Southern African Lounge in Petworth – Safari, Celebrating Namibian Independence

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Georgia Avenue, Kizomba in DC, Kwaito in DC, Mauritius Independence, Namibia INdependence, Paul Robeson statue DC, Petworth, Safari

I’d noticed a spot known as Safari, just beyond the Paul Robeson statue and Petworth public library for awhile.  However, given my experience further up the road at Serengeti, I hadn’t paid it much mind and a Zambian acquaintance informed me that it had been closed for awhile.

To decompress, I walked home from work on Friday and happened to be on the same side of the Street as Safari.  I noticed a poster advertising Saturday dance nights.  My interest piqued, I discovered their Facebook page, advertising a party this Saturday to celebrate Namibian and Mauritian independence.  If there is indeed a spot to hear Kwaito and Kizomba on Georgia Ave, I would be delighted.  Has anyone been there?

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Liberian Connection: Simple Bar and Grill on Georgia Avenue?

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Georgia Avenue, Simple Bar and Grill, Wal-Mart

A Liberian restaurant, Kendejah, closed on upper Georgia Avenue sometime around 2010 or 2011 (it was almost directly across from the new Wal-Mart).

Browsing Facebook this evening, I located a Liberian page promoting the re-opening of a ‘historical Kendejah’ on the premises of Simple with a DJ on this Saturday night.  I take this to mean Simple will play west African music on weekends and serve west African food.

However, their website and Yelp reviews give no indication of a Liberian connection, so I will plan to drop by myself and check it out sometime.  If any readers have updates, comment away!

Ethiopian Retail Establishments Protest Israeli Treatment of Africans

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DC Israel Embassy Protest, Diaspora Eritreans, Georgia Avenue, Harrar Coffee and Roastery, Howard University

The other day, the guy photographed above got me to drop by Harrar Coffee and Roastery, not something I would usually do as my coffee preferences do not normally extend beyond Starbucks Frappuccinos.

I did not consumer any products from the Georgia Ave establishment (it’s just north of Howard), but I was very interested to see this poster promoting a January 22 protest march in front of the Embassy of Israel by diaspora Eritreans calling on Israel to respect the rights of African refugees.

Honoring Mandela at Howard Tomorrow (and Through a T-shirt Today)

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Bob Marley, Che Guevara, Embassy of South Africa, Georgia Avenue, Howard University, Nelson Mandela

As Howard University and the Embassy of South Africa prepare to honor the memory of Nelson Mandela tomorrow evening, I’ve noted an upswing in the amount of Mandela paraphernalia on the DC marketplace.

This weekend, I saw a wholesaler in the vicinity of Union Market  with a stock of Nelson Mandela t-shirts hanging in their window.  Yesterday, I was walking along Georgia Ave just north of Howard, and passed a similar storefront scene.  I wonder if this apparel will continue to gain prominence in the way that t-shirts of men with much shorter lives, such as Che Guevara and Bob Marley have become staples.  Perhaps this indicates that Mandela is seen by some as more of an anti-establishment icon than is generally accepted?

Newer readers can find some of my brief thoughts on Georgia Ave here.

Silver Spring’s (Georgia Ave) Ethiopian Food and Nightlife

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Ethiopian food in DC, Ethiopian nightlife in DC, Ethiopian nightlife Silver Spring, Georgia Avenue, Langano Silver Spring, Lesaac Cafe Silver Spring, little ethiopia silver spring

I had meant to hit the town last night and write about my experience in the little Ethiopian corridor on Georgia Avenue in Silver Spring.  The area stretching from the DC/MD line (just before Montgomery County Community College) to just south of the Discovery Channel headquarters is easily home to 7 or 8 Ethiopian restaurants.  These include

Alassane Ouattara as Génocidaire & Tyrant: Africa in DC is not just K Street and Massachusetts Ave

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Africa Liberation Day, Alassane Ouattara, Georgia Avenue, Howard University, Ivory Coast Genocide, Rayford Logan

Walking along Georgia Ave this weekend, I noticed this poster for an event that took place on African Liberation Day (May 25) last year.  It states that Alassane Ouattara, the President of the Ivory Coast who was installed with the military support of the French and the United Nations, “committed genocide in the Ivory Coast and is still terrorizing the people there.”

I spotted this poster just beyond Howard University.  While the Africa programs of the various think tanks in downtown DC dominate the discourse of this blog and most other observers, one should not lose sight that Howard University has one of the oldest African studies programs in the US.

The Georgia Avenue corridor, from Howard University to Silver Spring, presents a discourse on Africa that is very different from what one hears around Dupont Circle and Metro Center.  A significant aspect of this discourse is a strong emphasis on pan-Africanism (prominently espoused by Howard notables such as Rayford Logan and William Leo Hansbery).  Indicative of this, on Bus #70 that goes down GA Ave, I once met a Howard undergrad who knew hardly anything about Africa, but spoke some Swahili.

I encourage both groups to interact more, they each have something important to offer the other.