Categories: News

Face2Face Africa Hosts Its 4th Annual Pan-African Weekend!

VP On Premise Strategy & Multicultural Marketing at Diageo, Marc Strachan and International Supermodel Alek Wek present 2015 Humanitarian Award to Actor/Actress Boris Kodjoe & Nicole Ari Parker

On July 10, 11, and 12, the premier Pan-African media company Face2Face Africa held its fourth annual Pan-African Weekend (PAW), celebrating the best and brightest of Africa and its diaspora.

Keep Up With Face2Face Africa On Facebook!

Face2Face Africa’s signature event included the Young Africans Committed to Excellence (YACE) Master Class, the “I Am a Professional African” Networking Mixer (IAAPA), the Fascinating Africans Committed to Excellence (FACE) Awards Gala, the After-Party, and the Jazz Brunch — all held in New York City.

For the YACE event, which kicked off the weekend’s events, Kenyan Geoffrey Siwo, Rwandan Clemantine Wamariya, African-American Brandon Hill, and Ghanaian Joy Buolamwini presented at the Mission of the African Union to the United Nations on how their work is impacting the continent and/or the African diaspora and the world.

YACE honorees and attendees then made their way to Central Park’s Whiskey Park for a night of networking, music, and fun.

Saturday’s star-studded affair, the FACE List Awards Gala, took place at the Espace Ballroom, in Hell’s Kitchen. An unforgettable night, the FACE List Awards honored actors and philanthropists Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker with the Humanitarian Award, Wal-Mart Asia CIO Fumbi Chima with the Trailblazer Award, Mara Group CEO Ashish J. Thakkar with the Entrepreneur Award, fashion designer Mimi Plange with the Fashion Award, NBA VP and Managing Director of Africa Amadou G. Fall with the Leadership Award, Shared Interest founder Donna Katzin with the Ubuntu Award for Service, and West Harlem Group Assistance Executive Director Donald C. Notice with the Community Development Award.

Amadou G. Fall receives his award

The gala featured rousing performances from Ghanaian reggae sensation Samini and Afro-Beat singer Jojo Abot, with special guests including Toronto Raptors President and General Manager Masai Ujiri, supermodels Alek Wek and Flaviania Matata, Diageo VP Marc Strachan, Ambassador Tete Antonio, and more.

Samini (top) and Jojo Abot

Of the event, Diplomat and attendee Robert Van Lierop said, “I was deeply moved by the performances, particularly those of Jojo Abot (one of the most unique and creative artists I have seen and heard lately), and Samini, whose closing comment on water issues in Africa must be remembered by all who attended the event.”

West Harlem Development Corporation Executive Director Dr. Kofi Boateng said of his experience, “[The] event was a real pleasant surprise for me. I was highly impressed by the organization, site, and honorees. The young awardees blew me away.”

Face2Face Africa’s Pan-African Weekend ended with a relaxing jazz brunch along the Hudson River in upper Manhattan.

Of the event, Face2Face Africa CEO Isaac Babu-Boateng says, “This year’s Pan-African Weekend was hands down the best Weekend event Face2Face Africa has ever hosted so far.”

Honorable mentions also go to Guiness, Brussels Airlines, Giants of Africa, the Babu Group, and BronxNet that were sponsors of PAW.

For those who missed out on this year’s event, Face2Face Africa Vice President Sandra Appiah says, “While it will surely be a challenge to top this year’s Pan-African Weekend going forward, next year will be our fifth anniversary and we are up to the task.”

“Appiah adds, “Like this year’s, it will be a must-attend. So get ready!”

Abena Agyeman-Fisher

Abena Agyeman-Fisher is the Editor-in-Chief of Face2Face Africa. Most recently, she worked for Interactive One as the Senior Editor of NewsOne, she worked for AOL as the News Programming Manager of Black Voices, which later became HuffPo Black Voices, and for the New York Times Company as an Associate Health Editor. Abena, a Spelman College graduate, has been published in Al Jazeera, the Daily Beast, New Jersey’s The Star-Ledger, the Grio, BlackVoices, West Orange Patch, About.com, the Source, Vibe, Vibe Vixen, Jane, and Upscale Magazines. She has interviewed top celebrities, icons, and politicians, such as First Lady Michelle Obama, Senior Advisor to the President Valerie Jarrett, Civil Rights activist and diplomat Andrew Young, comedian Bill Cosby, Grammy Award-winning singer Jill Scott, actress and singer Queen Latifah, Olympic Gold winner Cullen Jones, international supermodel Alek Wek, and five-division world champion boxer Floyd Mayweather. Most recently, she served as the First Lady’s press reporter during President Barack Obama’s U.S.-Africa Summit, Young African Leaders Institute event, and the 2013 presidential trip to Senegal, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Tanzania. Abena is also a 2015 International Women's Media Foundation Africa Great Lakes Fellow, where she reported on women candidates and Chinese sweatshops in Tanzania for CNN and Refinery29.

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View Comments

Farntella Graham says:

July 23, 2015 at 2:09 am

both of them from america are of mixed caucasian parentage.
Vic Bonett says:

July 29, 2015 at 5:57 pm

yes ,and why not hold the event in Africa as well ..make the connection real ,as Adeola (see Sahara Reporters on facebook) would say. After all most Africans live in Africa so most of the talent must be there! It wouid be much more to the point ..and more fun.
Farntella Graham says:

July 29, 2015 at 6:10 pm

Vic Bonett I like your ideas.
Vic Bonett says:

July 29, 2015 at 6:52 pm

thank you Farntela.