Tags
de facto segregation, George Washington University, Howard University Africa, Jim Crow in DC, Mali, South Africa
I previously blogged about the segregation of Africana entertainment events in DC, with whites tending to go to more mainstream venues in northern Virginia and downtown DC to hear ‘traditional’ African music, while those of African origins go to venues in NE and Maryland to hear a different set of tunes. With the increasing lip service to globalization and emphasis that many non-Africans in DC place on exploring African cultural products, I find this lingering division to be disturbing.
As we move into Black History Month, my attendance at events this week starkly illustrated that these divisions do not exist only in play, but in intellectual pursuits as well. At a George Washington University event, two white men spoke on historical manuscripts in Mali. The crowd was primarily white; I believe the number of non-whites in the audience did not (or barely) reached the number of fingers on one hand.
At an event at Howard University the next day, two (light-skinned if it matters to anyone) blacks spoke about the role of DC activists in helping end the Apartheid system in South Africa. The number of whites in the audience was minuscule, besides myself, I counted two, one of whom I believe is a student at Howard University.
Given the massive outpouring of sympathy following the death of Nelson Mandela, I was surprised that this evening event did not attract a group more representative of the local audience following African affairs. The campus of Howard University is sandwiched roughly between the happening U Street Corridor and the gentrifying neighborhood of Petworth, which is attracting a lot of young professionals with the international interests and internationally oriented professional positions that DC caters to. I imagine that a lot of individuals with a professed interest in the topic would have been in fairly close proximity and could have attended if they wished.
I encourage all whose interests draw them to these pages to make the effort to get out of their comfort zones. We celebrate our worldliness in America’s capitol and it is unanimously agreed that such a condition is a good thing. Unfortunately, the stark division that I regularly observe at these events seem to make that a hollow celebration. Exchange and learning doesn’t just have to come from travels abroad, take advantage of opportunities closer to home to help the ideals that Mandela epitomized after his release from jail become a reality.
South Africa Event
Mali Event
Africa in DC 
The promoters of events have to try harder to reach out via all forms of media, be they postcards or online social sites, to get a wide-ranging demographic. Also, your descriptions of where “African” events take place, overlooks the fact that there is a large Ethiopian community in Northern Virginia who attend Ethiopian events in various Falls Church & Arlington VA clubs and restaurants. Finally, the programmed beat African music you indirectly refer to attracts a younger audience of all races than more traditional rooted sounds.
Steve, I agree that promoters should do more, but I’m also suggesting that people who take pride in their intellectual curiosity need to put a bit more ‘oomph’ behind their own pursuits.
As I’ve said before, Ethiopia is something of an unknown quantity for me. I have spent a few late weekend nights at the Ethiopian spots on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring and at least there, my argument holds as the clientele seemed to be primarily Ethiopian/Horn of African.
Finally, although this post was looking more to intellectual events than entertainment ones, I feel that while the programmed beat music does draw a younger crowd, it is not at all diverse. Exceptions that readily come to mind are acts like The Very Best and K’naan at venues like Rock n Roll Hotel (and these acts are very much part of the Diaspora and probably have more popularity outside the continent to start with).