The 2028 Bicentennial of Prince Abdulrahman Ibrahima ibn Sori
 

The 2028 Bicentennial Prince Abdulrahman Ibrahima ibn Sori and Isabella Emancipation Commemoration

 

The Commemoration is an international historical and cultural initiative honoring 200 years since the emancipation of Prince Abdulrahman Ibrahima ibn Sori and his wife Isabella in 1828. Led by The Official Royal House of Sori®, the commemoration seeks to preserve and elevate the extraordinary legacy of a West African prince who endured forty years of enslavement in Natchez, Mississippi before securing his freedom and returning to Africa.

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The bicentennial observance will serve as both a memorial and a global educational movement, tracing the journey of Prince Abdulrahman and Isabella from Fouta Djallon in present-day Guinea, through the American South, and ultimately to Liberia following their emancipation. Through historical tours, exhibitions, lectures, cultural exchanges, memorial ceremonies, and public programming, the initiative aims to honor not only the Prince and Isabella, but also the estimated 1.8 million African men, women, and children who perished during the transatlantic slave trade.

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The 2028 commemoration builds upon the annual “Walking in the Footsteps of a Prince” heritage tours, which retrace the historical path of Prince Abdulrahman’s captivity, emancipation, advocacy journey, and final voyage to Liberia. These programs bring together descendants, historians, educators, cultural institutions, faith leaders, students, and members of the African Diaspora in a shared act of remembrance, reconciliation, scholarship, and cultural preservation.

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According to The Official Royal House of Sori®, the bicentennial initiative is dedicated to advancing historical preservation, international cultural collaboration, diaspora engagement, youth education, and public awareness surrounding one of the most remarkable documented stories of survival, faith, diplomacy, and resilience in African American and transatlantic history.