is home to many rare monkeys, birds, butterflies, and shrubs used for medicine.  In April 2007, the government attempted to give the land away for sugar farming, triggering demonstrations that lead to the death of three people and many injuries. 

Butterflies in Mabira Forest. Photograph by Tom Tarrant.

Tamale Mirundi, the spokesperson for President Museveni, said that part of the forest has been degraded and can be used for development. 

 However, during a government-organized trip for journalists of the area, guides were unable to find degraded parts of the forest to show reporters after 90 minutes of searching, and National Foret Authority officials called off the hunt for degraded areas, the Daily Monitor reported.

“The parts that I passed I could see some free and bare places at a distance,” said Flavia Nabugere, the minister of Environment, who was nearby at the Colline Hotel, to the Daily Monitor. “If a nation is to develop, it must exploit the environment.

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Many Africans living in London are concerned for the security of their family, friends, and businesses.

Uganda’s deputy High Commissioner to London, Isaac Sebulime, told the Daily Monitor that the mission has closely monitored  the impact of the riots on the Ugandan diaspora, but have heard no reports of Ugandans being affected by the violence yet.

Three men from the Asian Muslim community were killed after being hit by a car in Birmingham on Tuesday night as they tried to protect their property, BBC News reported.  ”There are pockets of our society that are not just broken, but are frankly sick,” David Cameron said.

Over 800 people have been arrested, and more than 250 charged so far.  Some London courts are staying open all night to charge people with disorder and burglary.

“They are burning buses and cars- people are having a hard time trying to get to work or move around,” Brenda Atieno, a Kenyan living abroad in West Drayon, told the Nation.

Capital FM reported that many Kenyans in the U.K. were staying inside their homes or taking shelter with their friends to escape the violence.

Nigeria and Ghana also canceled a friendly match, to the disappointment of organizers and spectators, due to the violence in London, the Vanguard reported.

Riots began on Saturday after a peaceful protest in Tottenham after Mark Duggan, 29, was shot and killed by police.

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Somi, the New York daughter of Rwanda and Uganda, celebrated the release of her first live jazz album last night  in New York City.

She recorded the album over two nights of performances at a jazz haunt on East 27th and Park Avenue, called the  Jazz Standard.   The live music is based on performances from her last two studio albums, as well as covers of Bob Marley and Abbey Lincoln.

Teju Cole, a Nigerian-American writer who just published her first novel “Open City,” introduced her at the show at (Le) Poisson Rouge, a performance space in Greenwich Village.  The evening was a mix of Somi’s performances, a jazz chamber ensemble, and literary excerpts.

Morley, an American singer and songwriter from Jamaica, Queens, opened the show around 8 p.m.   The lovely muscician works with kids around the world, from Northern Ireland to Rwanda and Southern Sudan, and most of her songs are insipired being around them

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NEW YORK (Ugandans Abroad)— More than a hundred African immigrants, as well as friends of Africa, mobilized in Times Square over the weekend to raise awareness of the devastating famine in the Horn of Africa.

Africans in the diaspora gathered in Times Square to rally for the Horn of Africa. UgoCentRiC.com photography

United in New York City, participants from Somalia, Sudan, Ghana, Togo, Kenya, India, Uganda, Trinidad, Mali, Nigeria, Spain, United States, and many more held a rally filled with stirring speeches and music.

Peter Kerre, a New Yorker from Kenya known as DJ Xpect, organized the rally with the organization iRelief, a nonprofit that works in New York, Minneapolis, and Nairobi on relief, rights and empowerment.

Kerre spoke about how the African diaspora in the city can raise awareness, volunteer their times at events that help victims of the famine, and donate money.  “There are 12 million people affected by this famine,” he said.  “We have to do something about it.”

Peter Kerre, a Kenyan community activist, speaks to the crowd. UgoCentRiC.com photography

iRelief partnered with African People Alliance, Inc., Mezesha Entertainment, and FindingMyRoots, among other organizations, as well as the East African diaspora communities and friends of Africa.

Pius Bugembe, the chairman of the Ugandan American Association of Greater New York, as well as a member of the African People Alliance, a Bronx-based advocacy organization, spoke out at the rally. 

“We cannot stand by and watch others,” he said.  “We have to take initiative and help our fellow brothers and sisters.”

