A Harlem Institution Reimagines How Americans Interact With the African Continent

A recent panel on Africa’s foreign debt may seem strange to an arts institution with a permanent collection containing ceremonial baule mask Ivory Coast and since 2003 mixed media work By acclaimed artist Wangechi Mutu.

But it was part of the intentional programming africa centerafter decades of meandering in both place and mission, new leadership and new optimism that we can find an audience for a dynamic and diverse event centered around expanding people’s understanding of Africa. A New York institution that emerged on the doctrine.

“I want to make sure these things are affecting our daily lives and are worthy of our attention,” said Tunde Olatunzi, associate director of policy at the Africa Center, earlier this year. said while moderating a debt panel featuring researchers from Nigeria and Kenya.

Envisioned by Ouzoddin Iweala, the company’s chief executive since 2018, the space is not a boring museum, but a landing site for the African Diaspora, an exploration of the black, and an exploration of how Americans relate to the continent. A place to change.

Located on a corner in East Harlem overlooking Central Park, the center hosts billionaires Bill Gates and Mo Ibrahim to talk about the future of business in Africa and actress Lupita Nyong’o reading. her children’s book on colorismHank Willis Thomas afro pick The installation was placed in that square. The center welcomes African presidents, Award-winning author — and a sweaty crowd bursting into the dance party.

“There are places where your actions must be valuable,” Iweala said of his vision. It’s the way we eat, drink, and talk.”

It’s taken a long time for the Africa Center to reach this stage, but Iweala admits it’s still far from that potential. With an annual budget of $4 million, the center occupies only about 20 percent of the approximately 70,000 square feet of space allocated for a Robert AM Stern-designed tower that includes 17 floors of luxury condominiums.

The remainder will be filled with auditoriums, cafes, offices, event venues, artist studios and galleries, performance spaces, and science and math learning laboratories.

But that will require a major new round of funding and the addition of our current staff of 11 full-time positions and 4 part-time.

Along with Nyong’o, board members including Chelsea Clinton and managing director Halima Dangote, daughter of a Nigerian cement magnate, have launched new fundraising campaigns and other public appeals to explain the post-pandemic surge. are considering pursuing Construction and other costs he increased by more than 30%. 2019 capital campaign goal was $50 million with hope construction completed Officials declined to provide target numbers for the new campaign, only saying it would be announced later this year.

“There is a push on our part to build the rest,” said Iweala. “These are the things I need to work on.”

In its current form, the center received $4 million in city funding. But over the years, more than $32 million in public funds and tax credits have been directed toward the project. Most of it was when the center had very different goals and yet another name, the Museum of African Art.

The facility was initially envisioned as strictly cultural when it opened in 1984 occupying two townhouses on Manhattan’s Upper East Side and later a building in the SoHo neighborhood. Despite its small scale, its touring show was highly acclaimed.

1997, Elsie McCabe Thompson He became president with a vision of the vast and elaborate building on Fifth Avenue atop the city’s so-called Museum Mile. The agency raised over $100 million for him and he moved to a temporary headquarters in Queens in 2002 as construction began.

But some money promises fell through. We had a problem with construction. A financial crisis hit, funding stalled, plans squandered, new leaders circulated, and opening plans delayed by half a dozen.

Eventually, a new board took over the idea of ​​a new mission to explore art, economic and policy issues in Africa.

Thelma Golden, Director and Chief Curator Harlem’s Studio Museumsaid the center’s complex history is an important part of its identity.

“In many ways, this institution speaks to what it takes to make an institution,” Golden said. “It takes complex relationships to create a narrative about how an organization can and does reflect the contributions of many people.”

Iweala arrived five years ago and has a non-artistic background. Above all, he is an accomplished writer and doctor. However, because he has set foot in both the United States and Nigeria, Golden said he embodies an institution that wants to blend both worlds.

“Uzo is a visionary and I believe he charts the true 21st century path. The path I envision will be creating a model for the future.” she said.

Born in Washington, DC to Nigerian parents, Iweala has traveled back and forth between Nigeria and the United States, building strong foundations in both countries. He went to Harvard and trained as a doctor at Columbia University. He co-founded the Nigeria-based magazine Ventures Africa and has collected awards for his novels.beast of no nation,” wrote two other BookHe founded an organization in Nigeria that promotes private sector investment in health services.

The Africa Center “feels like a part and parcel of my identity,” he said.

As the new CEO, Iweala’s first mission was to get people into the building.he started by opening Terangaattract regular customers see art On the wall of a restaurant serving West African cuisine with a menu designed by Senegalese chef Pierre Thiam.

“One of the best ways to bring people together is to show who you are. And food is culture, food is policy, food is economy,” said Iweala.

The center was eventually set up to host public programming. Workers prepared the inaugural exhibition, “African Americans: Making the National Table.” This is a collaboration with the Food and Beverage Museum that honors the contributions of black chefs and food and beverage producers.

But then Covid-19 started spreading and the exhibition was postponed.

The center was held back by the pandemic, but was able to find a foothold. The square in front of the building became a venue for music and dance. And as the country reels from the police killing of George Floyd, the center unveiled its first display of 45-foot-tall white letters that spell out “Black Lives Matters” outside his third-floor window. published.

One city official said the exhibit was controversial.

New York City Councilman Gail Brewer said of Iweala, “I knew people were going to have seizures. I had seizures. He did it anyway.” “I think he’s a superstar.”

As the spread of Covid slowed, the center picked up where it left off, launching the ‘Africa/America’ exhibit and combining virtual and face-to-face policy programming.

Earlier this year, an exhibition called “States of Becoming” showcased the work of 17 contemporary African-American artists who have lived and worked in the United States.Ideas shaped by independent curators Fissham Cheveshe I moved to Baltimore from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Much of her work deals with themes of assimilation and cultural clashes.

“They understood what we were trying to do,” said Cheveshe, speaking of the Africa Center’s leadership. “I see this center as a space that creates community.”

For this property located at the intersection of Black Harlem, Spanish Harlem, Little Senegal and the posh Upper East Side, Iweala wants to better integrate the space into its surroundings.

“It’s both an invitation and a challenge,” says Iweala.

The Center collaborates on projects with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which, along with other institutions, is on loan from the Center’s small permanent collection. (Mutu’s work is on loan for a retrospective at the New Museum.)

For now, in between exhibitions, the Africa Center and its restaurants are only open on weekends and scheduled events. This shows that there is room for a significant increase in the audience. Preparing for Africa Day on May 25th.

“Success isn’t always measured by having a blockbuster show with a super-famous artist,” says Iweala. “But is it resetting people’s understanding of what it means to be from this continent? What is the significance?”