ABUJA, Nigeria – The recent launch of the Afri-Caribbean Cultural Event Center in Abuja Nigeria has been hailed as a transformative step in healing historical divisions and rebuilding knowledge between Africa and its diaspora. In a powerful statement, Mr. Pierre Liburd, Visual Artist and Director of Culture for St. Kitts and Nevis, framed the centre’s opening as the fulfilment of a generational vision for reconnection.
“The Opening of the Afri-Caribbean Cultural Centre represents a significant milestone in realising a vision shared by generation after generation of our people who were forcibly extracted from our African homelands,” Liburd stated. He identified a profound modern separation that persists beyond geography: “Yet, we are even further separated by the enormous gap in information and knowledge of each other… littered with misinformation, rumours and disinformation designed to keep us apart and forever ignorant of each other.”
According to Liburd, the new institution is a direct answer to this rift. “This institution is a clear path toward breaking down the knowledge barriers and exposing our peoples on both sides of the Atlantic to the actual truth of our shared and isolated histories,” he said. “It stands to bring greater understanding and appreciation of our unique cultures and to inspire delight in our many cultural similarities.”
He emphasized his personal commitment to ensuring the heritage of St. Kitts and Nevis finds a vibrant home within the centre, expressed “through our words, our sounds, our voices, our brush strokes.” Liburd also expressed a hope for reciprocal learning, looking forward to a time when citizens of the Caribbean can similarly learn about “the tribes, the kingdoms and the traditions from whence we all came” on their own shores.
The centre, launched on 26th November 2025 at The Art Pavilion, in Ajuba was inaugurated by St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Creative Economy, the Honourable Samal Duggins, and Nigerian business leader Ms. Aisha Maina. Liburd concluded by commending the leaders for “actualizing this significant and long-overdue milestone in our people’s history.”
The Afri-Caribbean Cultural Event Center now stands as a physical hub dedicated to replacing disinformation with dialogue and separation with shared celebration, actively working to reconnect a diaspora through the power of cultural truth.
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