Afrikadag 2023 recap!

On November 18th, the annual Africa Day was a great success yet again! For the first time, we could welcome the visitors to the Pakhuis de Zwijger building in Amsterdam, where a packed programme awaited the attendees. Spread out over five rooms, four different rounds provided twenty sessions in total. The programme consisted of fascinating discussions, informative lectures and even a spectacular fashion show.

In the main hall, the day was kicked off by an election debate ahead of this week's national elections. Derk Boswijk (CDA), Joris Thijssen (GL-PvdA), Marieke Koekkoek (Volt) and Mpanzu Bamenga (D66) debated issues regarding the Dutch relationship with Africa. In subsequent sessions, the state of democracy and security in the Sahel was discussed, as well as a new report by the Advisory Council on International Affairs on climate justice, which will be offered as advice to the Dutch government. Meanwhile, Jan Pronk gave a powerful speech on the main stage, writer Babah Tarawally held an inspiring interview with fellow author Afua Hirsch on identity, racism and the decolonisation of beauty standards, and Marlena Blaauw together with Stichting Kadowinja received a well deserverd applause during their fashion show! At the closing ceremony, the day's keynote speaker, Hilda Flavia Nakabuye, spoke one more time, where she was able to join Diederik Samsom, Afua Hirsch and Milka Yemane in bringing the day's programme to a close.

As the icing on the cake, the day ended in the evening with the film screening of Women Hold Up The Sky and a fantastic music performance by Kay Slice, who convinced many a visitor to try out some new dance moves with his hip-hop, afrobeats and soul.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to this successful Africa Day and hope to see you all back in 2024! Photos from the 2023 edition can be viewed on our Flickr page.