A proud Bronxite with Ghanaian roots, Abdul Karim Abdullah has lived between these two worlds his whole life. His father is a local restaurateur who serves the West African dishes of his homeland, and Abdullah has looked to his own experiences to launch one of largest festivals dedicated to celebrating global Black culture, Afrochella.
Every December, people pack the streets of Accra, Ghana, for art exhibits, dance performances and concerts by the likes of Nigerian Afrobeat artist Wizkid and American R&B star Ari Lennox. We caught up with Abdullah to talk about the event and how the Bronx helped shape him. Read on for more.
Courtesy, Abdul Karim Abdullah
Tell us about your experiences growing up in NYC.
Abdul Karim Abdullah: I was born in the Bronx and lived there until the age of 5, when my father decided my brothers and I needed to move to Ghana for some cultural experience. That turned out to be a seven-year stay in Ghana. In hindsight, I am so thankful he did, but at the time it was difficult to leave my family and the US. I returned to the Bronx in 2001 for junior high and high school and remained until going off to Syracuse University.
Sedgwick Avenue. Photo: Maridelis Rosado
How do you think NYC shaped who you are?
AKA: I grew up on both Sedgwick Avenue—the birthplace of hip-hop—and Burnside Avenue. As a kid growing up in the Bronx there were three places that made all the difference. First, the city parks. Although I never turned out to be a star athlete, I learned a lot about myself there. The second is the corner store, aka the bodega. It was where you played arcade games with strangers and spent that first allowance. But I would say the arts-and-crafts summer programs that used to exist at the public schools nourished my love for arts and nurtured my creativity in general.
Afrochella. Courtesy, Abdul Karim Abdullah
Afrochella. Courtesy, Abdul Karim Abdullah
Afrochella has turned into a cultural phenomenon. How did you come up with the idea?
AKA: I wanted to create an experience that celebrated culture as I understood it growing. It was hard being an African kid in the Bronx. You had to be mentally, emotionally and physically tough. But as an adult I realized the issue was the lack of proper education and information. I know that people like myself, who were too American to be African and too African to be American, have the best opportunity and vantage point at being a bridge. Afrochella is essentially that bridge between the worlds—Africa and the diaspora.
Afrochella. Courtesy, Abdul Karim Abdullah
Afrochella. Courtesy, Abdul Karim Abdullah
How do you describe Afrochella to someone who may not have heard of it?
AKA: Afrochella is a cultural festival that celebrates Blackness from all over the diaspora. Our key areas for communicating culture are through food, art, fashion and music. Afrochella is our way of changing the narrative of Africa. It’s for the diaspora and all of our allies.
Tell us about Accra restaurant.
AKA: As a young man back in Ghana, family patriarch Mohammed Abdullah learned to cook from his mother and grandmother. As an immigrant to the US in a city far from home, he was able to create a home away from home through food. He started cooking for locals out of his Bronx apartment in 1985, and after years of success and demand for his food spreading, he started my family’s business, the Ghanaian restaurant Accra, which has locations in Harlem and the Bronx. Accra’s aim is to create those feelings of nostalgia and satisfaction for its customers. The smell of the food, its quality, its taste—Accra is a snapshot of West Africa.
Besides Accra, where do you think Ghanaian culture shows up the most in NYC?
AKA: [An area of] the Bronx is known as Little Accra because so many Ghanaians can be found there. From the other restaurants to the African Markets, if anyone is looking for a little touch of Ghana they can find it in the Bronx.
Afrochella. Courtesy, Abdul Karim Abdullah
What do you love most about NYC today?
AKA: It’s hard to describe why you love home. New York City is in me no matter where I go. The way I speak, dress, eat and present myself has everything to do with my upbringing right here in NYC. Being back home almost feels like when Black Panther reingested the spirit of the black panther. It’s like all the juice in the world is pumped into my step.
What do you wish everyone knew about Ghana?
AKA: Ghana is the literal [geographic] center of the world. It’s beautiful, vibrant and warm year-round. It’s peaceful and our people are extremely welcoming and ready for opportunities to grow and develop.
What do you wish everyone knew about the Bronx?
AKA: I wish everyone understood the beauty in the diversity of the Bronx. It’s the last real place in New York City that still has the edge and authenticity of the old, nongentrified New York City.
