Voices, Vision, and Velocity on the East Coast. A partnership with the New York University
New York is no stranger to summits. But on 11th July, something different pulsed through New York. EMY Africa arrived with weight, and with “Voices of a Rising Continent,” turned NYU’s Kevorkian Centre into the unofficial headquarters of diaspora vision.
It wasn’t just the names…though they dazzled. Dr Michelle McKinney Hammond was as poised as speaking royalty demands. Thebe Ikalafeng brought the tactility of branding craftsmanship to the room. Jean-Paul Adam, Michael B. Serwadda, Mayor Derrick Wood, Tifanny Boyle and Dr Isaac K. Cudjoe offered the kind of geopolitical realism that makes headlines bend. Foster Awintiti Akugri, Kwaku Bediako, Kojo Soboh, Cathy Mallebranche, and Michael Shedrick lit up the room with stories of creative enterprise, infrastructure, and diasporic innovation.
But this wasn’t about talk. It was about tempo. The panels were less “conference,” more “call to action.” How do we bridge remittance with reform? How does creativity fund policy? When does diaspora stop applauding Africa and start investing in it?
The vibe was brisk, brilliant, quietly revolutionary. Amidst the cadence of questions, Prof. Chiké Frankie Edozien’s reflections on diaspora identity felt like a masterclass in displacement and belonging. The room itself was dressed with diaspora elegance: wax print jackets, tailored denim, minimalist linen. The fashion was unapologetically Afropolitan.
Amidst the think pieces and pocket notebooks, there was a thread of soul. This was a homecoming for the ambitious, the restless, the transnational. EMY Africa offered New York a debut that went beyond being just a polite nod to inclusion. It was a full-throated declaration that Africa is here, and the world is taking notes.
