Africa 500 opens up what many call Women’s History Month, but which they are referring to as Pan African Herstory Month, with a presentation that was made by former African Union Ambassador Her Excellency Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao.

Ambassador Quao served as African Union Ambassador to the United States from 2016 through 2019, and made a name for herself with her frequent appearances at events held at the African Union Mission in Washington, DC, panel discussions and other events at colleges, universities and embassies across the United States, online consultations with the African Union, and videos that she produced in which she spoke out about the history of the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885 and the continuing impact of European colonialism and neocolonialism.  Some feel that her dismissal as African Union Ambassador in late 2019 was partly motivated by uneasiness about her criticisms of neocolonialism.

Ambassador Quao is currently the Director of the African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI), largely based in Harare, Zimbabwe.  She is organizing what is being billed as “PAC-8 Part 1”, a planned Pan Afrikan Conference to mark the 30pyear anniversary of the 7th Pan African Congress of 1994.  Part 1 will be held in April, May or June of this year in Zimbabwe, while Part 2 is scheduled for the spring or summer of 2024 in Uganda.

From a bio on Ambassador Quao:

Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of ADDI, Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD  is a medical doctor (having practised medicine for over 25 years), founder and owner of medical  clinics, diplomat, public speaker, educator, and entrepreneur. Her recently published book Africa 101: The Wake-Up Call is a best seller on Amazon.

In her role as Permanent Representative to the African Union Mission in Washington DC (2016-2019), Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD worked tirelessly towards fulfilling her mandate which was to undertake, develop, and maintain relationships between the African Union and the Executive and Legislative branches of the US Government, the African Diplomatic Corps, the Africans in the Diaspora and the Bretton Woods Institutions. This was specifically in relation to the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and advancing the priority areas of Agenda 2063. Her efforts to mobilize the Diaspora as people of African descent and not as citizens of any single African country is unprecedented and exemplifies her ability to unify people around a common goal, speaking with one voice as one Africa and one Continent. 

Before her appointment as AU Ambassador, H. E. Arikana Chihombori Quao MD’s contributions to the cause of Africa earned her many prestigious honors and awards, including two that she cherishes the most: The  Achievement Award, which she received in 1996 from the incumbent President at the time, H.E. the late President Nelson Mandela of the Republic of South Africa in the presence of both President Mandela and President Mugabe of the Republic of Zimbabwe; and the African Woman of Excellence Award, which she received in July 2015 during the AU Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, alongside 15 other prominent African Women including the former President of The Republic of Liberia, Madam Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the former President of The Republic of Malawi, Madam Joyce Banda, Mama Winnie Mandela (Republic of South Africa), Mama Ngina Kenyatta (Republic of Kenya), Mama Asigwe Anyiam (Federal Republic of Nigeria), and Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (Republic of South Africa). 

During her three-year tenure as AU Ambassador to the United States, H.E. Ambassador Arikana Chihombori Quao MD received more than 100 awards and attestations from many organizations, including from the  African Diaspora within the Americas. She received the 2018 Ambassador of the Year Award from Howard  University in Washington D.C., as well as numerous recognitions from Members of Congress, Governors, Mayors, and County Executives from across the United States, the Caribbean, and South America.  

Born and raised in Zimbabwe where she attained her  primary and secondary education, Her Excellency Arikana Chihombori Quao MD left Zimbabwe to study in the United States, where she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in General Chemistry, a Master’s Degree in Organic Chemistry, and a Doctor of Medicine Degree.  She is married to a Ghanaian husband and is a proud mother of five children and a very happy grandmother of five grandchildren.

The presentation of these recorded remarks by Ambassador Quao will kick off Africa 500’s observance of Pan African Herstory Month.

Listen to the March 1, 2023 show here:

Africa 500 is broadcast every Wednesday at 3:00 PM (Eastern Time, United States) on HANDRadio (https://handradio.org).  After the broadcast, the show can be listened to on the Web sites of HANDRadio, KUUMBAReport (https://kuumbareport.com), KUUMBAEvents (https://kuumbaevents.com) and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (https://srdcinternational.org).

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