Ebo Magazine debut

Celebrating the African Diaspora
Ebo Magazine, making its debut next month, reflects natives around the world
http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060725/BUSINESS/607250331/1003

By DWAYNE STEWARD
The News Journal
07/25/2006


Publisher Akinwale Ojomo and graphic designer
Angela S. Gatangi work on the debut issue of Ebo Magazine
in the publication's office in Glasgow.

Delaware has become the launch pad for the latest celebration of African culture. Five African natives are starting Ebo Magazine, an international publication celebrating the culture and achievements of the "African Diaspora," from an office in Glasgow.

"African Diaspora" refers to all native Africans living outside the continent, said Akinwale Ojomo, of Nigeria, co-founder of Ebo Magazine. "We felt a need to create a family magazine that presents the African Diaspora in a positive light to Africans."

Ebo is an African slang term, used mainly in Nigeria in the '70s, that means to celebrate, said Ojomo, an employee at Citigroup in Newark.

"It's time to celebrate the positive contributions of the African Diaspora," he said.

Ebo's co-founders are professionals who saw a void and decided to fill it. Patrick Owusi, 33, of Newark, came to America 10 years ago from Ghana; he soon realized there wasn't much in the way of press that described to Africans what their countrymen were accomplishing around the world.

"We wanted to communicate to the people back home how we are doing and show them there are good things coming out of what we are doing here," said Owusi, a surgical physician assistant at Christiana Hospital.

The other founders are Agnes Asere, a safety engineer in Newark, originally from Nigeria; Angela Gatangi, a graphic designer in Wilmington, from Kenya; and Tony Adeyemi, a contractor in Philadelphia, from Nigeria.

The 45-page family magazine will debut on newsstands and online (http://www.ebomag.com/) in August, and will cover African events in the United States, Canada, Europe and Africa. It will include coverage of sports, fashion and health, and will offer not only information for those still living in Africa, but insight for those who grew up outside their native lands.

"I'm sure there are many young people who have been born and bred without being aware of their culture. This magazine will show them the rich part of our culture," said Nme Nmobi, a plastic surgeon assistant in London and the subject of Ebo's first cover article.

Nmobi will be organizing the Nigerian Independence Day celebrations Sept. 30 in Philadelphia. Nigeria's Independence Day is Oct. 1.

Celebrations also will occur in Delaware on the first weekend in October, she said.

Ojomo said the magazine has "Ebo agents" in New York, Washington, Maryland, New Jersey, London, Ireland and Ottawa to cover the Diaspora culture, and the magazine also will be receiving articles from freelancers in Nigeria, Kenya and other parts of East Africa.

There are 4,238 African natives living in Delaware, according to 2004 Census figures, up from 2,250 the year before. There are 881,300 African natives nationally, who account for 0.03 percent of the U.S. population, according to the 2000 Census.

Robertha Asubonteng, co-owner of Ultimate Classic, an African clothing and accessory store in Bear, decided to advertise in Ebo because it's putting the African Diaspora in the limelight.

"It's going to be something different, something unique. There's so much that we do that people don't know about; the magazine is finally bringing us out," she said.

Thelma Aminu, founder and owner of Royal Quality Nursing Services, a home-care nursing agency in New Castle, is also an advertiser. She said she's extremely interested in what Ebo Magazine is trying to accomplish.

"I would like everyone to know that we support them," she said. "It's a great thing what they're doing."