The African Young Dreamers Empowerment Programs International (AYDEPI) celebrated their 2nd annual African Youth Cultural Event, “The Beauty of Our African Roots,” on June 29 at Federal Way High School.

The event featured “a vibrant celebration of the rich and diverse cultures of Africa, organized by our youths,” and aimed to “bring together young people and communities from various African backgrounds to share, learn, and appreciate the beauty of our heritage,” according to their press release.

Executive Director Beatrice Kiraguri said they had six incredible performances, including one curtain-raiser dance from AYDEPI youth leaders and five traditional youth groups from different African countries competing. The five groups included participants from Angola, Congo, South Sudan, Uganda, and two Kenyan tribes, Kikuyu and Maasai.

Over 70 students participated in the performances and over 400 attendees enjoyed the festivities, including some who “traveled from as far as Pullman and Spokane to support their children as they performed traditional African cultural songs,” Kiraguri said.

Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell attended and praised the event during the Federal Way City Council meeting on July 2, saying that “it was great to see everybody there and listen to the great presentations and just everything they are doing in the community, some really special folks in our community celebrating their heritage and celebrating being new immigrants to the United States.”

AYDEPI holds a variety of events throughout the year including frequent community park cleanup days where volunteers plant native plants and work on other projects in partnership with King County Parks. AYDEPI also held a Winter Ball, which included games and activities, vendors, food, speakers and DJ.

At the June 29 event, Kiraguri said another connection to the environmental theme was that “through the environmental justice program led by eight high schoolers, a survey awarded raffles to participants.”

As previously reported in the Mirror, Fiona Okech and her mother Beatrice Kiraguri started AYDEPI in 2019. Okech told The Mirror that when struggles faced by African youth in her South King County community culminated in multiple suicides, she saw an unmet mental health need and decided to do something about it.

“We wanted to create a safe space where youth can come together and find solutions and connect them to resources like mental health,” Okech said. “It helps to keep them occupied.”

Okech explained that while there are many services geared toward youth in South King County, there were none that were youth-led or culturally responsive. Without an understanding of the unique culture, family dynamics and values, well-meaning advice from these resources just wasn’t actionable for those youth that did seek help.

Scholars were also celebrated at this year’s “Beauty of our African Youth” event.

“The dreamers who have been working so hard for the last three months through our educational program were awarded for the best improvements in academics, behavior, and co-curricular activities. Most students had challenges in math, English reading and writing, and history,” Kiraguri said.

Some of the dreamers who won awards were Musa, an elementary student; Marren, a high school student; and Pendro, a new arrival from Angola. This year marks the highest number of AYDEPI members graduating from high school yet.

“Congratulations to all the dreamers who made us proud,” said Kiraguri.

While AYDEPI’s programs have grown and are having a positive impact, Kiraguri said that “the sustainability of the program is compromised. Additionally, space for student meet-ups is still a challenge, as well as transportation for many students to activities,” and that she encourages “well-wishers to support where they can to see more success in the future.”

Community members shared a meal at the AYDEPI event on June 29. “We had popular dishes from across Africa, such as nyama choma, chapati, jolof rice, pondu leaves, matumbo, pilau, and more. The mouth-watering food fed more than 400 students, parents, and visitors who attended the event, thanks to African Cuisine,” according to Executive Director Beatrice Kiraguri. Photo by Bruce Honda

Dancers perform at the 2nd annual Beauty of our African Youth event. Photo provided by AYDEPI