Nobel Prize laureate Dr. Wole Soyinka and Andrew Young, the former US Ambassador to the UN, have been named as among those appearing at an international heritage conference taking place on the Island next month.

The second African Diaspora Heritage Trail Conference will run from September 27 to October 1 at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess.

Bermuda hosted the first conference in 2002, chaired by actor and activist Danny Glover, and he will perform the same role this year, along with Bermudian co-chairman Dr. Radell Tankard.

Other presenters and panellists this year include Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, the Ghanaian Minister of Tourism and President of the Africa Travel Association; Dr. Lonnie Burch, founding director of the Smithsonian Institution African American Museum and Center for African American Culture and J. Max Bond, leading American architect and educator.

The conference is sponsored by the Department of Tourism and is aimed at conserving the cultural achievements of the people of the African Diaspora.

Deputy Premier and Tourism Minister Dr. Ewart Brown will speak at the event. He said of it last month: "The goal of the African Diaspora Trail is to identify places and phenomena relevant to the global presence and influences of people and culture of African descent.

"This year's theme is Linking our Futures, from Philosophy to Practice in Heritage Destination Development. We have received tremendous feedback with the anticipation of this event and expect that the conference will add significantly to Bermuda's reputation of being a premier heritage and cultural tourism destination."

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For more details visit www.adht.net.