Culture as a Connector
Sierra Leone, Gullah Geechee, Black Loyalist, Maroon and Krio histories across the Black Atlantic.
19:00 GMT · 15:00 EDT · 12:00 PDT
Free 2026 Webinar Series
Many footprints. One freedom. One shared future.
Five live Zoom conversations connecting people, inspiring investment and transforming Sierra Leone.
Register free
Opening session
Culture as a Connector
Journey across Sierra Leone, the Gullah Geechee Lowcountry, Nova Scotia, Jamaica and the United Kingdom to uncover the histories connecting our people through foodways, language, migration and memory.
Session 1 · ThursdaySeptember 24, 2026
Choose your sessions19:00-20:30 GMT
15:00-16:30 EDT · 12:00-13:30 PDT
Five live conversations
Explore the complete series
Attend one session, several sessions or the complete series. Registration is free and the relevant Zoom registration links are emailed immediately after submission.
Education & Digitalization
How foundational, technical, entrepreneurial and digital skills can expand opportunity without leaving communities behind.
19:00 GMT · 15:00 EDT · 12:00 PDTAgriculture, Health & Foodways
Connecting Rice Coast heritage and ancestral knowledge with health, food security, employment and prosperity.
19:00 GMT · 14:00 EST · 11:00 PSTHomecoming with Purpose
Preview the 2027 Heritage & Legacy Tour and discover how participants can preserve heritage and invest in communities.
19:00 GMT · 14:00 EST · 11:00 PSTInvesting in Sierra Leone
Realistic pathways for durable, locally rooted enterprises built through partnership, execution and shared returns.
19:00 GMT · 14:00 EST · 11:00 PSTSession 1 moderator & panelists
Meet the speakers
Mohammed Dabo
Educator, broadcaster and dramatist; former lecturer and programme presenter with Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service.
Nigel Browne-Davies
Lawyer, historian and genealogist; board member of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society.
Ahmad Ward
Executive Director of Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park; civil rights educator and public speaker.
Melbourne A. Garber
Engineer and public historian; former President of KDU Global.
Akindele T. M. Decker
Historian, poet and cultural storyteller; co-author of 20 Icons of Sierra Leone Who Shaped History.
Graham Nickerson
Historian and educator researching Canadian Black Loyalist history and diaspora connections.
Session 2 · October 15
Education & Digitalization
Meet the educators, entrepreneurs and technology leaders exploring how learning and digital skills can expand opportunity.
Moderator
Golda Fania Kamara, MSc.
Global health and digital transformation strategist, founder of MAWA Health and The A-D Ledger, and a leader in responsible digital-health governance across Africa.
Panelist
Bamikole Roberts, BSc, MSc, FCCA, PGCE
Chartered Certified Accountant, educator and nonprofit leader with more than 25 years of experience supporting businesses, charities and underserved communities.
Panelist
Sajdah Ali, M.Ed.
Founder of Assay World Consultants and Chief Instructional Officer of Precision Practicum, specializing in education, workforce development and human-centered systems.
Panelist
James Kamara
Property entrepreneur and cybersecurity professional connecting real estate, business development and secure digital systems in the United Kingdom and Sierra Leone.
Session 3 · November 5
Agriculture, Health & Foodways
Meet the leaders connecting ancestral knowledge, sustainable agriculture, food security, health and economic opportunity.
Panelist
Naomi Sesay, FRSA
Diversity strategist, entrepreneur and founder of Matamp City, an eco-first sustainable smart-city initiative with agricultural and innovation hubs in Sierra Leone.
Panelist
Abdulai Bun Wai
Head of the Tormabum Rice Project, leader of Sierra Leone's National Platform for Rice Value Chain Development and founder of the Bo Festival Organization.
Panelist
Donal Ola Smart
Agribusiness lecturer, co-founder of Mountain Lion Agriculture Sierra Leone and specialist in agricultural value chains, rural livelihoods and post-conflict development.
Panelist
Konda Mason
President of Jubilee Justice and social entrepreneur advancing economic equity for BIPOC farmers, ecological rice production and regenerative community development.
Session 4 · November 19
Homecoming with Purpose
Meet the cultural, diplomatic and community leaders building meaningful connections between Sierra Leone and its global diaspora.
Moderator
Marva L. Goldsmith
Co-Founder and Executive Director of SierrAfrica Diaspora Connect, management consultant and leader of the Heritage and Legacy Tour and Tasso Island initiatives.
Panelist
Abdulai Bun Wai
Agricultural and community-development leader reconnecting Sierra Leone's diaspora with home through the Bo Homecoming Festival and national rice initiatives.
Panelist
Malika N. Pryor, JD
Chief Learning and Engagement Officer at the International African American Museum, leading programs focused on the Middle Passage, diaspora and family history.
Panelist
Luana Graves Sellars
Gullah Geechee cultural preservationist, founder of Lowcountry Gullah and award-winning writer, producer and host of the Lowcountry Gullah Podcast.
Panelist
Ibrahim Fofana
Cultural Attache at the Embassy of Sierra Leone in Washington, D.C., supporting cultural diplomacy, heritage promotion and people-to-people ties.
Panelist
Abdulai Braima
Information Attache, educator and writer advocating for diaspora engagement, investment, tourism and cultural exchange with Sierra Leone.
Session 5 · December 10
Investing in Sierra Leone
Meet the business, policy and diaspora-investment leaders examining credible pathways to locally rooted enterprise and sustainable growth.
Moderator
Mahawa Kamara
British-Sierra Leonean entrepreneur, founder of Connoisseur Consults and business-development consultant helping purpose-driven enterprises grow sustainably.
Panelist
Dr. Edward Hinga Sandy
Scientist, educator, farmer and former Minister of Trade and Industry whose leadership advanced trade, agro-processing, industrial and investment reforms.
Panelist
Dr. Unisa Dizo-Conteh
Founder of Dizo Global and specialist in diaspora investment, trade and development, connecting capital, expertise and networks with sustainable business growth.
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