Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ve already heard about the festival in Accra, Ghana that black celebrities attend, flooding our timelines with exciting pictures and videos. If you’re not going this year, prepare yourself for a serious case of FOMO as everybody and their mama will be there.
My friends in Los Angeles, Baltimore, and London are all planning to attend Afrochella’s 3rd activation. I, too, was prepared to take my first step on the motherland this year. Unfortunately, those plans changed and I was concerned my “cool” card would be revoked. Luckily, I was able to book an interview with Abdul Abdullah, the brainchild behind Afrochella and learn all about how this event came about. Get the deets on our interview and learn what to expect if you’re planning on attending here!
BDO: What was the inspiration behind creating an event like Afrochella?
Abdul Abdullah (AA): It was around the time a lot of people were finding their roots in African culture, whether that was through the food or the clothes. So as a kid that grew up in both Ghana and the US, I felt like it was an opportunity to teach as well as an opportunity to highlight some of the talent that exists on the continent.
Ghanaians from all over the world return every December to enjoy, see family, and celebrate life. However, I just didn’t feel like there was an event to highlight all of the amazing things going on by those on the continent and from the continent. There was an opportunity for us to create that. So, we did.
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BDO: This is your 3rd year hosting Afrochella. I imagine this is going to be your biggest year as I have friends from all over the country excited and preparing to visit Accra. What is it about this year that has black Americans so excited?
AA: There has been so much misinformation in the media here in America about what Africa is and how we live. Last year, we were able to dispel those myths in just a few days because so many black Hollywood and black American influencers were in Ghana enjoying themselves.
People abroad were able to see what is possible in Africa and I think that was a key difference-maker. Prior to last year, there were already a lot of people coming. Last year was different because there were so many celebs all over your timeline and they were peaceful. I think people felt that. At a time where things are hypersensitive here in America, it just felt good to be able to be around other black people and enjoy yourself.
BDO: Ghana has crowned 2019 as The Year of Return as it has been 400 years since the first enslaved Africans arrived in Jamestown. What does that mean for Afrochella? Are you guys connected in any way?
AA: We’re very integrated with The Year of Return. We’ve worked with The Administrator of Tourism and are one of the premier events for The Year of Return. We’ve been working very extensively ensuring people come back. Prior to the Year of Return and even prior to Afrochella we were bringing people back to the continent.
BDO: How did you and your partners come together to create this event?
AA: I was born in the US. My dad shipped us to Ghana (laughing). He wanted us to feel the vibrations of the country. He wanted us to see how he grew up and make sure we had the African influence in our character and the way we carried ourselves. At the time, we couldn’t appreciate it. We just wanted to be in America, but we stayed there for 7 years.
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That’s actually how I met one of my partners. We went to school together in Ghana. My other partner is Ghanian as well. We both are from The Bronx. I told him my idea and he was 100% down. He suggested we go ahead and put the deposit down. In April 2017, we did just that and have been planning ever since.
BDO: Did you guys think it was going to be this big? Did you imagine all of these celebrities?
AA: No, I can’t say that I did. We believed in what we were doing and we knew there was a need for a space to celebrate Ghana and the creatives from the continent in its authenticity. We wanted to do something where there was no favoritism and we could celebrate unbiased art. We knew people would buy into that idea and it would catch on eventually. We never imagined it would be as big as it is now.
BDO: A lot of black Americans who’ve never traveled to Africa will be traveling to Accra this year. What should they expect?
AA: They should have a mindset of patience. There will be so many people there, so patience is necessary. You should expect to see some of the things you never imagined to exist in Africa existing in Africa. One of the experiences I’ve noticed from friends visiting Ghana for the first time was them being in awe of seeing so many people that look like them. They didn’t feel like they have to code-switch. They didn’t feel like they were threatened by anything. They felt really good in their own skin because everyone looked like them.
They will experience a robust country with hardworking and hustling people. They will see a lot of people on the streets selling their products early in the morning at the crack of dawn. Ghanaians are very hard-working people. We’re very welcoming people. We’re very friendly people.
