A Personal Journey of Purpose, Pain, and Possibility
There comes a moment in every committed life when you stop and ask yourself: What have I truly built that will outlive me?

For those of us raised in the deep waters of Yoruba values, shaped by Omoluabi principles like integrity, humility, responsibility, and honor, that question isn't just philosophical. It’s a burning moral obligation.

My own life has been rich in visible achievements. Through Batik Arts Studio, Infopower International, AfroTreasure, and global platforms like FineArt America and Dharma Trading, I have shared African creativity with the world. I have mentored, built, taught, and given.
And yet, there was always a lingering ache.

What is the worth of personal success, when your people remain globally disrespected?

What does influence mean, when your elders are unprotected and your youth are lost to miseducation?

What pride can you take in achievement, when your nationhood is denied? This story, my story, is not unique.

It is a common thread that connects many of us. We are a generation that built, created, and gave, only to find ourselves hemmed in by systems not designed for our liberation. We’ve watched ideas die due to lack of support. We’ve seen our culture commercialized abroad and neglected at home.

And we’ve watched our people slowly forget who they are. Even worse, the betrayal of our mission has often come from within, from a disconnected elite, from compromised elders, or from years of colonial mental erosion.

The result? A fractured identity. A fading culture. A people robbed of their story.

Then Came the Awakening, YG1K did not begin as a political project. It began as a moral imperative. A soul call. It was the realization that we must build the future ourselves, not as individuals running isolated initiatives, but as one interconnected, interdependent force, grounded in ancestral values and driven by future vision.

YG1K is the umbrella that brings it all together:
AfroEats - Our cuisine, redefined and redistributed for the diaspora and the world
Yoruba 101 - A digital language tool to reclaim the mother tongue
OMIWELLS (Water for Life) - A community-driven water access initiative
Infotap - Our learning and digital empowerment arm
The Art Studio - A vehicle for artistic income and cultural restoration
Youth Empowerment Prototype - Designed to cultivate the next generation of Omoluabi leaders.

These are not “projects.” These are lifelines for a new future. And they are united under one banner, the Yoruba Global 1000 - Year Plan.  The Shared Path of the Conveners Both myself and fellow convener of YG1K arrived here through lived experience of being creators, educators, and cultural custodians in systems not designed to let us thrive.  We saw too many dreams fade.  Too many elders neglected.  Too many youth misled. But through that pain, a shared truth emerged.  We are not victims. We are architects.

Together, we began drafting a framework, not just for independence, but for restoration. Not just for Yoruba people, but for all African descended communities who have been fragmented by slavery, colonization, and elite neglect.

Omoluabi: Our Compass Forward At the heart of YG1K is a return to values. A new future rooted in Omoluabi conduct, our gold standard for moral, cultural, and civic excellence. click here to read the 40 Tenets of Omoluabi

These tenets will shape our leaders, guide our projects, and restore dignity at scale. A Global Call to Action.
YG1K is a movement for every Black and Brown person who believes we deserve more than charity. We deserve dignity. Sovereignty. Prosperity. Peace.  Whether you are in Atlanta or Abeokuta, São Paulo or Soweto, Toronto or Togo, there is a place for you in this mission. We do not just need donations. We need devotion. We need your time, talent, and treasure. To build schools. To restore water. To train youth. To tell our stories right.  To create an ecosystem where our culture becomes our capital.

A Personal Commitment As President of YG1K, I make this solemn vow: We will steward your support with transparency and prudence We will build systems that outlast us We will not stop until the world respects us—not for our suffering, but for our strength This is not just about nation-building.
It’s about soul-restoration. For ourselves. For our children. For the ancestors watching.

"Bí a kò bá fọwọ́ sùn, a ò ní lè sún áyà."

If we do not fold arms together to sleep, our chest will never rest.  Let’s fold arms together.

Let’s make history, the Omoluabi way.
Patrick Akinbola PhD.
President, YG1K