Bugembe emphasized the importance of the global human family, and recalled the biblical story of the Good Samaritan.  He also pulled out an Endingidi, a one-stringed instrument indigenous to Uganda, and
played a song for the crowd.

Pius Bugembe, head of the Ugandan American Association of Greater New York, speaking out for his brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa. UgoCentRiC.com photography.

“I don’t want anyone walking away from the rally, and saying there was nothing authentically African about it,” Bugembe said.

A Muslim community leader spoke strongly about drawing upon the lessons of Ramadan to help in the Horn of Africa.  Hussein A. Ibrahim, an imam in a Muslim African community in the Bronx, spoke to the crowd about the importance of helping your neighbor. 

“It is time to open up our hearts and give to others,” he said.  “It is our responsibility if we believe in God to help others, and we cannot forget our brothers and sisters in the Horn of Africa.”

Djounedou Titikpina, the president of the African People Alliance, told the crowd that it was difficult for him to break the fast of Ramadan after seeing images of hungry children and families on television.  “I had to stop.  I could not continue,” he said.  “We as Africans and friends of Africa have to do something to help others who do not have food to eat,” he told the crowd.

He led the crowd in a call and response, reciting the pledge of his community organization.  He put his left hand over his heart, and his right hand up, and said, “We Are Africans.  One People, one nation, under God.  With God, everything is possible.”

Djounedou Titikpina, the president of the African People Alliance, told the crowd that it was difficult for him to break the fast of Ramadan after seeing images of hungry children and families on television. UgoCentRiC.com photography.

Ole Pertet, a Kenyan community leader, spoke about the need for all Africans and friends of Africa to continue in their efforts to help children affected by the disaster.

Joe Ugochukwu Ofili, an American-born Nigerian that runs an organization called FindingMyRoots that helps second-generation children of African immigrants embrace their parents’ culture, told the crowd that individuals needed to join together and collaborate in this time of need.

Many Africans abroad came to raise awareness of the famine in New York City, such as Joseph Sellman, the secretary of the New York City chapter of Reverend Al Sharpton’s National Action Network.  Bourema Niambele, a Malian native active in the Bronx-based African Advisory Council, also took part, among many other immigrants.

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Dr. Jill Biden, the vice-president's wife, visits women and children at the Dadaab Refuge Camp in Kenya. Official White House Photo by David Lienemann.

“Thousands of Somalis are fleeing the famine and seeking refuge in Kenya and Ethiopia, which are also affected by the drought,” said Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, in a press brief yesterday afternoon.  You can click here to watch the video.

The U.S. State Department recently announced new guidelines to give foreign aid workers more flexibility in providing aid to others controlled by al-Shabaab.

-You may be familiar with social coupon sites like Living Social and Groupon.  Recently, Africa.com launched its own social coupon website for Africans living abroad at deals.africa.com.

After signing up for free with the website, members are offered a weekly, deeply-discounted deal.  If enough members sign up for it, they receive a voucher for it.  For instance, the first deal were deeply discounted tickets between New York and Lagos.

Other deals include discounted airfare to Ghana, South Africa, and other destinations on the continent, as well as social coupons for international phone cards, money transfers, hair styling, and cell phone services.  Vendors who sign up can access the market power of Africans living abroad, who remitted an estimated $40 billion last year collectively, according to the African Development Bank, the Sacramento Bee reported.

-There are more Ethiopian doctors in Washington D.C. than all of Ethiopia, and 60 percent of medical doctors trained in Ghana since the 1980s have gone abroad, according to this New York Times editorial by Josh Ruxin, a Columbia University expert on public health, and founder of Rwanda Works.  Only 3 percent of the world’s health care workers serve the African continent.  However, two Rwandan doctors are teaming up with a New York obstetrician to start a second Rwandan medical school (there is only one medical school right now, housed at the University of Rwanda) to increase the country’s capacity for training.

Graduates of the Kigali Medical University, funded by the Rwanda Development Bank, may still end up working abroad, but the school plans to emphasize education and the need to stay home and serve the country’s medical needs.  Its first class of students will begin this year.

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Ugandans in the diaspora will meet up for business opportunities in London.

Ugandans living abroad will gather for a business-focused convention, with an emphasis on trade and investment, on August 27th at the Troxy, a luxury hotel in London’s Shadwell.

Some of the prizes include a free plane ticket to Entebbe from Brussel Airlines, as well as plots of land back home in a raffle by Jomayi Properties.

