Greetings and welcome to AfriKore! AfriKore is a platform designed to privilege the voices of Africans and those of African descent to address issues that affect the African continent as well as reflect on how our diasporic journey affects us as individuals and the broader global community. Through these blogs and on-camera conversations with my guests, you’ll learn how we connect to our African heritage or use our cultural hybrid identities to shape both our decisions and our goals. But on a global universal scale, you’ll also see yourself through stories and experiences that aren’t solely limited to African or Black audiences. My hope is that as you listen and read our stories, successes, lessons learned, dream, fears, struggles, and hopes, AfriKore will inspire you or give you something of value.
So what does AfriKore mean?
“Afri”—reflects the African foundation and context of this platform. The letter “K” pays homage to the original spelling of “AfriKa.” “Kore” highlights the self-reflexive approach to also addressing issues that affect this sub-population at the individual level that are not usually discussed.
Why did I decide to create AfriKore?
For one, AfriKore reflects the experiences of myself and others I have encountered or grown up with who speak the same language as me: multiplicity, complexity and the hybridity that accompanies the “not enoughs.” Not African enough, not my nationality enough, not Black enough, not American enough, not Westernized enough, not whatever enough…Ultimately, I became tired of fighting the “not enoughs.” I chose to finally embrace all of the nuances…only to discover more layers of complexity for me to navigate, smh. So, I figured this platform can be a space where we can all talk about those experiences and save some early gray hairs.
Secondly, there are issues that uniquely affect Africans, Africans in the larger Diaspora, and Black people in general because of either shared history or DNA. The goal is not to divide us through the condemnation of our differences—there’s certainly been enough of that. Instead the goal is to discover how can we increase shared understanding, offer support, connect, foster respect and demystify misunderstandings where and if possible. To add more dimensions to this conversation, AfriKore also includes insights and perspectives from others not of African descent. I don’t profess to have answers. I may actually have more questions. But the journey is raw…so help me God.
Third, I wanted to hear from groups that have been voiceless, neglected or overlooked as global community (thought) leaders, authors of guidance, or who have gone unrecognized for their immense achievements and contributions to our global community. Inclusiveness is empowering, resourceful, fair, beautiful and in all honesty, critical for any type of personal and societal development.
Although times seem to be changing where the world can more proudly celebrate Africa’s contributions to pop culture on mainstream platforms through Black Panther, Ankara clothes, Afrobeats, Jollof rice competitions, Bantu braids, “Black Girl Magic,” and respectful affirmations to our brethren and sistren as “Kings and Queens,” I can see a depth behind each of these and love it!
This is the start of the greater vision and mission for AfriKore. Some interesting related projects that are already in development are underway. I look forward to what comes ahead for all of us!
Cheers.