Just Do It!
That is the meaning of the Waka Waka in Cameroonian Fang slang, and the spirit in which we invite you to celebrate at Ibu’s International Women’s Day event, on March 7, 2025! The annual event will showcase the rich cultures and crafts across Africa and spotlight the fierce determination of women artisans bringing innovation to entrenched community issues and preserving their heritage artisanal skills.
Presented by our leading sponsor, Bank of America Private Bank, this year Ibu will host a seated gala, including:
- African delicacies prepared by celebrated Senegalese chef Bintou N’Daw, shared family-style around the table
- Remarks from our global champion Beatrice Lempaira of BeadWORKS Kenya, and DyeLab partners Rukky Ladoja and Ozzy Etomi, about the impact of elevating women through the art of their hands
- A fabulous runway show with the spirited glamor of our partners in design
- Live music and shopping our latest looks
- A paddle raise to fund important artisan grants and new initiatives in the year ahead
DETAILS:
When: Friday, March 7, 2025
Time: doors open at 6PM
Where: Festival Hall, Charleston SC
Co-hosted by Carolyn Murray, Judi Embrescia, and Amanda Flynn
TICKETS
Only a few individual tickets will be offered later this year, so grab your Ibu and He-bu pals to reserve a table and make a night of it with friends. Together, we can make a positive impact, celebrating the power in women’s hands.
WOMEN IN AFRICA MINI SUMMIT
Ibu will host a three-session mini summit on the morning of March 7, featuring celebrated global leaders on the topics of culture and heritage, artisan design and impact, and women leaders around the continent. Attendees will have an opportunity to engage with the speakers through Q&A sessions at the end of each presentation, and will be able to shop work by Beckwith and Fisher, BeadWORKS, and DyeLab at the Ibu Showroom following the presentations.
DETAILS:
When: Friday, March 7, 2025
Time: 9am - 12noon
Where: Charleston Library Society, Charleston SC
Tickets: $75
Sponsored by SouthState Bank
Speakers include:
- Beatrice Lempaira, gender director at BeadWORKS Kenya, and Rukky Ladoja and Ozzy Etomi of Dye Lab in Nigeria, discussing the process of preserving heritage craft and the impact on women artisans earning a living wage in a moderated conversation led by Dr. Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the International African American Museum
- Internationally-acclaimed photographers Carol Beckwith and Angela Fisher, presenting their lifetime of work capturing ceremonial life in Africa
- Hafsat Abiola, president of Women in Africa Initiative and the co-lead for Project Dandelion; two platforms organizing women on the African continent and around the world into a force for sustainable development. Abiola will also share her story of losing both parents to her country’s democracy struggle.
The Waka Waka Presenting Sponsor
BEADED CROWN SPONSOR
Woven Narratives Sponsor
Embroidered Boubou Sponsor
About ibu
Global Fashion marketplace
Providing a marketplace for women's artisanal goods is our most effective tool for elevating women out of poverty and into a position of sovereignty over their lives.
ARTISAN PARTNERS
A small team in Charleston, SC, Ibu collaborates with over 100 women's groups in 40 countries,providing living wages, and because of that, also self-respect, a voice in their communities, and food for their families.
CAPACITY BUILDING GRANTS
We respond to the needs of women’s artisan communities through our grants program, thereby strengthening their internal capacity to grow into self-sufficiency.
