Meridian welcomes 8 new Washington ambassadors
Meridian International Center hosted its semi-annual “Welcome to Washington” reception Feb. 19 for eight newly appointed foreign ambassadors to the nation’s capital. The gathering allowed them to forge partnerships and friendships with Washington government and business leaders.
The eight new ambassadors at the event were:
- Victor Anthony Fernandes of Barbados
- Daniel García-Peña of Colombia
- Leena-Kaisa Mikkola of Finland
- Svanhildur Hólm Valsdóttir of Iceland
- David Kiplagat Kerich of Kenya
- Lantosoa Rakotomalala of Madagascar
- José Miguel Alemán Healy of Panama
- Ebrahim Rasool of South Africa
Photos by Jess Latos.
Turkish Embassy hosts acclaimed jazz concert
Turkish Ambassador Sedat Önal and his wife Figen Önal welcomed diplomats and guests to their Washington residence on Feb. 18 in celebration of a long-standing concert series at the embassy.
For more than a decade, DC’s Turkish envoys have hosted the Ertegün Jazz Series in honor of music producers Ahmet and Nesuhi Ertegün, sons of former Turkish Ambassador Münir Ertegün.
During their time in Washington in the 1930s and ’40s, the Ertegün brothers became interested in jazz music, and forged relationships with notable musicians. They invited Black and white jazz artists to perform at the Turkish residence when segregation plagued the city and integration in the music business was rare. The decade-long series honors the Ertegün family’s legacy of standing up against racism.
The February Ertegün series welcomed the Dwayne Adell Trio, known for its frequent experimental jazz performances around the DC area. Notable attendees included envoys from Uzbekistan, Switzerland, Azerbaijan, Madagascar and New Zealand.
See a video of the performance here.
Annual embassy breakfast kicks off PassportDC
In preparation for the 18th edition of PassportDC, a month-long celebration of Washington’s diplomatic community, representatives from foreign embassies and cultural organizations converged Feb. 21 at the Washington Convention Center for an annual breakfast to plan this year’s festivities.
Hosted each year by EventsDC, PassportDC celebrates International Cultural Awareness Month in Washington where embassies open their doors to the public for the month of May. This year’s program includes the Around the World Embassy Tour on May 3, EU Open House on May 10 and Fiesta Asia on May 17, in addition to a variety of other celebrations throughout the month.
Follow EventsDC website and social media to stay updated with this year’s participating embassies.
Click here for the history of PassportDC and see the 2023 program.
Photos courtesy of EventsDC
Ibero-American association hosts annual gala
For the first time, Spain Arts & Culture and the Mexican Cultural Institute jointly hosted the seventh edition of Ibero-American night. With the theme “Carnival Night,” the event brought together cultural attachés representing Hispanic countries and organizations to enjoy an evening of dancing and music.
The gala featured an assortment of international cuisines provided by 19 embassies from Latin America, Spain and Portugal. The annual event raises funds to further cultural programming by the Ibero-American Cultural Attachés Association.
Photos by The Washington Diplomat
