Africa Day 2025: We Spoke, We Danced, We Remembered, And We Rose
YVA Ambassadors and TIA participants from Ireland.
On a sunlit Saturday in May, the grass at Tymon Park in Tallaght became more than just a venue. It became a stage for memory. A platform for truth. A gathering of spirit.
This was Africa Day 2025, and Young Voices of Africa (YVA) showed up not just to perform but to remind the world of something deeper: Africa is not just a continent; it is a rhythm, a resistance, a rising.
We were invited by South Dublin County Council, and we stood shoulder to shoulder with the incredible Talent Into Action youth group from Creativity & Change (Cork). Together, we brought not only creativity and performance but purpose. Purpose rooted in the stories of our people, stories of survival, migration, resilience, and rebirth.
The Gazebo Became a Home
Under a small tent with a big heart, our YVA Gazebo Station welcomed curious passersby, families, children, and elders. We shared who we are: a youth-led, pan-African movement using art, education, and storytelling to build bridges and spark change.
Some stopped to listen to our stories. Others joined in. Some cried. All connected.
That connection is what we live for.
When the Drum Speaks, the Heart Answers
At noon, our Diaspora Ambassadors took to the main stage, not with glitter, not with ego, but with a grounded, powerful presence. They moved. They sang. They delivered spoken word poetry that cracked silence open. They danced stories that our ancestors whispered into their feet.
But this wasn’t a performance for applause. This was a performance for healing. For remembrance. For empowerment. For truth.
One of the most emotional moments came when we performed “Blood Diamond”, a “deeply personal artistic tribute to the survivors of the Sierra Leonean civil war. Some in the audience had never heard about the amputee camps. Others lived through it. The pain. The hope. The silence. The voices breaking that silence. It was all there, in the rhythm, the movement, and the trembling truth.
Africa is Not Broken, It’s Unfolding
Too often, Africa is painted with one brush: poverty, war, and corruption. But Africa is poetry, innovation, fierce beauty, and deep love.
Africa is the mother of rhythm.
Africa is the origin of resilience.
And African youth? We are the architects of a new future. Bold. Brave. Empowered. We carry our roots, but we’re not afraid to plant new seeds.
At YVA, we don’t just talk about change; we become it. Through our art, our words, and our lived experience. Through every dance step that tells a story, every poem that reveals a truth, and every collaboration that brings us closer to one another.
Africa Day Is Not Just a Celebration; It's a Call to Action
Africa Day is not about nostalgia. It’s about naming the power that’s always been there and amplifying it. It’s about giving space for voices that were silenced and creating space for youth who refuse to wait their turn.
This event reminded us that we are more than a moment. We are a movement.
We’re Still Buzzing. We’re Still Rising.
We’re so grateful to South Dublin County Council, Karen Aguiar (our producer), and everyone who believed in our message. We thank our partners at Creativity & Change for bringing soul and colour to every collaboration. And we hold close every person who danced with us, cried with us, and stood with us.
But most of all, we honour our young Ambassadors, the artists, poets, dancers, and leaders who showed that youth is not just the future. It is the fire right now.
What Comes Next?
We keep going. We continue building, creating, educating, and dreaming.
We invite you to be part of this journey.
Come hear our stories. Support our mission. Walk with us.
Because the Africa we’re building is not just ours; it’s yours too.
And if you listen closely... you’ll hear it rising.
#AfricaDay2025 #YoungVoicesOfAfrica #DiasporaRising #BloodDiamondProject #ArtForChange #YouthEmpowerment #AfricaIsStrength