Kiwanuka will be the guest of honor at the convention.   A business delegation from northern Uganda will also discuss investment opportunities in the region, as well as in Southern Sudan.  The diaspora will also be presented information on finding employment in Uganda.

Ugandans will gather in London on August 27th.

Experts in banking, trade and industry, real estate, and education and technology will discuss financing for investments, land opportunities for infrastructure, and affordable education back home.

Many of Ugandan artists will also perform, such as Mesach Semakula, Catherine Kusasira, Bebe Cool, and Eddy Kenzo, and a fashion show will be held.

Twenty-five business vendors are also participating, including Kyeyo Radio, Ethnic Supplies, Magenta Dating, Sunlink Travel Adventures, and many others.

Willy Mutzena is the chairman of the convention.  He has lived and worked in London for 16 years, and publishes The Promota Magazine, a quarterly publication for Africans in the diaspora.

The executive committee estimates that there are about 210,000 Ugandans living abroad in Europe, and believes that the diaspora should be considered another region of Uganda.

The committee hopes that the diaspora can not just provide welfare for their loved ones, but also use their intellectual and financial capital to work for long-term change.

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Ugandans Abroad (NEW YORK)— During the one-year anniversary of terrorist bombings in Kampala, one of the worst tragedies in Ugandan history and the world, yearly birthday parties and celebrations take a backseat to memorial services and candle light vigils—and rightly so.

I woke up this morning in a contemplative mood, undeniably ambivalent about how to feel as I watched the images on my computer screen and read the heart-breaking stories of the victims’ families and friends. I was born 29 years ago on July 11^th and the date was always welcomed with joy and happiness. I never thought that one day it would signify so much sorrow for so many.

I kept thinking that no amount of balloons, candles, birthday cake, or gifts can make me forget the horror I felt when I watched the television screen a year ago today to see the words “bombings” and “Uganda” flashed across the screen in bright red. I remember frantically calling my mother to tell her to turn on the T.V.

Ugandan writer Arao Ameny reflects on the tragedies back home one year ago.

I remember calling family members to check to see if they were safe or to see if friends were affected. I was uneasy, knowing that the country where I was born, and love dearly, was all of a sudden, a target of terrorism.

Angrily, I read that Al Shabab, a radical Islamic Somali-based terrorist group, affiliated to the Al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the 7/11 bombings, stating that it was revenge for Uganda’s involvement in Somalia.

I couldn’t understand how something like this could happen and that is when I realized that the day of my birth, which I equated with happiness and joy, would be forever changed…

Out of respect for those who perished, for the lives lost too early, for the youth who did not have a chance to realize their dreams, I decided to celebrate a day earlier. In respect of my fellow countrymen, for Ugandans and others, who lost their lives on that day, I choose to honor this day as a day for prayer and meditation for families that continue to endure the painful aftermath of such a traumatic event.

I choose to honor the memory of the ones lost by reflecting on what we can do as Ugandans—those of us in the Diaspora—to ensure that such a tragedy is never repeated again.

From my experience, as Ugandans—even those of us with U.S. Citizenship—we shy away from civic engagement, equating it with politics. Being an active participant in civil society doesn’t necessarily mean entering politics, joining political organization or being a politician. We can write letters to the politicians who represent us asking them to speak out against terrorism in Africa. We can hold forums, meetings and dialogues informing our neighbors and friends here in America about what is happening in East Africa. We can use these platforms to make them aware, to make them care, since terrorism is not just a Ugandan problem but more so a global problem.

We can educate ourselves about American foreign policy efforts on the African continent and even write letters to our public officials to request that they take a greater interest and role in anti-terrorism efforts in East Africa and Africa in general.

We can educate ourselves; join non-profits, non-governmental organizations advocating peace and anti-terrorism programs. We can mobilize and even ask our embassies here in America to formally update us on what the Ugandan government, in partnership with other countries, is doing to lessen terrorism in our country.

We cannot be silent. We cannot wait.

We can forge relationships and alliances with our Somali brothers and sisters in the Diaspora to start and maintain dialogue. We can form partnerships and relationships with them to begin conversations, not about ideological differences, but about peace and anti-terrorism, to move the East African region forward, and in turn, moving Africa forward.

Today, I choose to remember my fellow fallen countrymen, though we were miles apart watching the same World Cup final, one bond inextricably bound us together—love for our country, Uganda.

