Nigerian Man, Yemi Selected By Japanese Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa For A Trip Around The Moon (Photo)

Posted by Thandiubani on Mon 12th Dec, 2022 - tori.ng

Four years after announcing that he’d lead an around-the-moon mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has named the eight people he wants to fly with him.

Czech-Nigerian choreographer, Yemi Akinyemi Dele has announced that he has been selected for a trip around the moon.

He made the announcement on his Instagram page and wrote:

"Dear friends, I have never had bigger news than what I am honored to share with you now. Today, I have been chosen to embark upon a journey like no other: A voyage around the Moon! I feel humbled, blessed and beyond grateful for this unprecedented opportunity to represent my country, my people, my family and all of the creative dreamers around the world on the first civilian trip to the Moon in the history of mankind!

Thank you to MZ and the dearMoon team for trusting me with this epic mission and for inviting me into your space family. I am committed to bring everything I am and everything I have learned to support my fellow crew members on our mission. I promise to continue being my whole, genuine self, for my life story to date is testament to the power of authenticity to change and shape lives. I will dare to listen and to share, to imagine and create together!

I extend my deepest gratitude to everyone who has aided me on this odyssey, whether through rooted support or simply enjoying this shared life experience together. I cherish the diversity of our community– a whole galaxy full of intersectional tribes, scenes, cultures and movements– with one, single common thread that connects us all across time and place: Despite any and all adversity we have faced in our lives, we never stopped dreaming, imagining and looking up.

Please, I invite you to join me in this next chapter of my life and to imagine, together, what it could be…let’s use our combined love, power and potential to create the world we want to live in, and be a part of the change that will shape our future.

My voyage to the MOON starts TODAY! 🧑🏾‍🚀🚀🌖

#dearMoonCrew #dearMoon @dearmoonproject @yusaku2020"

The 41-year-old will be among the eight crew members to join Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s crew on a trip around the Moon next year on one of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rockets.

Four years after announcing that he’d lead an around-the-moon mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa has named the eight people he wants to fly with him.

In 2018, Maezawa said he’d fund a mission aimed at letting creative artists on the level of the late Pablo Picasso or Michael Jackson experience a trip beyond Earth orbit. Some of the people he’s picked are making use of creative channels that didn’t exist when Picasso was in his prime.

The eight crew members — and two alternates — were chosen out of more than a million people from 249 countries and regions who registered their interest via Maezawa’s DearMoon website.

Simply known as Yemi AD, the Czech-born Nigerian artiste, Yemi Akinyemi Dele started off as a dancer, choreographer but later moved behind the scene to work with top artistes and global brands, including Grammy Award winner, Kanye West. Yemi AD’s father is Nigerian but he grew up with his mother in the Czech Republic.

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A post shared by Yemi A.D. (@yemialchemist)