Mobilizing Diaspora Connections Conference in the Twin Cities and Abroad

This past weekend, Books For Africa partnered with the African Development Center (ADC) to host the Mobilizing Diaspora Connections Conference. Connections within the African community in Minnesota make it possible to deliver services to those that need them the most. As the hosts of the conference, BFA and ADC wanted to celebrate the connections  that are necessary to promote economic and community development both in the Twin Cities as well as in Africa.

The week before the conference, BFA celebrated UNESCO’s International Literacy Day with an African Story Hour where children and families joined BFA at Common Good Books (St. Paul, MN) to celebrate the power of reading.

We kicked off the conference with the African Development Center’s First Business Awards Luncheon. Congratulations to Katar River Restaurant and Bakery and Salama Day Care for being awarded as two of the most influential and successful African owned businesses in the state!

The luncheon was followed by a special reception for members of the BFA Kilimanjaro Society to celebrate the incredible work of Minnesota Diaspora members in sending books to their communities in Africa.

Finally, we wrapped up on Saturday with the annual BFA South African braai and warehouse party, hosted by Amara Wines. Guests joined us for authentic African food and drink, words from inspiring members of the BFA family, and even a little Liberian dancing!

Not able to join us for the conference? You can get caught up on all that happened in the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, MN), the Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN), and on KSTP (St. Paul, MN).

Thank you to our premier event sponsor, Thomson Reuters, and all of our event sponsors, including BMO Harris Bank, Bremer Bank, Amara Wines, Girlfriend Wines, US Foods, Kalahari Foods, Peace Coffee, Mississippi Market, and Seward Co-Op.