 Chairman of the Bowling Green Association. Let me begin first with some acknowledgments, which is really the most important part of my job. I want to acknowledge the long-time Vice-Chairman of the Bowling Green Association, Ibrahim Kertoulis, who's responsible for many of these flare-grazings. And as a matter of fact, Ibrahim, about six weeks ago, arranged for Senegal to raise their flag here, which gave me the opportunity to meet Sheikh Drami, who I spoke to and told him I wanted to do the African Union flag here. And he said, we'll make it happen. I said, well, we need a 12 by 8 foot African Union flag. He said, we'll get it. So, Sheikh, thank you very much. We couldn't have done this without you. Although some people aren't here yet, they are coming. I'd like to acknowledge Commissioner Manuel Castro and his staff, who partner with the Bowling Green Association on all these flag reasons, since our great new mayor became mayor in January. His senior staff, Shayna Coriel, Eileen Reyes, Cesar Varquez. I also want to give a special, special thank to our Commissioner of International Affairs, Commissioner Merlman-Steen, and most of all, to his assistant commissioner, Asita Kamara, who played the absolutely pivotal role, who will be taken over as MC after I make a few remarks. We have been raising flags here at Bowling Green on the second flagpole since it was stalled here in 1996, hundreds of times, but even more often since Eric Adams became mayor, who appreciates the power and the value of raising flags here where New York City was founded, and why we are here today, and why today's flag raising in all those flag raisings, hundreds of flag raisings since 1996 is unique. This is the first time ever we are raising the flag of a union of nations, of 55 nations in the African Union, and doing in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the African Union. Also special is that we always, every day of the year, fly the original 13-star American flag, one star for each state in our original union. And for the first time ever today, the African Union flag, which we will raise here, and which will fly here for the next week, also is a circle of flags, 55 stars for the 55 African nations who are members of the African Union. So for the first time, we'll have two circles of flags flying here, and that makes very proud. And finally, what is most important of all to be raising the African Union flag here? For the first time, here at Bowling Green, the powerful reason we fly the 13-star American flag here. Without question, there is no competition. The most important flag raising in all of American history took place right here on November 25th, 1783. Seven years after, General George Washington had to retreat from New York City in disarray in 1776, chased by the British. Seven years later, George Washington returned, returned triumphant to New York City for just one reason, to declare the war over and America's complete victory. He came into New York City, rode down Broadway, this Broadway, right to this very place to witness the last British troops still stationed anywhere in the American states leave this new nation. And most of all, he was right here to watch the last British flag still flying anywhere in the Americas come down right here at Bowling Green and to be replaced by the 13-star American flag. And why we fly the 13-star American flag every single day of the year and always will in his honor. So although Ambassador Mohammed has not arrived yet, I very much hope the African community and the African Union specifically will turn here every September on or near African Union Day, year after year for generations to come to raise your flag here and for generations to come for the union of African nations and the African continent becomes more and more powerful and significant and prosperous until it rivals or surpasses the power centers of today, the United States, China and the European Union. There is no dispute that our human race began over 100,000 years ago in Africa and then spread all over the earth, including what would become New York City and Bowling Green. It will be the justice and fairness of history that Africa once again takes this place as a center of greatness in the 21st century and beyond. And when that day comes, we look very forward to raising the African Union flag right here. Thank you all. And now I would like to introduce our master of ceremonies for today. The Office of International Affairs Assistant Commissioner Asita Kamara. How are we doing? Okay. I know many of you have met me. How are we doing? We're doing well. Yes? Because this is about us. This is about Africa. So we need to make sure that we represent for ourselves. First, I want to acknowledge the Honorable Consul's general and ambassadors that are here. Thank you for coming. And then I want to acknowledge the community. Thank you for coming as well. It's my pleasure to be your master of ceremony. My name is Asita Kamara and I'm the Deputy Commissioner for International Affairs. And right now it's my pleasure to give the floor to Benga Subair to speak about the celebration. Benga, over to you. Good afternoon, everyone. Happy Friday. Happy Friday. Happy Friday. Yes. Hello, everybody. Honorable Greetings to the Mayor of New York City, the Honorable Mayor Eric Adams, the AU Ambassador to the UN, Ambassador Fatima Mohamed, Commissioner Lamestine, and Commissioner Castro, and Deputy Commissioner Asita Kamara, all the Consulate Generals from different African countries, dignitaries, ladies and gentlemen, we welcome you to the African Union Flag Raising Ceremony here at the Bowling Green Park in the heart of the financial district in New York City. We've come together from all walks of life to celebrate an historic moment on milestone in Africa's beautiful history as we commemorate the 28th anniversary of the formation of the African Union from the Organization of African Unity, OAU. As the continent continues to go through a lot of daily changes, developments, and ways to uplift every citizen, whether it's in the continent or in the diaspora, let us all strive to walk, build and help the Africa that we want and the Africa that we need to realize it to its full potential. When we all play our roles, Africa wins. And also, we'd like to thank my big brother, Brian Kotoulous, for helping make this event a successful one. Thank you very much. Thank you so much, Banga. And now it's my pleasure to introduce Leonard Ejogu to also provide brief remarks. Good afternoon, everyone. Good afternoon, everyone. That's what I would like to hear. