NEW YORK: Twenty-one months triggered the stopwatch to end for Victor Mooney’s pursuit in rowing from Las Palmas, Gran Canaria (Canary Islands) to New York’s Brooklyn Bridge after three failed attempts to cross the high seas. His rowboat, Spirit of Malabo, was sponsored by the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, with the personal support of H.E. Mr. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the President.
Inspired by a single, resonant word from Pope Leo XIV – “Unity” – offered during the Roman Catholic Jubilee Year of Sports – Pilgrims of Hope, Mooney is now channeling that profound guidance into a monumental global initiative.
During the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly, Mooney rallied international support for the proposed Central African Museum of Enslaved Africans in Equatorial Guinea. The West-Central Africa region had the largest forced migration of any ethnicity.
He envisions this institution as a crucial “vital space for remembrance, education, and reconciliation,” aiming to confront a difficult past while fostering healing and understanding. To bring this ambitious vision to fruition, Mooney proposes a strategic funding model, blending private sector investment with support from friendly nations and collaborative partnerships with regional bodies such as the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) and the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). Over 231.1 million people now call this region home.
Among other things, Equatorial Guinea, positioned strategically along the Gulf of Guinea, is a key entry point for commercial container traffic with deep water ports. The country is accelerating the implementation of their economic diversification plan. The Vice President of Equatorial Guinea, H.E. Mr. Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue led a high-level delegation for this year’s UN General Assembly in New York with follow up meetings in Houston and Washington, D.C.
