Zephrynus Okechi Ikeh: The Vision Behind Black History Month Ireland

Long before Black History Month Ireland filled October calendars with exhibitions, summits and celebrations, it began as one man's conviction in Cork. Between 2008 and 2010, Zephrynus Okechi Ikeh — founder of The Africa-Irish Development Initiative (AIDI) CLG Limited, its Executive Secretary and Programme Development Director — initiated and established the observance, building the community groundwork that would carry it onto the national stage.

That groundwork bore fruit in 2014, when Black History Month Ireland was officially launched by the European Union Commission Representation Office in Dublin together with the African Diplomatic Corps in Ireland. The launch placed Ireland in rare company: it became the fourth country in the world to officially celebrate Black History Month.

Today, that legacy lives in everything AIDI does. As the official organiser of Black History Month in Ireland, the initiative steers a month of exhibitions, cultural diplomacy summits, workshops and storytelling each October — honouring Black and African history and the communities shaping Ireland today. What began in Cork has become a national institution, and a bridge between Africa and Ireland that grows stronger every year.