News - June 23, 2023

See How Ngozi Okonjo Iweala’s Son Won The Independent Curators International 2023 Leo Award

Lois Agada June 23, 2023

3 min read

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala’s Son, Uzodinma was recently named as the recipient of the prestigious 2023 Leo Award, presented by Independent Curators International (ICI), a New York-based nonprofit.

This esteemed recognition celebrates Iweala’s exceptional contribution to the field of contemporary art as an author. Also, Iweala has been recognized for his visionary leadership as the CEO of New York’s African Center, a role he has held since 2018.

Iweala’s exploits at African Center

Under his leadership, the centre has worked to change the global understanding of Africa and its diaspora, and of the role played by people of African descent. This was disclosed in a statement released by the ICI.

It partly reads, “Iweala and his team have been instrumental in fostering dialogue, breaking down barriers, and amplifying diverse voices from the African continent. They have transformed The Africa Center into a vibrant celebration of the richness and dynamism of African cultures and created a new civic model for cultural institutions.”

The New York-based nonprofit organisation further wrote, “Their programming promotes cross-cultural understanding and collaboration, and has included perspectives from the political, economic, literary, and culinary worlds as well as the artistic field.”

Expressing delight over the partnership, the African Centre said the partnership will continue to play an important part in shaping their programs for years to come. In a statement, ICI’s executive and artistic director, Renaud Proch said “All of us at ICI are delighted to honour Uzo and his team with ICI’s 2023 Leo Award. Uzo’s vision and the values manifested in the center—collaboration, empowerment, global solidarity, generative thinking—resonate in so many ways with ICI’s own mission.”

Iweala was CEO and editor-in-chief of Ventures Africa magazine, which he also co-founded. He is additionally well known for his writing centring African and diasporic experiences: