Set against the backdrop of the most culturally diverse World Cup in history and ahead of America’s 250th anniversary, efforts to stimulate global connections are gaining momentum, and EMY Africa is determined to move the mission forward.
With the platform’s inaugural Washington D.C. Soirée, June 25 marked a moment of historic recognition as business leaders, entrepreneurs, creatives and diplomats converged in the name of building diasporic bridges.
Hosted at the National Museum of African Art in Southwest, the event encompassed the brand’s mission to champion African excellence, all the while pushing the diaspora to reach its fullest potential.
“What started as a single awards event has grown to become a living, evolving platform that tells African stories, nurtures its talent and amplifies its influence on a global stage,” said Ghanaian businessman and EMY Africa founder Daniel “Kojo” Soboh. “Seeds of division have been sold amongst us for a very long time, and it’s because of the greatness that we carry [as a people]. And so our unity is a strength that we need to embrace.”
Driven by the mantra to Evolve, Motivate and Yield, EMY Africa was established 10 years ago to uplift the African continent through the strength of collaboration and storytelling. For Soboh, that includes prioritizing and propelling growth, retaining progress, and a commitment to transformative open-mindedness.
“For generations, our connection has been rooted in history and heritage, but today, more than ever, we believe that it should be driven by collaboration in business, in creativity, in investment, in technology, in cultural exchange,” he continued, “collaborations amongst us as Africans, as Blacks.”
More than that, the founder shared hopes to see the brand dispel generational stereotypes, including that Africa is synonymous with strife and need, and, in turn, hopefully, help forge a long-lasting and valuable legacy.
EMY holds events like the June 25 soirée as part of its goal to promote its international activation, but its grandiose soirées have never touched U.S. soil before. The brand has hosted similar programming in London three times in the past, and once held a symposium in partnership with New York University (NYU).
While Soboh told The Informer that he and his team initially considered Los Angeles for the celebration, ultimately, Washington was the most effective option, coupled with the Southwest museum as an optimal backdrop to showcase authentic global prominence and cultural brilliance— particularly as the nation celebrates its semiquincentennial.
“D.C. is uniquely positioned as a global crossroads of politics, culture and Black leadership,” Soboh shared, “and with the World Cup and institutions like the Smithsonian drawing global attention, we thought it was an ideal place, convening conversations about our identity, opportunity and shared progress.”
Accelerating Economic Coalition Among the Diaspora
While the EMY soirée was a way for members of the diaspora to connect and celebrate one another amid the continent’s recent success in the World Cup, it served as so much more. The room was full to the brim with everlasting pride, where attendees could pour into one another and embody the spirit of cross-cultural connection.
For Lisa Kunney, an international business development strategist of Ghanaian descent, the event allowed her to embrace the essence of what Ghana means to her: culture, rhythm and love. She told The Informer that such a celebration in the nation’s capital was incredibly meaningful because of the weight it carries on both the national and global stages.
“What you’re seeing here is the diaspora coming back, not only to celebrate culture, but to invest in collaboration,” Kunney told The Informer. “I think this is particularly significant because we’re at a time in society where the love of humanity… has been a little forgotten.”
Washington is a hotspot for African pride, especially for U.S. Shadow Rep. Oye Owolewa (D), who is expected to be the city’s first D.C. Council member of African descent as the Democratic at-large nominee. Attending the soirée and being part of such a partnership held immense weight for him, as someone who is no stranger to championing collective impact.
“Whether it’s the Ghanaian community, Ethiopian community, whether it’s U Street or beyond, the African community has had a tremendous impact in D.C., but it’s even more important for our future,” said the Nigeria native. “It can’t just be business owners; it can’t just be elected officials. We all got a part to play.”
For Owolewa, this event was not only a way for attendees to recognize the District as a cultural hub or a place to spend money, but a city to revel in all the recreation it has to offer. In his welcoming remarks, he emphasized that Washington allocated approximately $6 billion annually to contracts and procurement, but that representation for the diaspora among contract awardees is low.
“It was a really good opportunity to get folks to think about not only Washington, D.C. as the capital, but also the local community and economy, [and] how we can work together and invest,” Owolewa told The Informer. “Whether we’re moving forward with [getting more African businesses] involved with D.C., making sure that we’re rehiring D.C. natives, [or] making sure we’re keeping our economy going is really important.”
With 15% of the city’s businesses Black-owned, the city stands as a national leader in that demographic, but there’s still more work to be done. Additionally, Washington simultaneously leads the nation in unemployment, with a rate of 6.1% as of May 2026.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, the nation’s capital suffers the most in the country regarding racial unemployment disparities. In the second quarter of 2025, 10.3% of those without jobs were Black, compared to 3% for their white counterparts.
Considering these circumstances, investing in more of these businesses and accelerating job creation would be highly beneficial for the diaspora. Collaboration among employees, business owners, and decision-makers could lay the foundation for the enduring legacy that Africa deserves and that EMY strives to build.
“Having folks like myself, who can legislate, provide oversight and have a say in that budget, being just as intentional on making sure those opportunities are met with real resources, is something that I [was] glad to at least jumpstart in the D.C. soirée,” Owolewa told The Informer.
Pushing Toward Freedom
EMY’s commitment to following its mission of uplifting, nurturing and serving the diaspora to lead its members toward long-lasting success is the culmination of ancestors’ manifestations for a more inclusive and successful life for future generations.
Black communities stepping into positions of influence and prosperity, while helping water young minds to continue the good work, was something close to a fantasy when colonizers initially tore Africans from the motherland 407 years ago.
“When it comes to… people thriving and being able to live their dreams, this nation takes the cake,” Kunney told The Informer. “I think with having the diaspora come together, they’re at a place where they want to build on that dream.”
In the four centuries that Black people have been on United States soil, they have only been free of enslavement for approximately 161 years, still not having been fully emancipated when the nation won its independence 250 years ago. While the Black experience in the U.S. and worldwide has been riddled with suffering and discrimination, the diaspora continues to keep the spirit of resistance alive by consistently flourishing.
The refusal to accept injustice or disenfranchisement is a tradition ingrained throughout the global culture movement. For this legacy of resistance to persist through generations of trials and tribulations, some say the diaspora needs an unshakeable sense of solidarity, especially in today’s United States.
“We have a White House that is literally trying to undermine and sabotage our efforts, so we have to be cognizant of it [and]… understand that we do not have a friend in the federal government,” Owolewa told The Informer. “We have to be intentional about calling this out, but we also have to… focus on finding solutions around it.”
For Soboh, the solutions include: mentoring younger generations, keeping authentic African stories alive, combining resources and making good use of every single opportunity that comes to light. By actively keeping EMY’s mission alive, Africa as a continent and a people can truly amplify its influence on the global stage.
“Let’s be intentional about what we have, and take as much advantage of it as possible,” Soboh told The Informer, “because that is what we have [and] that’s what God blessed us with.”
