Simon Javan Okelo
Father | Media Creator | Musician | Entrepreneur
I wrote Rooted in Love after an exercise set by Dee Endelman and Steve Benson, colleagues at Generating Transformative Change, a leadership development program I attended in 2011 and 2012 just after moving to Seattle from Kenya.
I could not yet articulate my vision for One Vibe Africa, but they knew I could tell a story. So they asked me to imagine what One Vibe Africa would look like in 2024 by writing about a girl who benefitted from its work.
Madaraka Festival brings Africa's finest musicians and creatives together with world renowned artists and innovators to celebrate music and civic purpose. In 2019 the festival capped an entire week of activities held in Africa for the first time.
The 2020 virtual edition raised over $10,000 for women running small businesses in three Kenyan slums, protecting them from collapse during the economic shock of COVID-19.
Since 2015 I have produced Kijiji Night at Seattle Art Museum. Kijiji means village in Swahili, and the night brings the spirit of an African village downtown through music, storytelling, panel discussions, a fashion show, and authentic African food.
We have held over 30 authentic African dinners since 2016, each with a chef from a different African country. More than 600 people have attended, and many have become family.
The dinners began at Cafe Avole in 2016 and are still homed there. We hope to take them to other locations, especially historic spaces like Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute.
Madaraka tells the story of a mother and son from the slums of Kisumu, Kenya, and their work to educate and liberate their communities through creative collaboration, self empowerment, entrepreneurship and sustainability.
African people, from the youth to the elders, carry an entrepreneurial spirit that mainstream media rarely shows. The film's characters range from community leaders and musicians to artists, politicians and activists.
Miti Ni Dawa is a tree planting and vegetable farming initiative that lets young people in rural and urban areas earn a living through environmental protection and farming. Its activities include Mamboleo Farm, next to the river Awach in Kisumu County.
The project also serves women along Lake Victoria through its Women Center in Luanda Rombo, Homa Bay County, and shares stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to protect the lake and mitigate climate change.
A One Vibe Experience invites Africans in the diaspora and people passionate about Africa to convene in Kisumu, Kenya to serve, connect and immerse themselves in Kenyan culture. Visitors spend time at the Young Generation Centre where One Vibe Africa is based.
Daily African Proverbs is a movement created to help change the narrative about Africa. It grounds people of African descent in their rich cultures, work that mattered especially during the pandemic when mental health became a crisis.
The daily one hour show runs on Clubhouse and YouTube at 6:00 am PST, followed by a fifteen minute recap on Instagram.
Africa Day, formerly African Freedom Day and African Liberation Day, marks the founding of the Organisation of African Unity on 25 May 1963. Countries across the continent and around the world celebrate it.
For Africa Day 2021, One Vibe Africa hosted a 24 hour digital marathon featuring a screening of the short film Madaraka.
Med25 International works to bring healthcare to communities that need it.