“The beauty of our African roots”
African Young Dreamers Empowerment Programs International (AYDEPI) celebrated its 2nd annual African youth cultural event, “The Beauty of Our African Roots,” on June 29 at Federal Way High School.
The event featured “a vibrant celebration of Africa’s rich and diverse cultures, hosted by our youth” and aimed to “bring together youth and communities from diverse African backgrounds to share, learn and appreciate the beauty of our heritage,” according to their press release.
Executive Director Beatrice Kiraguri said they witnessed six incredible performances, including a curtain-raising dance by AYDEPI youth leaders and five traditional youth groups from different African countries competing. The five groups included participants from Angola, Congo, South Sudan, Uganda and two Kenyan tribes, the Kikuyu and the Maasai.
More than 70 students participated in the performances and more than 400 attendees enjoyed the festivities, including some who “came from Pullman and Spokane to support their children as they performed traditional African cultural songs,” Kiraguri said.
Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell attended the event and praised it at the Federal Way City Council meeting on July 2, saying, “It was great to see everyone there and hear the great presentations and all that they do in the community, really special people from our community celebrating their heritage and celebrating being new immigrants to the United States.”
AYDEPI hosts a variety of events throughout the year, including frequent community park cleanups where volunteers plant native plants and work on other projects in partnership with King County Parks. AYDEPI also hosted a Winter Ball, which included games and activities, vendors, food, speakers and a DJ.
At the June 29 event, Kiraguri said another connection to the environmental theme was that “through the environmental justice program led by eight high school students, a survey was conducted to award raffles to participants.”
As previously reported in the Mirror, Fiona Okech and her mother Beatrice Kiraguri launched AYDEPI in 2019. Okech told the Mirror that when the challenges faced by young Africans in her South King County community resulted in multiple suicides, she saw an unmet mental health need and decided to do something about it.
“We wanted to create a safe space where young people can come together and find solutions and connect them with resources like mental health,” Okech said. “It helps keep them busy.”
Okech explained that while there are many youth services in South King County, none are youth-led or culturally appropriate. Without an understanding of culture, family dynamics and unique values, the well-intentioned advice from these resources simply wasn’t applicable to the youth seeking help.
The scholars were also celebrated at this year’s ‘The Beauty of Our African Youth’ event.
“The dreamers who worked so hard over the past three months in our educational program were recognized for the best improvements in academic, behavioral and extracurricular areas. Most students struggled in mathematics, reading and writing, English and history,” Kiraguri said.
Among the dreamers honored were Musa, an elementary school student, Marren, a high school student, and Pendro, a newcomer from Angola. This year marks the highest number of AYDEPI members graduating from high school so far.
“Congratulations to all the dreamers who made us proud,” Kiraguri said.
Although AYDEPI’s programs have grown and are having a positive impact, Kiraguri said that “the sustainability of the program is compromised. Additionally, space for student meetings remains a challenge, as does transportation for many students to activities,” and she encouraged “supporters to support where they can to see more success in the future.”
Community members shared a meal at the AYDEPI event on June 29. “We had popular dishes from all over Africa, such as nyama choma, chapati, jolof rice, pondu leaves, matumbo, pilaf, and many more. The mouth-watering food fed over 400 students, parents, and visitors who attended the event, thanks to African cuisine,” according to Executive Director Beatrice Kiraguri. Photo by Bruce Honda
Dancers perform during the 2nd annual “The Beauty of Our African Youth” event. Photo courtesy of AYDEPI
