Flags of African and Caribbean nations wave proudly along Woodland Avenue, marking the heart of Africatown in Southwest Philadelphia. This vibrant commercial area is home to a diverse community, with a significant number of residents being immigrants from Africa or the Caribbean. According to polling data from the African Cultural Alliance of North America, 74% of the neighborhood's inhabitants are from these regions.
Map of the African diaspora in the United States.
The Africatown initiative extends beyond just food, aiming to create a comprehensive community hub. Ground is expected to break on the African Center, a six-story building at 55th and Chester, which will house business offices, a healthcare clinic, and immigration services.
The Rise of African Cuisine in Philadelphia
The increasing popularity of African cuisine in Philadelphia is a testament to the growing recognition and appreciation of diverse culinary traditions.
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Abdarahmane Diop from Mauritania and his wife, Amayea Diop from Senegal, opened the African Small Pot Restaurant on Woodland Avenue in 2012. Diop is originally from Mauritania of Fulani descent, and spent some time cooking in Milan, Italy.
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The announcement of Africatown Restaurant Week took place at African Small Pot, a restaurant on Woodland Avenue, where owner and chef Abdarahmane Diop made sample platters of egusi, spiced potato greens with chicken, a thick peanut soup, and spiced cassava.
Youma Ba, owner of Youma Restaurant on Baltimore Avenue, also plays a significant role in promoting African gastronomy. Students from Drexel University had the opportunity to visit Youma Ba's Kilimandjaro restaurant, where she shared her experiences of immigrating from Senegal to Philadelphia and overcoming challenges as an entrepreneur.
Kilimandjaro (4301 Chestnut St.): Senegalese-born chef Youma Ba had a West African restaurant named Kilimandjaro in a strip center on this block of Chestnut Street, but it closed several years ago to make way for a new mixed-use building. In the meantime, she opened Youma, a cozy 12-seater, on Baltimore Avenue. Kilimandjaro will open Sept. 12 in this new, 80-seat space at the corner of 44th and Chestnut. Youma is closing for what Ba says will be a three-month renovation.
The Avery (117 Chestnut St.): Chef Montana Houston and sous chef Ja’mir Wimberly-Cole, both alums of Restaurant Aleksandar in Rittenhouse, are on board with owner Matt DeLima. Houston told me that the concept has been upgraded since its inception: “We want to have a one-Michelin-star experience, but we don’t want it to have an ‘uptight white tablecloth, you-gotta-wear-a-suit’ feel.”
The Avery is due later this fall (though possibly in early winter) on the ground floor of a parking garage at 15th and Spruce Streets, formerly Fox & Hound.
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Kae Lani and guests chat about the Turkish pide and octopus at Stina Pizzeria, the perfection of onions in the Senegalese dishes at Youma, and the inventive French plates at Forsythia.
The Africatown Project: A Dream Realized
The Africatown project represents a significant investment in the community, with a development cost of $16 million. This initiative aims to improve the lives of local residents and foster economic ties with Africa.
Jannie Blackwell, former local City Council member, first vice president of the Philadelphia Democratic Party, and founder and chair of the Mayor’s Commission on African & Caribbean Affairs, stated in connection with the project: “Africatown is my dream! If I accomplish nothing else on this side, I want Africatown to be that. We have businesses here that are committed to this area.”
She noted, pointing out that there are now direct flights from Africa to Philadelphia: “People are going to get off of those planes and come to Africatown to shop, go to restaurants and museums. We’re going to have everything here!
In addition to making life better for the local community, Africatown will also help foster economic ties with Africa, the land of origin of the majority of its residents.
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According to several news reports, Africatown’s trade center will partner with the African Continental Free Trade Area, the Pan-African trade agreement that binds the 54 African member-nations.
The Philly Africatown is not the first of its kind in the United States. A historic community located three miles north of downtown Mobile, Alabama created by West African slaves brought to the United States in 1860 also goes by the name Africatown, AfricaTown USA, and Plateau.
Culinary Diversity and Community Engagement
The influence of African culture extends beyond traditional African restaurants. Students discussing African small businesses in West Philly with AFRICOM President and Chief Operating Officer, Eric Edi, PhD, and Youma Bah, a Senegalese entrepreneur, at Bah's Kilimandjaro restaurant at 45th Street and Baltimore Avenue.
The partnership led to the creation of "West Africa to West Philly" (FRENCH 350), an upper-level and community-based learning French class.
Every week, they discussed social, cultural and political issues during in-person experiences and through group chats and virtual forums using the GroupMe app.
The president and chief operating officer of AFRICOM, Eric Edi, PhD, was a frequent guest lecturer in the course. In addition, he hosted the students for a site visit and African business tour in West Philly, which culminated in a dinner at the Kilimandjaro restaurant on 4519 Baltimore Ave. There, they talked with the restaurant's owner, Youma Bah, who talked about immigrating from Senegal to Philadelphia, managing hardships and being resourceful when facing difficulties.
The graduates of the program, who were connected to the class by Drexel's Office of Global Engagement, talked about life in their countries, including Madagascar and Tchad.
“We were paired with folks from the African American community,” Chhin continued, describing the event he’d attended last spring. “A lot of them were super interested to get to know about our background.
“Valerie uses okra too!” said Ba, describing the thrill she got from realizing an ingredient common to West African cooking was also a staple of the American South.
The community was previously known as Little Africa because its population of more than 80,000 people consists of about 60% of Blacks, 36% Whites, and 4% Asians.
The novelty about Africatown will include low-income housing, a trade center, performing arts center, innovation & technology center, and a medical center.
ACANA, a nonprofit that has been at the forefront of the efforts to provide social and legal support for African immigrants in Philadelphia for decades, is another lynchpin of the project.
Besides its international airport mentioned earlier by Jannie Blackwell, founder and chair of the Mayor’s Commission on African & Caribbean Affairs, the area’s port, PhilaPort, is the largest shipping facility in the entire United States. A lot of African exports destined for America transit through PhlaPort.
