Our Global Advisory Council & Core Team
Governing the Future of Diaspora Heritage: WeDiasporan is backed by 14 years of longitudinal research and a multidisciplinary international leaders. Together, we are building the sovereign infrastructure to preserve the Diasporan and African Oral Tradition through the ONBA Storytelling framework
After 14 years of documenting the lived experiences of the African Diaspora in Italy and beyond, I have learned one fundamental truth: Our stories are our most valuable sovereign assets. But today, those stories—the ‘Living Libraries’ of our elders—are at risk of being lost to isolation and the digital divide.
I am deeply grateful to the hundreds of pioneers, residents, and scholars who have shared their journeys with us since 2012. Your trust is the foundation of WeDiasporan. Today, we are moving from documentation to Preservation Infrastructure.
With our 90-day pilot in Veronetta and the guidance of our Global Advisory Council, we are building a future where African Oral History is not just remembered but codified, protected, and owned by the community.
Join us as we bridge the gap between our past wisdom and our digital future.
Obehi Ewanfoh Founder & Executive Director
The Executive Leadership
A dedicated team of global professionals integrating finance, technology, and cinematic storytelling to transform our 14-year research legacy into a scalable infrastructure for the African Diaspora.
Ubaka Joseph Ugochukwu – Nigeria
Creative Direction & Visual Heritage
An international award-winning film director. Joseph is responsible for the “Visual Gold” of the Sovereign Life Folios, ensuring that the oral histories of our elders are captured with the cinematic dignity they deserve for future generations.
Lenore Bartholomew – Trinidad
Strategic Operations & Finance
A Chartered Banker (MCBI) and CEO of Du Soleil Legacy Consultants. Lenore bridges the gap between grassroots impact and institutional financial standards, ensuring that every Euro invested in the Life & Legacy project is managed with corporate-level transparency.
Dr. Ikechi Kelechi Agbugba – Nigeria
Research & Methodology
A pioneer in cognitive re-engineering with over 70 research publications. Dr. Ikechi ensures that the ONBA Strategy is grounded in academic rigor, turning raw interviews into structured “Life Source Code.”
The Italian Institutional Liaison
At the heart of our 90-day pilot in Veronetta is a commitment to deep local integration. Through the leadership of our Italian Institutional Liaisons, we bridge the gap between international innovation and the specific socio-economic fabric of Verona. By fostering direct collaborations with the Italian banking sector, local businesses, and municipal stakeholders, we ensure that the Life & Legacy project serves as a catalyst for Social Repair.
Alessandro Lanteri
Senior Bridge Builder & Institutional Connector
A veteran banker and University of Bologna Economics graduate. Alessandro serves as the vital link between WeDiasporan and the Italian business and banking sectors, facilitating the “Social Repair” mission within the local Veronetta fabric.
The Global Advisory Council
A multidisciplinary body of international leaders providing strategic oversight, ethical governance, and clinical validation for the Life & Legacy infrastructure.
Rev. Gloria Tinu Ogunbadejo – UK
Senior Advisor: Ancestral Healing & Generational Trauma
A specialist in ancestral healing and generational trauma, Rev. Gloria provides the emotional guidance for our project, ensuring that documenting history serves as a deep restorative reconnection to roots.
Dr. Negus Rudison-Imhotep – USA
Senior Advisor: Cultural Memory & Institutional Management
A Cultural Memory Specialist and CEO of Imhotep Consultancy, Dr. Negus ensures our digital archives are designed to serve both the community and formal educational and institutional systems.
Prince Maxwho Obayangbon – Italy
Senior Advisor: Community Liaison & Cultural Heritage
A prominent representative of the Nigerian Diaspora in Italy, Prince Maxwho facilitates territorial integration and ensures the Verona pilot remains deeply connected to the authentic needs of the local community.
Dr. Julietta Raymond – USA
Senior Advisor: Family Restoration & Clinical Psychotherapy
A world-renowned Social Scientist and Clinical Psychotherapist providing the psycho-social framework for our intergenerational model, ensuring the ONBA Strategy™ effectively heals isolation and restores ancestral family reconnections.
Greg DeShields, CDE – USA
Senior Advisor: Inclusive Leadership
Executive Director & Principal Consultant, Greg DeShields Consulting LLC. He oversees the ethical alignment of our Sovereign Data models to meet the highest international standards for equity and community representation.
