-Transatlantic Celebration Press Release
Washington, DC and Accra, Ghana – On February 16, 2011 from 10am to 1pm,
Oiada International and our corporate sponsors Polycom, Vodafone and the
United Distance Learning Association (UDLA) will host a celebration of
African and African American culture at the National Museum of African
Art/Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC and the W.E.B. Du Bois
Memorial Centre for Pan-African Culture in Accra, Ghana. The event can be
viewed worldwide by a telecast made available through Polycom. The event
will feature live face to face interaction with participants from schools
from the US and Ghana. Discussions will be based on questions from
participants from both sides ranging in topics from everyday life, history
and culture. Each school will have 10 minutes to present their prepared
historical facts. The goal of the event is to celebrate our history and
culture on an international platform and introduce the program to officials
that can help implement the program throughout both countries.
"Each year Oiada continues to advance its mission of sharing the rich
history and heritage of Africa through educational and cultural awareness to
all people." said Eric K. Jones, CEO of Oiada International Inc. "We are
extremely excited about this year’s event being held at two internationally
renowned venues. We will continue to have more of these collaborative events
not just for Black History Month, but all year long.”
At the W.E.B. Du Bois Memorial Centre in Accra, it is our extreme honor and
privilege to have Her Excellency, First Lady of Ghana, Mrs. Ernestina Naadu
Mills as our guest speaker in Ghana. First Lady Mills is known for her
passion about young people and works hard to promote literacy, especially
for some of the girls in rural areas whose education is sometimes disrupted
by social pressures. In the US, we are excited to have welcoming remarks by
Dr. Johnnetta B. Cole because of her tireless efforts as an educator and
activist for social and economic justice. As our guest speaker, we have
Pastor Marvin L. Winans, the grammy-winning artist of the famed “Winans”
gospel group and chancellor of The Marvin L. Winans Academy of the
Performing Arts. We are pleased to have students from Howard
University, School Without Walls, New Hope Academy, E.L. Haynes Public
Charter School, Roosevelt High School and The Latin American Youth Center
attend the event live at the Smithsonian. Students from The Marvin L.Winans
Academy of the Performing Arts in Detroit, Tuskegee University in Tuskegee,
Alabama, Essex County College from Newark, NJ will participate via
telepresence. From Ghana, students from the Achimota School, University of
Accra, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST) and Mate
Maise School from Cape Coast will participate in this celebratory event.
The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, whose mission is to inspire
conversations about the beauty, power and diversity of African arts and
cultures worldwide are co-hosting the event with Oiada International Inc.
The goal of Oiada International Inc for the past 13 years has been to
provide educational programs and services that encourage the appreciation of
Ghanaian and African cultures and history to celebrate Oiada’s telepresence
distance learning programs which bridge cultural and communication gaps
between the two continents while emphasizing the ways African culture
intersects, overlaps, and complements all people and all nations the world
over.
The ANCC’s primary mission is to link the residents of Ghana and the US via
the ANCC TELEPRESENCE Communications Center which will be the foundation for
a global network of students, residents, academicians and professionals
concerned with bridging the educational and cultural gap between Ghana and
the US. Our "live" exchanges break down the misconceptions and explore the
similarities and differences between our cultures. We also provide students
with computer and technology skills while reinforcing skills in language
arts, history, research, public speaking, math and science and providing an
international stage for them to showcase those skills. By utilizing our 21st
century telepresence cultural centers, we are empowering students and
individuals to become global citizens.
About the National Museum of African Art
The National Museum of African Art is America’s only museum dedicated to the
collection, conservation, study and exhibition of traditional and
contemporary African art. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5:30
p.m., except Dec. 25. Admission is free. The museum is located at 950
Independence Avenue S.W., near the Smithsonian Metrorail station on the Blue
and Orange lines. For more information about this exhibition, call (202)
633-4600 or visit the museum’s website at Africa.si.edu
For general Smithsonian information, call (202) 633-1000 or TTY (202)
633-5285.
Oiada is a non-profit, 501(c) (3) organization www.oiadaintl.org that has
been for the past 13 years dedicated to providing educational programs and
services that compliment a school's core curriculum while encouraging the
appreciation of African and African American cultures and history. Our
latest project, The Akoma Ntoso Cultural Center(ANCC) of Newark, NJ and Cape
Coast, Ghana introduced a "live" face to face connection between US and
Ghanaian students on October 3, 2009. By utilizing our 21st century
telepresence cultural centers, we are empowering students to become global
citizens. Please click on this link to view our events
http://oiadaintl.org/events.htm . Here is another link to view the Channel
9 News feature story they did on our centers for Black History Month.
http://www.my9tv.com/dpp/wildcard_13/Students-Go-Back-To-Their-Roots
Please RSVP by February 10 to info@oiadaintl.org or call 973-732-3188. NY/NJ
residents can attend the event live from our center in Newark. If you are
unable to come to the center, you can view the event online by going to our
website www.oiadaintl.org and on clicking on "Instructions to watch
Transatlantic Celebration on February 16, 2011"
For media related enquiries please contact:
Eric Kofi E Jones, CEO
mobile: (917) 363-8546
ericjones@oiadaintl.org
www.oiadaintl.org