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you. What a great day, a great historic and exciting day to be here this afternoon. I'm going to stand on all existing protocols in terms of acknowledgement here. What a great historic and exciting day to be here this cool September afternoon to celebrate the African Union at 20 years and the work they have done in those years. As we do this, we also celebrate the work and progress of the African diaspora and raise the African Union flag. Before we get further into this program, today's program, let us acknowledge that where we stand today or where we sit today in Lower Manhattan is only a few minutes from the sacred African burial ground which according to the National Park Service is the oldest and largest known excavated burial ground in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. Let's also acknowledge that quite recently in January, the African community lost here in New York City about 90 members to an apartment building fire in the Bronx. I'll ask, may we please stand for a few moments in memory of those who are no longer with us? We base it. May their souls rest in peace. We thank Mayor Adams for the work himself and the administration did to take care of the survivors and putting processes in place to see that such horrific event doesn't happen again. As we gather for the AU at 20 celebration, we also, we are not just celebrating a name change but a vision of cooperation and integration of African states to drive Africa's growth and economic development. This vision is not only applicable to countries on the African mainland but to African diaspora citizens and organizations. There is great need for unity of purpose to drive and achieve prosperity within the diaspora community. Through this unity and progress, the diaspora will work together to continue to advocate for the needs of the Africans wherever they may be. As I stand here, I speak for the New York City African Council, a group that partners with Mayor Adams and his administration to advance the needs of the African community in New York City. I also speak for the several African community organizations that work in different capacities to advocate the interests of African diaspora and whose members are here today. So many of you worked hard to see that this event is a success. I will not mention particular organizations names here so I do not run into the risk of leaving some out. We must continue to collaborate more to collaborate more for community benefits. I conclude by thanking Mayor Adams and his administration for continuing to support and work with this community. Commissioner Castro, Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. Thanks for hosting this. I'll thank Commissioner Murmolstein also and our own Deputy Commissioner Kamara. She's done so much work with us as a community to make sure that this and some other events that we programs that we work on that they come to life. Let me also thank our AU Ambassador, Fatima Mohamed, Fatima Mohamed. Please a round of applause for her. Let me thank the Bowling Green Association Chair, Arthur. Thank you, Arthur. Brother and Kumupi Catali for the entertainment and you all who are African leaders here in the Americas, in the diaspora for all of the work that you do, we must continue to do that in order to achieve a level of success. I thank you and God bless you all. Thank you so much, Leonard, for the great remarks. Ambassador, thank you for joining us. We are so pleased that you could make time. It's now my pleasure to introduce Commissioner Manuel Castro, the Commissioner for Immigrant Affairs. What's always, thanks so much to the Bowling Green Association. Thank you, Arthur, for allowing us to come together and celebrate our communities in downtown Manhattan. But most importantly, to acknowledge and celebrate our diaspora, our immigrant communities who have gone through so much and despite all our obstacles, we're still here and we're still showing we are strong and that we are committed and that we're New Yorkers and we are here to stay. And under the leadership of Mayor Eric Adams, we will make sure that immigrants are included and they are seen and they are uplifted. I want to acknowledge, especially tonight, Deputy Commissioner Asiata Kamara for her amazing work. She's a fellow dreamer and a fellow fighter for the immigrant community. And so I am so honored to serve alongside her, alongside Commissioner Mermelstein, alongside many immigrants and allies that are making sure that New York City continues to be a welcoming city and a beacon for so many across the world and to set the example for the country and for the world to make sure that immigrants are respected. Whether you're here, you came here yesterday, whether you came here decades ago and to make sure, to make sure to honor their humanity. And that's what Mayor Eric Adams and his administration is doing. So again, thank you so much. A big round of applause to all the fighters who are here with us today, all the community organizations that have made this and so much possible. