Join us for a Special Reception
from the sahara desert to the piscataqua
For one day – August 19 – The City of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, The Portsmouth Athenaeum and Rain for the Sahel and Sahara will host distinguished representatives from Niger:
His Majesty the Sultan de L’Air Oumarou Bin Ibrahim Oumarou and
Her Excellency Professor Hassana Alidou, Niger Ambassador to the U.S.
with a special reception to commemmorate the Fourth Annual West Africa Day in Portsmouth.
Mayor Robert Lister will present an Official Proclamation followed by discussions of regional culture, current events and the designation of Agadez as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sultan Oumarou is the 127th Sultan of the vast northern Air Massif region of desert and mountains – centered in Agadez – long the hub of nomadic desert culture. The only Sultan still in residence at the original Agadez palace, he is among the last of the five great Tuareg monarchs to serve in the modern era. Considered the ultimate traditional authority, Sultan Oumarou is active in resolving community disputes and allocating land rights.
Ambassador Hassana Alidou – a former student of RAIN Board member and Boston University Emeritus Associate Professor of African Languages and Linguistics John Hutchison – will give a presentation, as will Cynthia Becker, an Associate Professor of African Art also with Boston University.
Admission is free but space is limited – reservations strongly recommended.
Click here to reserve.
August 19 5:50 – 7:30
The Portsmouth Athenaeum
9 Market Square Portsmouth NH
Private post-reception dinner with guests of honor: $100pp.
Call 603.371.0676 to reserve.
