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Founding Meeting: Afryea Collective was founded in London on February 12th 2020 with the intention to strengthen identity, build community and celebrate diversity whilst promoting female+ creators.
Stories
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Stories
"Strengthen identity, build community & Celebrate Diversity"
AFRYEA
Our
Purpose
Afryea is a West African name, especially common in Ghana.
Afryea means, in the African language Ewe, “born during happy times”, “born at a time of prosperity”.
The organisations purpose is to create a platform for female and gender minority creators who through their work reflect the core values on which Afryea Collective is built: Strengthen Identity, Build Community and Celebrate Diversity.
Our aim is to bring people together for thought and idea exchange. Through various approaches, Afryea Collective intends to work to promote the values Afryea Collective is built on and to get current social affairs, that conflict with Afryea Collective's values, on the agenda.
OUR FOCUS
The main focus of the organisation is to promote female creatives. The topics of Identity, Diversity and Community is the foundation on which we built on. Our hope for Afryea is that it becomes a safe space and a platform where everyone feels welcome and included. A space where people feel like their opinions are heard, where the individual feels seen and comfortable enough to express their own identity, celebrate diversity and create a community with empowered women.
Why we in 2020 have focoused on Racism:
The systematic racism and inequality that is present in our societies is not news to the people who have to live through it every day. The painful loss of yet another black life in such a brutal and unjust way has become the tip of the iceberg of years of the oppression and discrimination that every single black person is sadly, too familiar with. Stepping on the neck of one is stepping on the neck of all. We cannot breathe. Rest in Power George Floyd and all the others whose lives were taken too soon. Your lives mattered.
We haven’t even started our organisation yet, and already we have had voices tell us that we should not be too political and only stick to promoting art. Not having to be political is a privilege. A privilege that we do not have.
We founded Afryea on the pillars of identity, diversity, and community to create a safe space for people to express themselves and tell their stories. At this time there are a lot of difficult conversations that need to take place and self-reflection that needs to be done; ask yourself how is my silence part of the problem? But more importantly self-education!! Read more! listen more! And if you still have questions about why this is all happening, Ask!
It is important to remember that this is a traumatic and painful time for many people in the black community. Be kind towards each other, check in on your friends, stand in solidarity with them. Take care of your wellbeing and mental health in these difficult times. This is not the time to let our fears and insecurities get in the way of us contributing to bringing about the long-awaited, long-overdue change that is necessary and that should be a given in this day and age.