Emille Bryant – USA
Senior Advisor: IKIGAI & Sustainable Success
Founder of go:IKIGAI, Emille provides the introspective framework for our youth and elders, ensuring our documentation of history is rooted in self-respect and the progressive realization of excellence.
Prof. Laura Serrant CBE, PhD – UK
Senior Advisor: Inclusive Practice & Strategic Leadership
Ranked #8 on the UK Powerlist, Professor Serrant utilizes her pioneering ‘Silences’ Research Model to ensure hidden Diaspora voices are amplified with institutional integrity and global impact.
Chiyedza Nyahuye – USA
Senior Advisor: AI Enablement & Workforce Readiness
Known as the “African AI Auntie,” Chiyedza integrates human-centered AI literacy into our Narrative Engineering, empowering youth to turn cultural archiving into sustainable, income-generating digital professions.
Prof. Oluwafemi Esan – UK
Senior Advisor: Higher Education Governance
Founder of El-ROI London University, Professor Esan provides academic scaffolding and institutional accreditation for our curriculum, bridging the gap between grassroots knowledge and formal global educational frameworks.
Dr. Enolia Foti – USA
Senior Advisor: Social Entrepreneurship & Global Influence
An award-winning international speaker and social entrepreneur, Dr. Enolia advises on the global scalability and visibility of our vision, ensuring our cultural initiatives achieve maximum international impact.
Kossi Komla-Ebri – Italy
Senior Advisor: Literature of Migration & Medical Ethics
A celebrated author and retired surgeon, Kossi provides the vital bridge between the African experience and Italian society, ensuring our narratives are captured with cultural nuance and clinical ethics.
Kaye Woodard, MBA – USA
Senior Advisor: Operational Excellence & AI Transformation
A 12x Salesforce Certified expert and Lean Six Sigma specialist, Kaye engineers our operational blueprints to ensure the Verona pilot is scalable, standardized, and ready for global replication.
Mohamed BA – Italy
Senior Advisor: Intercultural Dialogue & Performance Art
A distinguished Senegalese educator and artist, Mohamed utilizes theater and percussion to bridge cultural divides, advising on the performative methods used by Narrative Engineers to engage the elderly.
Carole Demesmin Mawoule – USA
Senior Advisor: Cultural Heritage & Traditional Values
A renowned Haitian cultural advocate and artist from Léogâne, Carole specializes in the preservation of traditional values. She advises on the intersection of music, history, and identity, ensuring our global archives reflect authentic ancestral roots.
Godwin Itulah – Switzerland
Senior Advisor: Diaspora Advocacy & Esan Culture
A prominent advocate of Esan culture and Nigerian heritage based in Switzerland. Godwin facilitates cross-border cultural promotion, providing strategic insight on how European-based Diaspora communities can effectively preserve and celebrate their continental values.
Jeahne (JR) Spann Davis – USA
Senior Advisor: Financial Education & Legacy Building
A leading Financial Educator focused on building generational wealth. Jeahne oversees our Legacy Wealth Framework, ensuring the community’s “Intellectual Gold” is transformed into lasting financial freedom.
Dr. Tawanda Chabikwa – USA
Senior Advisor: Interdisciplinary Research & Embodied Africana Studies
An interdisciplinary artist-scholar, Dr. Chabikwa provides the framework for “Embodied Research.” He ensures our work captures the creative, spiritual, and philosophical traditions of the transnational African experience, transforming oral history into a deep, multidimensional record of ancestral wisdom.
Loretta Green-Williams – USA
Senior Advisor: Cultural Anthropology & Global Diaspora Engagement
A Cultural Anthropologist and Human Rights Advocate, Loretta bridges community needs with global sustainability goals. She provides the framework for intergenerational mentorship, ensuring our ONBA methodology aligns with international standards for social transformation and the empowerment of marginalized voices.
Dr. Zoanne Evans – Barbados
Senior Advisor: Archival Literacy & Narrative Preservation
A PhD scholar and specialist in West Indian literature, Dr. Evans provides the academic foundation for our “Sovereign Digital Library.” She ensures that oral histories are accurately codified into permanent formats, protecting the Caribbean’s unique cultural memory from being lost to time.
