Addai-Sebo
*Addai-Sebo's birth is celebrated on this date in 1950. He is a Ghanaian analyst, journalist, and pan-African activist.
Born and raised in Ghana, Akyaaba Addai-Sebo was part of Kwame Nkrumah's Young Pioneers Movement. His education took him to the United States in the 1970s, where he was active when "Negro History Week" became Black History Month. Addai-Sebo established a radio program on Pacifica Radio called African Roots American Fruits and ran a school education program in the libraries of Washington, DC. Among those he worked with in America were C. L. R. James, Chancellor Williams, Kwame Ture, and Jewell Mazique.
In January 1984, he moved to England, seeking refuge from political persecution during the regime of former military leader Jerry John Rawlings. Settling in London with his wife, Nana Akua Owusu, Addai-Sebo was soon interacting with such members of the Black activist community and was taking on the roles of Special Projects Coordinator at the Greater London Council (GLC) and Chair of the African Refugees Housing Action Group, and later Operations Manager of the Notting Hill Carnival. In October 1987, the GLC hosted Dr. Maulana Karenga from the US to mark the contributions of Black people throughout history. A
Addai-Sebo then drew up a plan to recognize the contributions of African, Asian, and Caribbean people to the UK's economic, cultural, and political life. Other boroughs began to institute October as Black History Month in the UK formally.
Discussing his inspiration in 2020, Addai-Sebo wrote: "I had lectured about African traditions in the United States, and children and their parents told me it had given them a new sense of self. Despite all its grand institutions of higher education, the UK was still a touchstone for colonialism, imperialism, and racism. I devised a plan with the help of the pioneering team at the GLC's Ethnic Minorities Unit (EMU), ably led by Ansel Wong. We launched the GLC Historical Lectures and Concerts, which took place from February through May 1986, to affirm Africa's contribution to civilization. We filled the Royal Albert Hall with school kids to listen to inspirational music and talk for a week.
Speakers toured the communities and generated enthusiasm. Jesse Jackson, Angela Davis, Winnie Mandela, Marcus Garvey Jr., Sally Mugabe, Graca Machel, Yosef Ben-Jochannan, John Henrik Clarke, Burning Spear, Ray Charles, Max Roach, Hugh Masekela, and many more came to London between 1985 and 1988.
Their lectures are in the book Our Story: A Handbook of African History and Contemporary Issues (London Strategic Policy Unit, 1988), which Addai-Sebo edited with Ansel Wong. Addai-Sebo said: "Our original goal was first to create an enabling cultural space in the UK celebratory calendar and, after public acceptance and recognition, extend the observance of October as a month to a Black History Season. To make Black History Month a celebration of the magnificence of cultural diversity and the enriching value of peaceful co-existence. To the African mind, to achieve harmony – both the black and white keys of the organ in tune."
In 2018, Addai-Sebo was named one of the African Voice newspaper's "61 Influential Ghanaians in the Diaspora." In 2022, the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) conferred Addai-Sebo with an Honorary Doctor of Literature.
