#NNPA BlackPress

Outgoing AU Ambassador to US Blasts Commission for New Smear Campaign

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Now, Dr. Quao finds herself fighting against the AU to maintain her reputation. She said their claims of misappropriation of funds are false. Also, the AU’s contention now that all programs and projects under Dr. Quao had no formal approval and that it found no evidence that donations and funds collected were deposited in any AU account.

Published

7 years ago

November 27, 2019

Oakland Post

Former African Union Permanent Representative to the United States, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao.

By Stacy M. Brown, NNPA Newswire Senior Correspondent
@StacyBrownMedia

The African Union is now claiming that its former Permanent Representative to the United States, Dr. Arikana Chihombori-Quao, was guilty of misconduct while in office.

In a release, African Union Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat said, “a high-level team was deployed to the AU Representational Mission to the USA in Washington, DC from October 16 to October 26 to carry out a supervisory audit of the Office activities.

“During this mission, the team found evidence, corroborated by Dr. Quao, that she initiated and implemented with AU funds, activities of entities that have no AUC formal approval or legal link to the African Union, nor any of its organs.”

Mahamat said the AU investigative “team found that some entities, initiatives, associations, and corporates have conducted some activities backed by Dr. Quao without prior knowledge or consent and against the rules of the African Union.”

According to Mahamat, “claims made in social media suggesting that Dr. Quao’s end of tenure is due to any pronouncements or opinions she may have held during her three-and-a-half-year tenure, are blatantly untrue and unsubstantiated.”

However, Mahamat did not say why none of these claims surfaced when he terminated Dr. Quao.

In his letter written on October 7, he stated that Dr. Quao was terminated simply because her contract was set to expire.

Supporters of Dr. Quao pointed out that Mahamat “conjured up the supervisory audit” to cover up the real reason he terminated such a successful advocate for the African Union and the continent as a whole.

“I more than successfully carried out my tenure,” Dr. Quao stated this week.

“When I came here, most people hadn’t heard of the African Union. The State Department said it was closed, and this office was dead. They were using this office as a protocol office, and that’s a shame.”

Dr. Quao, who has previously wondered if her speeches denouncing France’s continued colonization of Africa was the reason for her termination, said Mahamat is merely jealous of her success.

“What I’ve been doing is what the chairman should have been doing, but he’s not capable,” Dr. Quao stated.

“He’s too busy being jealous of me. One gentleman who has been in Washington for 50 years told me that he’s seen ambassadors come and go, but he’d never seen anything like what I’ve been able to accomplish. The AU is now known worldwide, and nobody can deny that. I came to Washington to work, not to drink tea and coffee.”

Further, Dr. Quao has said that the AU never provided her with any directives on how to accomplish the Ambassador’s mission. Thus, she was forced to come up with ideas and initiatives on her own, as well as figure out how to engage and unite the African Diaspora and encourage them to invest in Africa.

Dr. Quao said it was her determination to unite Africans, bringing their knowledge and skills to build their businesses in an effort to help redevelopment efforts throughout the Continent.

The AU has declined further comment.

Dr. Quao received appointment as Ambassador in December 2016.

Immediately, she went to work organizing and successfully implemented programs that renewed interest throughout the African Diaspora.

She openly criticized governments for maintaining neo-colonial policies meant to keep African people separated.

An estimated $50 billion leaves Africa each year because of corruption, and Dr. Quao noted that France still extracts a colonial tax of $500 billion annually from francophone African countries.

Under her leadership, she’s been a staunch advocate for Pan-Africanism.

Dr. Quao started a “Return to Africa” mission that included the campaign to build a Wakanda Village, a project she envisioned built in both Zimbabwe and Zambia as a nerve center for development.

She anticipated raising $5 billion in development funding and that Africans would fund the project throughout the diaspora and would be its sole owners.

The project would consist of five African Centers of Excellence in each of the five regions of the continent, which would serve as nerve centers for development delivering state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, hotels, industrial homes, shopping centers, and other amenities.

“We are going to build the Africa that we want so those [throughout the diaspora] who say I cannot go home because home is not what I’m used to,” Dr. Quao said earlier this year.

Following her termination, many Africans in the diaspora petitioned the AU to get her reinstated. There are close to 100,000 signatures on the petition and those numbers are increasing daily.

Now, Dr. Quao finds herself fighting against the AU to maintain her reputation. She said their claims of misappropriation of funds are false. Also, the AU’s contention now that all programs and projects under Dr. Quao had no formal approval and that it found no evidence that donations and funds collected were deposited in any AU account.

“We are required to file quarterly progress reports,” Dr. Quao stated. “I implemented programs and spelled out in the reports what activity took place, and I forwarded those reports to the chairman’s secretary. All programs, including those for men and youth of the diaspora, were created to bring them closer together, and so youth could understand what’s going on throughout the diaspora.”

Dr. Quao continued:

“Unequivocally, not a single penny was ever donated to the AU under my leadership that wasn’t deposited into the bank. If we received any donations, it has to go to the AU. I refute that there’s no accountability. I posted my quarterly reports, I’ve spoken about these programs, and I’ve spoken about them to the AU and in front of all of the countries.”

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Following Supreme Court Oral Argument, Harris Resolution Affirms 150-Year-Old Federal Civil Rights Law

Don't Miss

Congresswoman Wilson’s Statement on President Trump’s Lynching Analogy

Oakland Post

Click to comment

#NNPA BlackPress

Smooth Ride! Car Suspension & Comfort Tested #shorts

Smooth suspension meets surprisingly spacious legroom. Experience true comfort on any road!