Lumbie Mlambo – USA
Senior Advisor: Systems Validation & Global Impact
Founder of JB Dondolo and an ABH Competition Judge, Lumbie utilizes her expertise in software security and international development to ensure our ONBA Methodology meets the highest global standards for technical rigor, scalability, and humanitarian impact across underserved communities.
jeewan chanicka – Canada
Senior Advisor: Leadership & Systems Transformation
An international speaker and executive coach with 30 years of experience, jeewan bridges the gap between organizational systems and humanity. He provides the strategic framework for “restoring the circle,” ensuring our methodology helps leaders and institutions remember their core identity to build cultures of belonging and high performance.
Dr. M. Keith Claybrook, Jr. – USA
Senior Advisor: Academic Excellence & Africana Intellectual History
Associate Professor and Chair of Africana Studies at CSU, Long Beach, Dr. Claybrook provides the scholarly foundation for our curriculum. An expert in African Deep Thought and Critical Thinking, he ensures our methodology bridges the gap between classroom concepts and real-world activism, transforming oral history into an intellectually rigorous and academically recognized record.
Those who have already worked with us
Here is a list of the incredible individuals and organizations we have worked with in the past. We are truly grateful for their invaluable contributions.
- Africanews.it.
- Verona Film Commission
- Agy Kwakye: Resident – Vicenza.
- Lorenzo Mazzi: Resident – Verona.
- Vilma Ottonelli: Resident – Brescia.
- Macelleria Atlas: Resident – Verona.
- Karole Tcheukam: Resident – Verona.
- Ada Indrieş: Social assistant – Verona.
- Yimer Dagmawi: Documentarian – Verona.
- Andrews Yeboah: Photographer – Verona.
- Gbeyo Yoro Stephanie: Resident – Verona.
- Manuela Garreffa: Acqui Terme.
- Riccardo Sagentini: Photographer – Verona.
- Malice Omondi: Social assistant – Verona.
- Corinne Djitchouang: Resident – Verona.
- Chiara Fraccaroli: Resident – Verona.
- Karine Tchuente: Resident – Verona.
- Eliana Bombieri: Resident – Verona.
- Fabrizio Colombo: Priest – Verona.
- Ofure Mathina: Resident – Verona.
- Meg Ebu: Designer – Verona.
Veronetta – New Faces Of a Neighborhood – Interviewees
- Zama: Shop owner – Veronetta.
- Rasika: Shop owner – Veronetta.
- Giulia Vicenzi: Resident – veronetta.
- Lauria Andrea: Resident – Veronetta.
- Innocent Ebe: Shop owner – Veronetta.
- Pierluigi Grigoletti: Architect – Veronetta.
- Loughlimi Lhabib: Resident – Veronetta.
- Marco Ambrosi: Photographer – Verona.
- Uddin Monazim: Shop owner – Veronetta.
- Giovanni Vignato: Shop owner – Veronetta.
- Giancarlo Beltrame: Journalist and Lecturer.
- Carlo Melegari: Director of Cestim – Verona.
- Marco Danielon: Sculpture Artist – Veronetta.
- Giusepina Boateng: Social Assistant – Verona.
- Mustapha Wagne: Trade Unionist – Veronetta.
- Ibrahim Khachab: Restaurant Owner – Veronetta.
- Francesca Benciolini: City Councillor – Padova.
- Ramona Parenza: Teacher and author – Brescia.
- Anna Mozzo: Student at the University of Verona.
- Elena Migliavacca: Deretor of Casa di Ramia – Verona.
- Cisse Falilou: Musical artist and trade unionist – Verona.
- Marcellino Marundo: Lecturer of Economics – Mozambique.
Other Contributors
- Lucia Perina: General Secretary of UIL Verona.
- Sarah Chreyha: A psychologist who specializes in evolutive and psycho-diagnostics psychology in Padua.
For Advice and Revision of Texts
- Innocent Daniel Ezenwa: Community leader – Verona.
- Ugochukwu: Lecturer at Open University – United Kingdoms.
- Elise Abram: Educator, Author, and Publisher – Ontario, Canada.
- Daniel Kobehe: Ivory Coast Immigrant Worker – Paris, France.
WE REFUGEES – VERONA 2016 – Interviewees (Workers at refugee centers)
- Claudio: Ronde della carità of Verona.
- Lucia Zanoni: Centro aperto, Verona.
- Nadia Gobbo: Centro aperto, Verona.
- Eleonora Rizzi: Spazio aperto, Verona.
- Andrea Tassetti: Centro aperto, Verona.
- Massimiliano Minozzo: Associazione Betania, Verona.
Some Of The Refugees That Were Interviewed
- Addourahmane.
- Mamadou.
- Fredrick.
