Omékongo Dibinga is a Les Brown Platinum motivational speaker, trilingual poet, CNN
contributor, and positive rapper. His Urban Music Award winning work has best been
described by Nikki Giovanni as "outstanding, exciting, and new while being very old."
His book, From the Limbs of My Poetree was described by Essence Magazine as "a
remarkable and insightful collection of exquisite poetry that touches sacred places
within your spirit."
Omékongo has shared the stage with Les Brown, Willie Jolley, Sonia Sanchez, Amiri
Baraka, Dennis Brutus, Black Thought, The Last Poets, Awilo, Felix Wazekwa, OutKast,
Wyclef Jean, Reverend Run, Free, and Jeff Johnson. Internationally, he has performed
in South Africa, England, Congo-Kinshasa, Tanzania, France, Cuba, and Canada. His
work has appeared on TV and radio on CNN, BET, BBC, NPR, Music Choice, Voice of
America and Telesud in millions of homes in over 150 countries.
Omékongo has studied at Harvard, MIT, Princeton, Georgetown, Morehouse, and The
Fletcher School, where he received his M.A. in Law & Diplomacy. He is currently a Ph.D.
student in International Education Policy at The University of Maryland. He provides
educational empowerment as a motivational speaker for organizations, associations
and institutions and his work has been globally adapted for curricula in primary,
secondary, and university institutions. He has featured/lectured nationwide in
universities and poetry venues from Harvard to Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit. His two
rap mixtapes CD, "Bootleg" & "Bootleg II" promote positive hip-hop with remixes of
songs by Tupac, Notorious BIG, Hay-Z, Nas, Lauryn Hill, 50 Cent, and others.
Omékongo currently co-stars as "Yenga" in the international television series "Ya
Ma'Afrika," a fictional drama series about the lives of four African women living
together in New York City. "Ya Ma' Afrika" is the first TV series of its kind to show Africans
living in the western world confronting real issues such as relationships, immigration,
racism and HIV. "Ya Ma'Afrika" tells stories of cultural experiences, contradictions and
challenges of Africans living in the West. The television series broadcasts on 3A TELESUD
on 4 Continents: in Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and North America both on Cable,
Satellite and IPTV.
His publishing company, Free Your Mind Publishing has produced five fusion m...