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Car suspension test demonstrating a smooth ride, comfort features, and handling on various terrains.

Experience the difference smooth suspension makes on rough streets. Check out the surprisingly good second-row legroom – test it yourself for true comfort.

Watch the full video: https://youtu.be/l9Z571za5Gc

#AutoNetwork

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

61 years since Selma, Houston leaders say the bridge remains to be crossed

61 years after Selma, Houston leaders say the fight for equality continues. The issues that sparked the marches still impact Black Americans today.

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

Houston leaders discuss the ongoing struggle for civil rights 61 years after Selma, emphasizing the need for continued action.

It has been 61 years since the Selma marches. But political leaders in Houston say that the issues protesters were marching for still plague the lives of Black Americans.

Visit Our Website

Home – updated

Read more stories by our team
https://defendernetwork.com/category/news/opinion/

Sign-up for the Top 5 newsletter

Defender Newsletters

Donate/ Support Our Work

Contribute to the Defender Network

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Here is what you need to know about finding unique white elephant gift ideas that everyone wants to steal

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition. The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half […]

Published

1 month ago

October 4, 2026

Oakland Post

The best white elephant gift ideas are funny enough to get a reaction but useful enough that people actually want to steal them. Look for gifts with a surprise factor, broad appeal, an inside joke, and just enough personality to spark some friendly competition.

The wrapping paper comes off, the room goes quiet for half a second, and suddenly everyone wants the same gift. That is the sweet spot. A great white elephant pick should make people laugh, lean in, and start plotting their next steal before the turn is even over.

Should a White Elephant Gift Be Funny or Useful?

A white elephant gift can be funny or useful, but the strongest choices usually give people a reason to laugh and a reason to keep the item. A practical gift with an odd design, unexpected feature, or playful theme can get a reaction without becoming something the recipient immediately wants to give away.

The right balance depends on the group. Close friends and family members may enjoy a ridiculous gag gift because they already understand one another’s sense of humor.

A workplace exchange, neighborhood party, or mixed-age gathering usually calls for something with broader appeal. In those settings, humor works better when it is built into an item people could still use afterward.

It also helps to think about how quickly the gift will make sense once it is opened. A strangely shaped kitchen tool, oversized mug, quirky desk accessory, or unexpectedly fancy everyday item can create an immediate reaction. Guests understand the joke right away, while the item still has enough practical value to attract a steal.

Pure gag gifts can be harder to pull off. Something that exists only for the punchline may get a big laugh during the reveal and then sit untouched for the rest of the game. If the goal is to bring one of the gifts everyone keeps fighting over, usefulness gives the joke staying power.

Memorable Present Ideas: Creating Inside Joke Gifts

Inside joke gifts can make a white elephant exchange feel much more personal, especially when most of the group shares the same stories. The trick is choosing a reference that people will recognize quickly instead of building the entire joke around something only two guests understand.

You can turn a memorable vacation mishap, office catchphrase, family story, or long-running group joke into the theme of the gift. A personalized comic book can work especially well when it turns familiar people or a ridiculous shared moment into part of the story.

Think carefully about who the joke involves before ordering anything permanent. The gift should make the person feel included in the fun, not singled out for the wrong reason.

Can You Bring Something You Already Own?

Holiday gift exchanges can be a good place to re-gift something you never used, especially if it is unopened and clean.

The following can all work if they still look presentable:

A duplicate kitchen gadget
An untouched game
A decorative item
A sealed gift set
An unopened candle
A new travel accessory

The goal is to give the item a second chance, not use the exchange as an excuse to clear out damaged or unwanted clutter.

Take a close look at the packaging before wrapping it. Faded boxes, missing pieces, visible wear, or anything that looks obviously used can make the gift feel careless.

Wrapping Budget-Friendly Gifts

Wrapping can make gifts more entertaining before anyone even knows what’s inside.

Misdirection works especially well for fun party games. Put a small gift inside a much larger box. Use packaging from an unrelated household item.

Add harmless weight so guests cannot guess what they are holding. The reveal becomes part of the joke without changing the gift itself.

You can also lean into the theme of the exchange. Bright paper, oversized bows, reusable bags, or deliberately over-the-top wrapping can make an ordinary item feel more memorable. If the gift itself is already funny, simple wrapping may work better so the surprise stays hidden until the last second.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Picking Last an Advantage in White Elephant?

Picking last can be an advantage because you get to see almost every gift before making your move. Instead of choosing blindly from the remaining wrapped presents, you can steal something that has already caught your attention if the rules still allow it.

That advantage depends on the house rules. Some games limit how many times a gift can be stolen.

Others lock an item once it reaches a certain number of steals. If the most popular gifts are already unavailable, the final player may have fewer strong options than expected.

The first player can also get another turn at the end in some versions of the game. That rule can balance things out, since the person who started with the least information may get one final chance to steal.

How Do You Plan White Elephant for a Large Group?

For a large white elephant exchange, set a firm spending limit and establish the stealing rules in advance.

Create a clear turn order before the game begins. Drawing numbers as guests arrive can save time once everyone is ready to start.

Keep the number of steals per gift limited so the game does not drag on. It also helps to have one person track which creative holiday presents have been stolen and when they are locked, especially if dozens of people are participating.

Can You Play White Elephant Virtually?

A virtual white elephant exchange can work over a video call, with one person keeping track of the turn order and each steal. Guests can either mail physical gifts ahead of time or use digital gifts that can be delivered once the game ends.

Set the spending limit and stealing rules before everyone joins. It also helps to decide how gifts will be revealed and who is responsible for sending each one afterward so the exchange does not become confusing.