Prime Minister Invites Overground to Number 10

Earlier this month, Overground Online founders Akosua Annobil-Dodoo and Orantes Moore received invitations from Gordon and Sarah Brown to attend a reception at the Prime Minister’s official residence.

The occasion was to celebrate black history month and launch Powerlist 2010 – a magazine and website featuring an annual compilation of ‘Britain’s 100 Most Influential Black People’.

Sadly, neither of us made it onto this year’s list.

Nevertheless, we thought it a little rude to turn down a RSVP from the Prime Minister.

So a few evenings later, we found ourselves in a first floor reception room at Number 10 rubbing shoulders with the great, good and not so good of the black Establishment.

VIPs in attendance included Courtenay Griffiths QC, space scientist Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE and Trevor Williams, Lloyds TSB’s chief economist.

TV chef Levi Roots was overjoyed to meet his favourite fashion designer Ozwald Boateng (pictured with Akosua wearing Gisella).

Meanwhile, MOBO founder Kanya King chatted with billionaire Damon Buffini.

When the Prime Minister arrived, he was introduced to comedian Stephen K Amos and Dr Mo Ibrahim, the man who brought mobile phones to Africa.

Attorney General Baroness Scotland, the Government’s top legal officer, who topped the Powerlist 2010, appeared to be enjoying the evening, despite being placed under investigation and fined 5,000 pounds by legal chiefs days earlier for, ironically,employing an illegal immigrant as her housekeeper.

Scotland spoke briefly and made a few jokes before she prayed for the Prime Minister and asked us to bless him with an ‘amen’, which was all a bit strange and surreal.

Finally, Gordon Brown took the floor to deliver a short explaining that we should all unite (by voting Labour, of course) to smash the BNP at the next general election.

Everyone appeared to agree, with one guest shouting ‘respec Prime Minister’ during the oration. After Brown left, the audiences stayed behind to chat, network and swap business cards.

We made our way home a short while later wondering if the VIPs we’d just left would come together again, without an invitation from Gordon Brown.

What happens if, as expected, the Conservatives win the next election?

Would those same VIPs re-unite and stand together without a call from the Prime Minister? Who knows? Only time will tell.

Powerlist 2010 is available in either downloadable ezine (3.99) or glossy magazine format (6.95) from Powerful Media.