Odilia Anyachi Okonga
I am an educator, author, cultural advocate, and international education leader driven by a deep belief that every child deserves to see their history, language, culture, and identity reflected in the education they receive.
My journey began in Kenya, where I studied Agribusiness at Egerton University. Although my academic background was not initially in education, my passion for learning, culture, and knowledge exchange gradually led me in a different direction. I became increasingly aware of how limited the representation of African histories, languages, cultures, and perspectives can be in educational systems, particularly for children of African descent growing up outside Africa. I could not simply observe this gap. I felt compelled to do something about it.
That conviction led me to found the International African School, an innovative educational platform dedicated to teaching, promoting, and preserving African languages, strengthening cultural literacy, and creating opportunities for meaningful global classroom exchange.
For me, the International African School is more than a school or an educational program. It is a space for identity, connection, belonging, and discovery. It is a place where children can learn that African languages are valuable, African histories matter, and African cultures are not something to be placed at the margins of education, but are an essential part of the global story.
As a Kiswahili teacher and Founder and Director of the International African School, I create learning experiences that bring African heritage to life through language, storytelling, history, music, fashion, art, food, and cultural expression. I work to ensure that African children and communities have opportunities to reconnect with their heritage, while also inviting people from diverse backgrounds to learn about Africa through authentic, engaging experiences.
I believe deeply in the power of language as a bridge. Language carries memory, identity, wisdom, and worldview. This is why preserving and teaching African languages is central to my work. Through Kiswahili and other African languages, I seek to create connections between generations, communities, and continents.
My commitment to cultural preservation also extends to literature. As a published author, I have written Kiswahili grammar books and Luhya folktales, making language learning and traditional storytelling accessible to wider audiences. Through my writing, I help preserve stories and knowledge that might otherwise be lost, while creating new ways for people to engage with Kenya’s rich cultural heritage.
Before dedicating myself fully to education and cultural programming, I spent more than a decade working in the Languages Department of a United Nations organization. That experience gave me valuable insight into multilingual communication, international cooperation, cross-cultural engagement, and working within complex multicultural environments. It also strengthened my conviction that diversity is not simply something to acknowledge. It is something to actively create space for and learn from.
Today, based in the Netherlands, I work as a freelance educator and cultural facilitator, bringing the cultures of Kenya and the wider African continent into classrooms and communities through interactive and experiential learning. I develop and lead exhibitions, fashion events, workshops, museum collaborations, educational tours to East Africa, and the Sauti ya Afrika podcast. Each initiative is an opportunity to challenge stereotypes, encourage curiosity, create dialogue, and build genuine connections between people and cultures.
I also serve as Director of the MCH Kenya Chapter, where I contribute to educational initiatives, institutional partnerships, and capacity building in support of the network’s vision and mission.
My work is ultimately about connection—connecting children to their heritage, connecting generations to their languages and stories, connecting Africa to the wider world, and creating spaces where people can meet one another with curiosity, dignity, and respect.
I am fluent in English, Kiswahili, Dutch, and several Kenyan languages. I bring strong networking and strategic leadership skills to my work, but above all, I bring a deep sense of purpose. I see myself as a cultural bridge-builder: someone who creates pathways between people, places, histories, and ideas.
I am honored to have received the AfriCan Award for my contribution to Kiswahili education, recognition that reinforces my belief in the importance of the work I do.
In 2026, I served as a facilitator for Mapping Colonial History in WE LIVE HERE: Summer Academy — ROOTING: From Extraction to Relationship, a project by Nicole Beutler Projects and BAU, in collaboration with Mapping Colonial History. Through this role, I contributed to critical conversations about colonial histories, cultural memory, and the importance of building relationships grounded in recognition, dialogue, and shared understanding.
My vision is bigger than introducing African culture into classrooms. I want to help transform the way Africa is understood, taught, experienced, and valued. I want children of African descent to grow up knowing that their heritage is a source of knowledge and pride, and I want children everywhere to encounter Africa beyond stereotypes and simplified narratives.
I believe education can change how we see ourselves and one another. Culture can open doors that geography and history have sometimes closed. And when we create opportunities to learn from one another, we do more than exchange knowledge; we build relationships.
This is the work I have chosen: to use education, language, storytelling, and culture to connect people, preserve heritage, and create a more inclusive understanding of our shared world.
