Africa Day celebration hailed a success

THOUSANDS crammed into Dublin’s Iveagh Gardens yesterday to take part in the annual Africa Day celebrations.

Highlights of the free event included a music stage featuring Congolese musician Niwel Tsumbu, Irish musician Dave Flynn and Senegalese kora master Solo Cissokho.

Event organisers, the Government development body Irish Aid, said they were overwhelmed with the response to this year’s events, with a several thousand-strong queue having formed by early afternoon outside the main entertainment area.

The programme also included special events for children and an education zone.

In total, Africa Day events around the country were estimated to have attracted over 30,000 visitors.

Meanwhile a major international conference aimed at tackling world hunger gets under way in Dublin today.

Officials from the United Nations High Level Task Force on Global Food Security will join with aid workers, non-governmental organisations and representatives of small farmers and fishermen from developing countries to discuss practical ways of safeguarding food supplies and fair prices.

Irish Aid and aid agency Concern are co-hosting the two-day event.