African Cultural Arts Program, Inc.

Board of Directors

Kemi Lapite has a favorite quote: Let Courage be the Rage that Consumes your Fears. This mantra got her through her O and A level exams, her move to the United States and the many jobs endured in search of her true calling: to establish an organization that would celebrate – and reveal to the rest of the world – the beauty of her beloved continent – Africa.

Kemi studied briefly at the University of Ife, Nigeria where she discovered and fell in love with, the works of African, Caribbean and Afro-Cuban writers. She received her B.A. in English from the University of Minnesota, and M.A. in Theatre Arts from Emerson College, Boston.

Hobbies/Interests:

Running, writing (short stories and screenplays) reading, forensic science

Favorite Book(s)/Author(s):

None, in particular. I love great literature, great writing.

Folusola Christopher Lapite arrived in the United States to study at New College, San Francisco. Later, he moved to southern California and received his B.A. and MBA in International Relations from the University of La Verne. He and his wife, Liz, are the parents of two boys, and make their home in Costa Mesa, California.

Hobbies/Interests:

Soccer (he has coached for American Youth Soccer Organization - AYSO) and is an avid Arsenal fan)
Mixing records
Spending time with his children
History and politics (special interest: post colonial history of Nigeria)

Favorite Book(s) /Author(s):

Nzeogwu: An Intimate Portrait of Major Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu
The Brothers' War: Biafra and Nigeria
Why We Struck: The Story of the First Nigerian Coup

Kathy Nash is a writer and editor. She loves all animals, including the homo sapiens species. She lives in southern California.

Josephine Omotunde Barber loves to cook and entertain. And juju music. She dotes on her grandchildren. Unassuming and self-deprecating, she would never tell you that she is well-travelled – Lebanon, Israel, Austria and Belgium, to name a few – or that she worked as a cashier at Harrods (yes, of London) in the 1960s, confounding the racial barrier of the time. She moved to the United States in her 50s, enrolled in classes and became a certified nursing assistant; worked a few years, enrolled in more classes and earned a certificate in early childhood education.

She cherishes her experiences, but considers her involvement with ACAP a feather in her cap.

Hobbies/Interests:

Cooking (of course!), sewing, gardening, her children and grandchildren

Favorite Book(s)/Author(s):

The Bible