Mayor's Office of International & Immigrant Affairs - Welcoming Atlanta

This week, MOIIA helped welcome Olori Atuwatse III, Queen Consort of the Warri Kingdom in Nigeria as she visits Atlanta with a mission of discussing international trade and establishing collaboration across Georgia. She is the founder of We Elevate Africa, an organization dedicated to reshaping the narrative of the African continent enhancing collaboration within and beyond the continent to drive socio- economic advancement. Thank you to State House Representative Kim Schofield M.A., CLC for hosting us at the Georgia Capitol!

Check out ATL Channel 26 coverage of our Things Fall Apart Gallery opening and film screening! The exhibition runs through April 4, 2025 at Gallery 72, free and open to the public. Be sure to attend an exclusive screening of the film at Tara Theatre this Wednesday, March 12 at 7 pm! Tickets can be purchased at: https://lnkd.in/e_p5ZffN https://lnkd.in/eBDmBZ3t

Don't miss the chance to catch a one-night-only showing of the historic film "Things Fall Apart" at the Tara Theatre on March 12, 2025 at 7 pm. ??? This special screening is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the Nigerian-German-American movie “Things Fall Apart” in Atlanta. The 1974 premiere of "Things Fall Apart" in Atlanta draws direct connections to the election of Maynard Jackson in the same year, as the Nigerian co-producer, legendary filmmaker Francis Oladele, was his brother-in-law. Moreover, the premiere was directly connected to the founding of the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and the establishment of the Atlanta-Lagos Sister City partnership, which both celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2024. Secure your ticket at: https://lnkd.in/e_p5ZffN

We enjoyed partnering with the German Consulate General in Atlanta to welcome a delegation of members from the Bayerische Landtag, or Bavarian State Parliament, who were interested in learning more about the city's approach to civil protection/disaster control, particularly around large-scale events. City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Emergency Preparedness Director Felipe den Brok joined us to highlight Atlanta's community-centered approach to keeping Atlantans safe during severe weather, large-scale events, and more. This was a great opportunity to showcase Atlanta's proactive emergency preparedness strategies and foster further international collaboration with our German colleagues.

We're excited to launch our?newly refreshed and merged?website! Our?updated?website?allows you to view all office activities, initiatives,?news, and resources in one familiar location at welcomingatlanta.com. Some?new?features include: ?? All International Affairs and Immigrant Affairs activities now housed under one?website ?? Office accomplishments and impact data across our six office objectives ?? A revamped media section for easy access to publications, annual reports, and?news articles? ?? A refreshed?"Resources" tab for easy access to business, "know your rights," housing (and more!) support Visit our?new?digital home at at welcomingatlanta.com!

MOIIA, alongside Mayor Andre Dickens, were honored to welcome Atlanta's newest Honorary Consuls representing Botswana, Ghana, and Zambia! Honorary Consuls Naana Frimpong, Yvonne Horsley McCowin, and Anna Katema shared updates from their first few months in the role and highlighted their priorities and ways to bring Atlanta's ties to these three nations closer. We're excited to have three new African countries represent our consular community to continue connecting Atlanta to the African continent.

Welcome to Atlanta, Consul General Konstantino Adamopoulos! MOIIA welcomed Atlanta's newest Greek Consul General to discuss his priorities and strengthening the collaborations between Atlanta and Greece, particularly in technology. We are honored to continue to support the Greek community in the Atlanta area and the vibrant culture Greek residents bring to our city!

International Affairs Specialist Ana Petrova joined the Dominican community to celebrate the 181st Independence Day of the Dominican Republic! Joined by Atlanta Sister Cities Commission Atlanta-Salcedo Committee Chair Victor Ramirez and the Dominican Consulate, Ana presented a proclamation on behalf of Atlanta City Council to recognize the contributions in business and culture of the 30,000+ Dominicans that live in Georgia. Atlanta celebrates its 28th sister city anniversary with Salcedo, Dominican Republic this year! We are honored to be part of these celebrations and continue to support the vibrant Dominican community in Atlanta.

Great to connect with Villa Albertine, the French Institute for Culture and Education 2025 Resident Walid Rachedi! Mr. Rachedi is a French author and will spend his residency exploring the "American Dream" and its meaning to African Americans, immigrant communities who seek to thrive in Atlanta, and first generation individuals. We shared an overview of our office and how inclusive programs like iSpeakATL and MyCity ATL are intentional in weaving the social fabric of Atlanta together. Learn more about Mr. Rachedi at: https://lnkd.in/edTiUR5s

Thank you to all who joined us for the opening reception of the Things Fall Apart exhibition at Gallery 72! The exhibition showcases the long lost documents of the making of the film with a collection of still photo prints by accomplished cinematographer Stephen Goldblatt. Alongside the City of Atlanta - Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs and Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta, we welcomed over 100 guests who joined a panel discussion with Lanre Oladele, son of the filmmaker Francis Oladele, Mareike Palmeira from the Modern Film Archiv (Berlin), Nigerian filmmaker Robert O. Peters, ERIC BOMBA-IRE, Ivory Coast-born Ghanaian filmmaker based in Atlanta, Chair of the Nigeria-Atlanta Atlanta Sister Cities Commission Professor Augustine Esogbue, and moderated by Deidre McDonald from BronzeLens Film Festival. We appreciate our partnerships with the Consul Generals of Nigeria and Germany, Ambassador Auwalu Namadina and Consul General Melanie Moltmann, who provided welcome remarks and supported the event. Missed the opening? You can still view the gallery and artifacts from the film at Gallery 72, located at 72 Marietta St NW, until April 4, 2025!