Dr. Wanjiru Kamau, director of the African Immigrant Refugee Foundation, opened the 5th Annual AIRF Talent Showcase and Awards Ceremony with a description of her organization’s mission, “The mission of AIRF is to help immigrants and refugees from Africa transit and come to their new home…when you come to a new place you face many challenges. We help young people overcome those challenges. We ask the kids, ‘Who are you?’ It is a success if they say, ‘I know who I am.’” Dr. Kamau’s vision carried throughout the showcase’s performances, which included dancing, music, poetry, oratories, and a fashion show all organized by a group of charismatic middle and high school students involved in AIRF’s “Catching Up Program.”
The afternoon began with a keynote address from Henok Tesfaye, CEO of U Street Parking Inc. who is also an African immigrant who arrived in the D.C. area many years ago. Mr. Tesfaye described the perseverance it took to achieve the seemingly impossible dream of owning his own company, and he encouraged the students present to follow their own desires, “Even when I was a parking attendant I had my eye on the prize: starting my own business.” Mr. Tesfaye also praised AIRF’s mission and donated $1,000 to the organization. He concluded his speech by saying, “No matter what language you speak, or where you were raised, there is still a lot of opportunity in America…you should never be ashamed of your heritage and never hide it because it is such an asset.”
Following Mr. Tesfaye’s speech was the Talent Showcase, which was kicked off by a poetry reading from Philippina Mensah’s poem, Where I Come From, which described the importance of her African heritage in her self-identity. Next, two Eastern Middle School students performed an Ethiopian cultural dance that used the flowing fabric of their costumes to create dynamic movements. After the dance, two students from White Oak Middle School, Dawit and Jeremiah, gave speeches about their experiences in their school’s African Club. Dawit and Jeremiah both touched upon their interest in learning about African cultures other than their own. Following their speeches, Dawit’s mother, Desta Gudeta, spoke about the improvement she had seen in her son since his involvement in the African Club. Afterwards, a student from Spring Brook High School, Frank Ketchouong, gave an oratory regarding his transition into the D.C. area and mentioned that he underestimated how the African Club in his school would help him find happiness, “I thought everyone would laugh at me in African Club…but in the end, I made many friends.” To conclude the showcase, six dancers from Montgomery Blair High School performed a climatic African dance that followed a pulsating beat accompanied by swaying movements and hip-arm undulations.
After many entertaining performances from the students, Montgomery County Council President, Valerie Ervin, delivered a very poignant speech about the many struggles she had witnessed AIRF overcome. Ms. Ervin concluded her speech with an astounding revelation—an analysis of her DNA suggested her ancestors were originally from Mali, a discovery that enhanced her personal commitment to AIRF’s mission of cultural pride. Ms. Ervin expressed her admiration for the 94 students who ended up receiving awards that night for their participation, leadership, and scholarship. Following the award presentations, Maryland Delegate Tom Hucker presented citations to Dr. Kamau for AIRF’s commitment to helping the African community in Montgomery County.
To close the showcase, Daniel Koroma, a Senior Fellow at the Montgomery County Office of Community Partnerships, described his own admiration for the work AIRF has done for the community. Mr. Koroma went on to say, “Mama Kamau, I wish your program was around when I came to this country.” The showcase then concluded, but the solidarity for AIRF’s cause remained as the attendees left with inspiring smiles and amiable words.