- Otokiti.
- Omoregne.
- Efosa.
- Iyamu.
- Obeto.
- Nwosu.
- Osemiekhian.
The Journey: Africans In Verona – Interviewees
- Charles Ani: Architect – Verona.
- Odion Hope: Resident – Verona.
- Kingford Patrick: Resident – Verona.
- Jean Francois: Entrepreneur – Verona.
- Enabulele Benson: Resident – Verona.
- Erhomosele Orukpe: Resident – Verona.
- Hamid Barole: Poet and author – Verona.
- Beyene Zerazion: Medical oculist – Verona.
- Sandra Faith Erhabor: Social worker – Verona.
- Ernesto Da Silva: Guinea Bessua resident – Verona.
- Robert Osifo: Ex-President of the Nigerian Association in Verona.
Other Contributors and volunteers
- Francesca Bazzani: Food marketing consultant – Verona.
- Tommy Kuti: Musical artist – Brescia.
- Crowdo – Italy
- Manuela – Italy
- Selorm Quist – United States
- Yahsonn Tafari – United States
- Williams Bill – Nigeria
The Color Of Our Children – Interviewees (Parents/Teachers)
- Maddalena Albanese: Teacher of history and Italian language and a Referent for the integration of non-Italian students – Vicenza.
- Ethiel France: The main protagonist of the research – Vicenza.
- Cristina Cominacini: Social worker in “Le Fate” Association – Verona.
- Elena Buttturini: Teacher in Massalongo Elementary School – Verona.
- Domenico Martino: Director of the Ministry of education in Vicenza, at the time of the interview.
- Ethiel’s Mother – Vicenza.
- Valida Boafo: Mother – Padova.
- Marta Borin: Ethiel’s friend in school – Vicenza.
- Cadigia Hassan: Mother and journalist – Padova.
- Ernesto Passante: Headteacher of Veronetta, Verona, at the time of the interview.
- Jennifer Iloegbunam: Mother and cultural mediator – Verona.
- Ziani Abdelghani: Moroccan parent and cultural mediator – Verona.
- Marialuisa Damini: Teacher and researcher for cultural diversity in schools.
- Giorgio Santarello: Director of Padova provincial administration, work and formation section, at the time of interview.
Voxpop – Students
- Vanessa: Student – Verona.
- Emanuela: Student – Verona.
- Sara: Istituto Paritario Sacra Famiglia – Verona.
- Nora: Massalongo Scuola Elementare – Verona.
- Aima: Massalongo Scuola Elementare – Verona.
- Anna: Massalongo Scuola Elementare – Verona.
- Melani: Istituto Paritario Sacra Famiglia – Verona.
- Mattia: Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale -Vicenza.
- Ahmed: Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale – Vicenza.
- Anthony: Istituto Tecnico Industriale Statale – Vicenza.
- Winifred: Istituto Tecnico Statale Marco Polo – Verona.
- Andrea: Istituto Tecnico Commerciale Einaudi – Padova.
- Leonardo: Istituto Tecnico Commerciale Einaudi – Padova.
- Camilla: Liceo Artistico Statale Amedeo Modigliani – Padova.
- Lorenzo: Istituto d’Istruzione Superiore “A. Canova” – Vicenza.
- Anna: Istituto Di Istruzione Superiore Leonardo Da Vinci – Padova.
- Asmaa: Istituto Tecnico Commerciale Aldo Pasoli – Verona.
Conference On Human Migration – University of Verona
- Prof. Gian Paolo Romagnano: Director of the Department of Culture and civilization, University of Verona.
- Jean-Pierre Piessou: Lecturer of African anthropology.
- Gruppo dei rifugiati: African Young Stars, Verona.
- Alessandro Tortorella – Vice prefect of Verona.
- Luca Delponte: Journalist, TeleArena, Verona.
- Marina Sorina: Italian-Ukraine author.
- Anna Leso – City Councillor, Verona.
- Fometh Attiogbe: Ivorian poet, Verona.
- Raffaello Zordan: Journalist at Nigrizia, Verona.
- Nadia Gobbo: Cooperativa spazio aperto, Verona.
- Prosper Nkenfack: President of Africa’s friends, Verona.
- Prof. Anna Maria Paini: Lecturer of Anthropology, University of Verona.
- Prof. Emanuela Gamberoni: Lecturer of human geography, University of Verona.
What about you?
How do you want to support the mission and add your name to the list?