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. And now it's my pleasure to introduce my commissioner and I think my partner in this work. I talk to him more than most people. It's Edward Mermelstein. Thank you, Asiata. Thank you, Commissioner Castro. I am happy to join Mayor Adams and members of our administration, ambassadors, council generals of the African Councils Group, Arthur Piccolo and the Bowling Green Association and all of you to celebrate the African Union. The African international community has been an essential partner to my office and we look forward to advancing our relationships. New York is proud to be home to more than 2.2 million residents from Africa and the diaspora who contribute immensely to this city. The Bronx and Manhattan are home to large African communities who make the city great across all parameters. The vibrance of the communities can be felt in neighborhoods like Little Senegal of West Harlem and the evolution of South Bronx. I look forward to working with the councilates, the diplomatic missions, my colleagues and the African communities to achieve Mayor Adams' vision of a New York for all as the African Union works to achieve their vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena. I hope member states, the city of New York that you see the city of New York as a partner and ally. I thank you all very much for being with us today and I'm gonna hand it over back to the best deputy commissioner and chief of staff in New York. Aisata. Thank you so much, Ed, for that. In the administration, there is a lot of representation and it's very important that we understand that when we speak about Africa, that we also speak about the diaspora and I have one of my sisters in the administration with me, Amma Duimo and I'm going to give her the opportunity to make some remarks. Amma, please join me. Good afternoon, everybody and welcome. My name is Amma Duimo and my father came from Ghana and I am so honored to be able to serve this administration. I was a previous prosecutor at the district attorney's office in Brooklyn for 22 years. So since then, along with the eight years where I served with then the borough president, now our mayor, it is so good to be able to continue to serve you here at City Hall. So welcome and please, with Aisata with us, there's nothing we cannot do with the diaspora. So please, let's give her a round of applause and thank her for all the great work she does for all of us. Thank you very much. Now you know you have a good administration when you have two strong women in it. So, Amma, thank you for that. We're going to take a quick break through music because as Africans, we love the beat and we have our performer, Kumu Katale, who's going to bring some of that vibe here. Kumu, over to you. Check, check. I feel the energy, but we're still sleeping. If I say, oh yeah, you say, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. You know the meeting did not start until the drum called the village together. So are you ready for our village to come together? Yeah. But you're going to help me with two things. I have two songs that you might help me sing. The first one is going to go like this. E ma ma ma e, e ma ma ma ma. Can you try? E ma ma ma e, e ma ma ma, e ma ma ma. So you got the first one. You want to know the second one? I'm going to go like this. Afrika, i avaneri lafika, jazako, you say. Afrika, na kei mo bembo, si manango, bandaka. Kokanisa tesherina zongela yo. Now I'm sure the village is ready. So the song is here now. I want to hear, e ma ma ma e, e ma ma ma, OK. E ma ma ma e, e ma ma ma, e ma ma ma, e ma ma ma. Stop, stop, oh. E ma ma ma, OK. E ma ma, my energy. E ma ma ma e, e ma ma. E ma ma e, e ma ma ma e, that was great, that was great. One last song, one last song. E company say, ah. That was amazing. Thank you. Thank you. And now it's my pleasure to introduce a woman, an ambassador that I have watched for many years inside of the UN and has my utmost respect. Ambassador Mohamed, please join us to make your remarks. Good afternoon, everyone. And thank you so much, Iseta. It's really such a, such an honor for me to join you today. And just to see the AU flag flying here, it's just phenomenal and amazing and truly an honor for me. So I'm truly grateful to Iseta, Mr. Mayor. Good afternoon, council generals, commissioners. Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen. Once again, on behalf of the African Union, I'd like to thank you for inviting us to be here for this first ever event of raising the African Union flag in New York City. And I wish to sincerely thank the mayor's office for this kind invitation and to everyone that was part of organizing this event. This ceremony is important to us as it honors not only the symbol of our organization but also what it represents, the hopes, the aspirations and the vision of a truly united and prosperous Africa. Ladies and gentlemen, as you're aware, we marked the 20th anniversary of the African Union on September 9th, 2022. It's been 20 years since the Durban Summit in 2002 which relaunched Africa's Pan-African Organization where African leaders collectively agreed that in order to realize Africa's potential, there was a need to refocus attention on the fight for decolonization and apartheid, which had been the focus of the Organization of African Unity which preceded it towards an increased cooperation and integration of African states to drive Africa's growth and economic development. We recognize that challenges still exist and we must also acknowledge that the successes, that we have a number of successes and achievements while taking advantage of the opportunities ahead of us. The African Union Agenda 2063, our development agenda, sets out the aspirations of our people and prioritizes what we intend to see where the continent moves closer towards reaching its development goals by the year 2063 as we aspire for the Africa that we envision. These aspirations reflect our desire for shared prosperity and well-being, for unity and integration, for a continent of free citizens and expanded horizons where the full potential of all our population, especially our women and youth, are realized. In this respect, the Chairperson of the AU Commission, His Excellency Musam Hamid Faki, in his address on AU Day called upon, and I quote, all Africans and people of African descent from the continent and from the diaspora to join in the collective effort to build the Africa we