Last weekend, Dupont Circle, D.C. was home to the first stop of the Jollof Festival launched by the Afropolitan Insights platform. Doors opened at about 2pm to cultural drumming in a beautiful 2-floor, 5000-squarefoot loft at the Toolbar. Silver Spring-based afrocentric innovation business hub I/O spaces presented the Jollof Hackathon, while Mixed Sips, an African-led boutique bartending agency, mixed and served drinks as a diverse group of “Jollof-oholics” took in the artsy decor.
Clothing and accessories vendors curated by Ankara Bazaar served as an introduction to the cultural experience awaiting guests. Happy customers tried on new clothes, free ice cream made its ways around, and the Mixed Sips crew poured up drinks from a curated menu of classic African and African-inspired beers, wines, and mixes (Ginger and Hibiscus) . But, despite the enthusiasm, there were still plenty of eager glances upstairs as guests awaited the opening of the gates to the Jollof floor.
Vendors re-checked their sternos for heat, shifted chafing dishes to make them steadier, stretched tablecloths, and readied serving spoons and ladles.Team Naija had been pitched across the room from Team Ghana. Teams Senegal and Cameroon sat next to Ghana, as Naija and Sierra Leone shared ample space between them. The quantity of food they had brought to battle seemed as if to say if they didn’t win, they would still make an impression on everyone in the room.
Given the number of guests in attendance, we could tell it was going to be a busy day. And as serving trays were replaced, fresh food poured, and new waves of customers served, a sense of renewal and energy could be felt by the contentment on the faces of satisfied customers.
Jollof magic was at work: feet were moving, bodies were swaying, the effects of Guinness, Harlem brews, Tusker beers, and satiated appetites evident in the loud conversations and rolling laughter as new friends exchanged phone numbers and fleeting moments were forever captured in selfies.
Battles usually begin with the sharpening of knives, spears, and elbows. In here, the challenge was replaced by a mix of camaraderie, restrained critique, comparisons of notes amongst friends sampling jollof from different countries, and an overall sense of a good time permeated the atmosphere. You could sense the excitement of the recently initiated jollof enthusiast, the satisfied returnee, and the analytic jollof connoisseur to whom “jollof is bae.”
At Afropolitan Insights, our goal has been to consistently create spaces that allow for the exchange and highlight of cultural and afrocentric experiences through fashion (our Ankara Bazaar), food (the African Food Festival and the Jollof Festival), and now wellness (this summer’s SelfCare Festival). For us, the objective is still the same: bringing together Africans in the diaspora across cultural streams into spaces where we can immerse ourselves in experiences through food, fashion, culture, and ideas that can help us not only expand on how we are perceived by others, but how we perceive ourselves. Spaces where we can laugh about our differences and unite around our commonalities, observe the nuances in our cultures and discover ways of working together to address issues that impact us across the layers we encounter on our travels.
In my opinion, the conversations among Africans, Caribbeans, and African-Americans are long overdue. Young people of color everywhere are facing similar threats and hostilities, and there is no better time to exchange ideas on how to best shape the communities that have impacted us the most on local and global levels.. Global efforts must, after all, be informed by local awareness.
Last year’s African Food Festival experiences did a lot to influence how this year’s events have been designed and curated. It was tough love, and a steep learning curve, but if those lessons mean better curation, richer experiences, deeper insights, and worthwhile investments this year, then it was worth it. As young people of color begin to create oases of thoughts in our global sojourns, there will be stumbles, often times, falls, but I have come to understand that temporary setbacks cannot override the need for exploration, the quest for progress, and the surge of unity desperately needed in connecting our Afrocentric communities in this post-pan-African era. After all, nobody said it would be easy to change the conversation and find a new, central place for African culture in the U.S.
Nigeria won the Jollof wars in D.C., admittedly to much debate since not all teams were able to participate in the competition. But like I said, the war is far from over. Let's see if Team Naija can repeat the same feat in New York in the presence of other competitors.
Join us in NYC on July 23 for the next leg of the Jollof Festival. Tickets and more information are available at Jolloffestival.com/tickets.