Diaspora Investor Expo 2023

Swahili Cultural Institute was represented in the Diaspora Investor Expo held from May 5 – 7, 2023 in Washington DC.  With the theme of “Bridging Opportunities Between USA & Africa,” the Institute received a 2023 Expo Award as the Runner Up in the Creative Economy, Culture and Media category. The President of the Institute, Kevin Machine, also  received a Certificate of Excellence for Best Practices, Support and Impact in the Diaspora Community. 

 

Spring ’23 Columbia Venture Competition

Swahili Culture Institute took part in the Spring ’23 Columbia Venture Competition held between March and April 2023. The Institute, represented by the President, presented in the StartUp Columbia Challenge and was selected among the semi-finalists for the Brown Institute Innovation Challenge in Journalism, Media, and Technology. The competition aims to support ventures creating new kinds of content, designing new forms of participation, contributing to our understanding of media and society, or experimenting with entirely new ways to communicate.

 

African Heritage Reception – Hosted by NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Gracie Mansion, New York City – October 6, 2022

On October 6^th, 2022, Mr. Kevin Machine of the Swahili Cultural Institute was in attendance at a reception to celebrate African Heritage at the Gracie Mansion hosted by the Mayor of New York City, Eric Adams.

An excerpt of the Mayor’s speech can be found here. 

 

Kiswahili Conference 2022 at Howard University  held from September 29, 2022  – October 1, 2022

Swahili Cultural Institute was in attendance at the 2022  Kiswahili Language Conference held at Howard University.

The conference was attended by professors, students, researchers, academics and enthusiasts of Swahili Language from various universities around the world, including Universities in the USA, Kenya, Tanzania amongst others.

The three day event included presentations from professors, researchers, government representatives as well as students experiences culminating in an entertainment and cultural show on the last day.

 

World Kiswahili Language Day – July 7, 2022 at UN Headquarters, New York.

On July 7^th 2022, Swahili Cultural Institute participated in the inaugural international celebration of World Kiswahili Language Day at the United Nations Headquarter in New York.

The hybrid event was hosted by UNESCO and the Permanent Mission of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations. The event served as a platform for promoting the potential of Kiswahili to achieve both the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

Here is the link to the recorded event.

 

October 23, 2021 – December 18, 2021 : Swahili 101 for the African Diaspora

In the Fall of 2021, Swahili Cultural Institute offered the inaugural and successful Swahili 101 classes to approximately 200 learners from the African Diaspora. The classes were sponsored by the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) in conjunction with One Voice Consortium (GDDF Global).

The 8-lesson beginner classes were led by Kiswahili native-speaking instructors who taught virtually from Nairobi, Kenya.

Click this link to see the lessons covered.