Africa Is a Country

Africans in New York City

Africa Is a Country Podcast
African Five-a-Side Podcast

Africans in New York City

By
Boima Tucker

"Afro-Spectacle," a music and film event by DJ collective, Dutty Artz, explores the working class African immigrant experiences in the city.

A promotional image from "God's Own Country."

The film, “God’s Own Country,” by director Femi Agbayewa, presents the story of a young Nigerian lawyer who immigrates to New York City only to discover that life in America is not what he hoped.  A mix between an American hip hop gangster flick and a Nollywood drama, the film is a great initiation into the West African film industry for an American audience unfamiliar it.

A public screening of the film is happening on February 1st, at the Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It will form part of “Afro-Spectacle,” hosted by my Dutty Artz brethren, DJ Rupture and Lamin Fofana. Before the screening, they will host a special 2-hour live radio show around these themes. African music videos purchased in the corner stores of New York City, will be projected throughout the show for those present.  The broadcast will also be carried live on WFMU, the  East Orange, New Jersey, community radio station.

The theme of the night dovetails nicely with my own project, African in New York, which is out due out February 21st.

Femi Agbayewa is currently in London developing his television series “Brooklyn Shakara,” so he won’t be able to make it in person.  The space is limited, and it’s first come first serve. If you can’t make it, check us out live, or listen back to the archived show on Lamin’s The Embassy and Rupture’s Mudd Up pages.

Further Reading

Ibaaku’s space race

Through Afro-futurist soundscapes blending tradition and innovation, Ibaaku’s new album, ‘Joola Jazz,’ reshapes Dakar’s cultural rhythm and challenges the legacy of Négritude.

An allegiance to abusers

This weekend, Chris Brown will perform two sold-out concerts in South Africa. His relationship to the country reveals the twisted dynamic between a black American artist with a track record of violence and a country happy to receive him.

Shell’s exit scam

Shell’s so-called divestment from Nigeria’s Niger Delta is a calculated move to evade accountability, leaving behind both environmental and economic devastation.

Africa’s sibling rivalry

Nigeria and South Africa have a fraught relationship marked by xenophobia, economic competition, and cultural exchange. The Nigerian Scam are joined by Khanya Mtshali to discuss the dynamics shaping these tensions on the AIAC podcast.

The price of power

Ghana’s election has brought another handover between the country’s two main parties. Yet behind the scenes lies a flawed system where wealth can buy political office.

Beats of defiance

From the streets of Khartoum to exile abroad, Sudanese hip-hop artists have turned music into a powerful tool for protest, resilience, and the preservation of collective memory.

Drawing the line

How Sudanese political satirist Khalid Albaih uses his art and writing to confront injustice, challenge authority, and highlight the struggles of marginalized communities worldwide.