want through a permanent desire to transcend ourselves which is expressed by the systematic exercise of critical thinking as the ideal means of access to excellence, whatever the field of activity in which one exercises. With this firm conviction, that is the sum total of small rivers that make big rivers. Let me conclude, ladies and gentlemen, by seizing this opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of our founding fathers and to all who have contributed to the progress of our continent and of our people and to sincerely thank you once again, especially the good people of New York and all of our friends through you, Mr. Mayor, for this opportunity and for this recognition. God bless Africa and God bless the city of New York. I thank you for your attention. Thank you so much, Ambassador, for your wonderful remarks and please, again, we thank you for being here. It really truly means a lot to all of us and now it's my pleasure to introduce the 110th mayor of this great city, the city of New York, Mayor Eric Adams. Ambassador, thank you for your words and to the Council of Generals who are here and all of our dignitaries and friends. Many of you have been part of this journey with me for the last few years and the seed of my success lies on the continent of Africa. Several years ago, my first visit to Goree Island in Senegal, standing in the door of no return, I felt the ancestors cry out of that now we left the shores of Africa in slavery and I returned back with the mayoralty and that's the energy and spirit of the African people as we continue to rise across the globe and then go into Ghana and visit in some of the dungeons, understanding the challenges and difficulties but the undying spirit of the African people not only who remain home on the shores of Africa but those who came here to the Americas and we know for far too long the continent of Africa has been left out of America's overall agenda of how do we open trade, commerce, culture and use our political strength and know how to give the same level of support we have given to other countries we have fallen short on giving to Africa. It's crucial that we call about a real plan, a plan that calls on our senators and on the federal level, our congressional delegation, our law makers here throughout the entire country it's time for us to come with a real plan of action of using our ability technical and know how to stop the raping of Africa's natural resources and allow the African people to be able to use their resources. For far too long the cocoa, the gold, the diamonds, all the natural resources have been removed from Africa and you see no real stability in the locations where they've been removed from and there's been so much silence but part of the built-in plan that allowed the colonializing of not only the physical space but our mental space lies with us we have been too divided for too long we don't identify ourselves as cousins and nephews that were violently removed from each other and it's time not only for the land to be united as you have done so well it's time for the people to be united. That is the focus and the goal. And don't miss this opportunity. New York City is the most important city on the globe and if you only see it as that you have a black mayor then you are missing what is truly yours to own. You have an African-American mayor just as any other group would identify the connectivity of their homeland. America is my adopted home my original home is in Africa. I am an African-American and I'm not going to leave my ancestry behind like no other ethnic group in this city or country should do so. If you're an Italian-American you should be rich and concerned about what happens in Italy. If you're a Chinese-American you should be rich and concerned about what happens in China. If you're a Greek-American you should be rich and concerned what happens in Greece. No matter where you are this country states you do not have to abandon your homeland to embrace your new land and I'm not going to abandon Africa. Africa is who I am and who I will always be. So you have an African-American mayor and every village and every town and every country on the continent of Africa you should be lifting up the success of what we have done. I am here because our ancestors paved the way for us and we should never forget that. Now it's time to rebuild and become who we ought to be. That's what the raising of this flag is. It's not an insignificant moment taking place on the stage of African unity. It's a profound statement that here for the first time all the countries that are part of the union is raising one flag together to say one people, one destination, one focus so that we can get this right. And we are ready and we're not just talking about it. Look at these queens that are part of my administration at the top end of my administration. Alma from Ghana has been with me throughout my entire journey and now my chief council. We know the significant of where we are and the point that we are trying to raise. This is only the beginning. We have so much to do and the only way we do it is to stay united together. And we don't have to replace tyranny with tyranny. Diversity is the key. There's opportunity and wealth for us all. As Gandhi once said, there's so much for human need. There isn't enough for human greed. It's time to share the wealth of this globe so no one has to live in the state of devastation that we're seeing across the globe. I'm happy to be the mayor of this city with the rich African diaspora that is here. I'm happy to be part of this flag raising and I'm happy to know that together we're going to accomplish the task we are looking for. The pains of the past will give us the purpose of the future. Up you mighty people, you can be what you will. Thank you. Wow, that was incredible. And now we're gonna raise the flag of the United States and African Union. So I'll invite all of the diplomats that are with us to be raising the African Union flag but we'll first do the US flag. So let us all come over.