Today, I use this day to pray for peace and security.

On July 11^th, people died but their legacy and memories bore many more patriots. Their lives were lost but many more Ugandan patriots were born on this day.

Photograph by Yusuf Muziransa, courtesy of our colleagues in the Daily Monitor.

So, on this birthday and many birthdays after, I chose to honor the lives of those lost because in my heart, I cannot, with a clear conscience, celebrate my own birth, without taking a moment to acknowledge the death of so many more.

Out of reverence and respect for the ones lost, I choose to use July 11^th to reflect on the ways I can contribute and give back to a country and a people that have given me so much—a sense of identity, a sense of community and the value of collective responsibility—giving back to those who have given to you.

In order for us to honor the memories for those lost, we have to work hard to ensure that our government, our leaders and the politicians who represent us, are working hard to make Uganda secure and safe. We have to hold the partnerships of Uganda and the States, the African Union and all others, accountable to ensure that our common enemy—terrorism—is defeated.

When the 9/11 attacks happened on American soil, I was horrified at what had happened to a country that had become my adopted home. When 7/ll attacks occurred, I felt the same uneasiness and it was hard to accept that terrorist attacks had also occurred in Uganda as well. I couldn’t imagine attacks in two countries that have inevitably and inexplicably shaped and even changed my worldview. I had always felt like I’m living in two worlds, with one foot in Uganda and other in America. On that day, my two worlds collided.

I am a Ugandan-American woman who chose to celebrate my 29^th birthday on July 10^th instead of July 11^th because I did not think it was appropriate to celebrate on a day of mourning and sorrow of a nation I love dearly. Even though I have lived abroad and have done so for most of my life now, I still have a strong connection to events that occur in Uganda, a place that my parents taught me to know as “home.”

Even though I disagree with Museveni on many things, today I wholeheartedly agreed with him on this.  As president Museveni addressed Uganda on Sunday, he said, “As we remember our citizens who lost their lives at the hands of terrorist bombs planted in Kampala, on 11th July, 2011, I send my deepest condolences to their families. I want their families to know that we will never forget this tragic day. We will always mourn for the youth and vigor destroyed by senseless terrorists.”

I was also humbled by the American response to this sad day for Ugandans around the world.

Candles at a ceremony in Kyadondo Rugby Club. Photograph courtesy of our colleague Edward Echwalu.

Jerry P. Lanier, the U.S. Ambassador to Uganda, said “The American people send their condolences to the people of Uganda and all nations affected by the terrorist attacks in Kampala a year ago. We send our thoughts and prayers to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured. On this day, we are reminded of the strong bonds that unite us as we work together to protect our people from perpetrators of terror and those who seek to harm us.”

Uganda and America must work together to fight our common enemy, terrorism, because it affects our common future, the youth.

Arao Ameny is a Ugandan-born journalist residing in New York. She is a dual citizen of Uganda & the United States.  To get in contact with her, please email arao.storyideas@gmail.com.

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Ugandans Abroad (NEW YORK)— A diverse African immigrant crowd gathered in Central Park for energetic performances by Hugh Masekela, Freshlyground, and Sami last Sunday.

Somi, a talented Ugandan and Rwandan-American artist with band members in Central Park.

Somi, a Ugandan and Rwandan-American singer and songwriter, opened for the southern African performers.  Somi’s music has been described as New African Soul, she is also a jazz artist.

The lovely queen of African Jazz performed songs from her latest album “If The Rain Comes First,” which is one of the top records on Billboard’s world charts.

Ugandans from all over the New York metropolitan area came to see her, including Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, who recently served as Uganda’s permanent representative to the United Nations.  A group of Ugandans from Dallas, Texas, also attended.

The international crowd of diverse African immigrants and Americans enjoyed great performances in Central Park. Emma Pinkerton.

After Somi, Freshlyground took to the stage.  The band is truly pan-African, with its seven members hailing from Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa.

The group recorded the 2010 World Cup Song “Waka Waka Africa” with Shakira, and is known for its indigenous, afropop, and jazz tunes.

The international crowd was electrified by Hugh Masekela, a Grammy-winning artist who also co-produced the Broadway musical Sarafina, and is known for songs like “Grazing In the Grass.”

The free pan-African concert was held at Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield, and organized by Summer Stage, the largest performing arts festival in New York City.  Summer Stage performances will continue until September 2nd.

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