Amplify Africa is an arts and entertainment platform, whose main objective is showcasing and highlighting the excellence of African creatives and professionals in various fields, Africans, and Africa in diaspora. Amplify Africa is responsible for experiences like Afro Ball, Made in Africa (the biggest annual African concert in North America), and Afrolituation parties, the latter currently serving as the biggest African experience party in North America.
Founded 5th December 2015 by Damilare Kujembola, who serves at the CEO & Timi Adeyeba, who is the COO. The desire to create a community, education and representation gave birth to Amplify Africa. As the platform grew, and realizing that the need for connection to the continent wasn’t exclusive to African immigrants alone, they expanded the community to include people from other parts of the diaspora. Their core mission is to amplify Africa, Africans and the African diaspora by cultivating a global community. And also to bridge the gap between the continent and the Black global experience, which includes African-American, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latino and Afro-European communities.
“I was taken aback by the one-sided portrayal of the continent as poor, sick, hungry, a jungle, backward etc., as well as the lack of representation for African-born talent and professionals in various fields. So I became determined to fill this gap, change the narrative and ensure a more positive experience for other immigrants” says CEO Damilare Kujembola.
Afrolituation party was the first event created by the Amplify Africa team. The name speaks for itself. It is a unique African experience party that features dancers dressed in traditional wardrobe, flags that represent various countries of the continent and its diaspora and tribal painters. The event is open to everyone regardless of where you are from or your orientation. Since its inception, it has expanded to over 10 cities in the U.S. In addition to Afrolituation parties, Amplify Africa has produced other amazing and diverse events such as Made in Africa, an annual concert series held in Los Angeles during the BET and Grammy Awards; and the Afro Music Festival, which is a celebration of different music genres and cultures within the African Diaspora. They have also produced town hall events, networking events for singles and professionals, pool parties and sports competitions, to name a few.
The most notable of all these events is the AFRO BALL. It is a fashion-conscious annual gala celebrating and honoring various successful Africans. In partnership with the U.S. Congress, different professionals of African descent who are excelling in their respective fields are recognized and celebrated. In the past, notable people in music & entertainment, politics, healthcare, tech, fashion, etc have been highlighted and honoured. Each honoree receives an award and a certificate of recognition from the U.S. congress. The United States Congress through the office of Karen Bass partners with Amplify Africa to present congressional certificates of excellence to honorees at the Afro Ball.
In 2020, Amplify Africa expanded into media by creating digital platforms (social + website) dedicated to cultures in Africa and in diaspora, music, sports and history. Since its founding, Amplify Africa has gained a strong following with Afropolitans, particularly those in the diaspora.
The platforms aims to create more representation, and educate young people around the world about Africa and its diaspora. Today, the platforms attracts 6 million unique impressions a month, mostly from the USA, Nigeria, Kenya and Brazil.
Amplify Africa also helps create representation for African brands in the US. It partnered with United Talent Agency (UTA) to do an advanced private screening of Genevieve Nnaji’s Netflix Original Movie “Lionheart.” They also partnered with William Morris Endeavor (WME) to screen Stella Damascus and Daniel Ademinokan’s movie “Between.” The platform currently represents Africa’s biggest beer, “Star Beer”, in its expansion in the US.
Amplify Africa team considers themselves community organizers, as they create a diverse range of events through which everyone can connect back to the continent. “We have something for everyone and we were on track to do 100 events in 2020, but the pandemic had other plans” says Dami Kujembola.
Amplify Africa hopes to bounce back stronger and better in 2021 after the lull in events caused by the coronavirus pandemic. They already have a host of events making a comeback starting with Afrolituation party in the summer.