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Moving to Africa
I recall the days when I was moving to Africa. I was working as a police officer and volunteered with several nonprofit organizations in NYC. I knew I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life in Africa. My interest in Africa developed when I moved to New York City and was introduced to the African culture.
Black Love and Godly Relationships
Once, I was visiting Abyssinian Baptist Church, where the discussion topic was about Black Love and Godly Relationships. Many of the singles from the church attended, and I expressed, admittedly, my extreme views about relationships. To my surprise, a pleasant young lady introduced herself to me after the event. She invited me to join her for a dance class. She had a substantial African friend circle, which helped me increase my social gatherings. I had a wonderful time while learning the Sabar, Nigerian, and Congolese traditional dances at Djoniba’s Dance Studio and sharing African history (paid link) with her circle of friends at parties and at Senegalese restaurants in midtown and Harlem.
Africa’s Rich History
My interest in Africa intensified after my first Senegalese meal, including jollof rice, thieboudienne, and chicken Yassa. However, it was not the food that led to my Pan-Africanism; it was Africa’s rich history and the intelligent and successful West Africans I met. The diplomats, doctors, professors, lawyers, accountants, businessmen/women. Educated in Europe and America, who spoke several languages and knew about countries I had never heard of. I had the privilege of meeting kind, charming, and self-assured West Africans during my early years in NYC. They never hesitated to share their diverse cultures and traditions with me. That was when I knew I had a connection to Africa, and thus my plans to get there started. It took me five years, but I got there.
Re-Connecting with NYC Mayor David Dinkins
The idea to move to South Africa came about after hearing former NYC Mayor David Dinkins, a guest speaker at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Mayor Dinkins spoke about South Africa and the numerous opportunities available therein the post-apartheid era. A long time ago, I had volunteered for the Mayor Dinkins Reelection Campaign and had the privilege of being assigned to more visible positions within the campaign. At the end of the speaking engagement, I re-introduced myself to Mayor Dinkins and shared my desire to move to Africa. Mayor Dinkins offered to help me and gave me his business card. I consulted with the Mayor once or twice about my plans.
Analyzing a Move to Post-Apartheid South Africa
To help me figure things out, I solicited more guidance on the subject from Dr. Rev. Calvin O. Butts, III, Senior Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. Rev. Butts is still well connected to dignitaries and had listened to some of my bright and not-so-bright ideas since I joined the church in 1991. Rev. Butts explained, post-apartheid South Africa needed a lot of help rebuilding the country from foreigners. With my experience as a police officer, I could make some contributions there. Rev. Butts had visited South Africa and cautioned me, sternly about Africa. However, he indeed connected me to South African representatives in Washington, DC. The connections were a great guide.
My initial plan was to move to post-apartheid South Africa to contribute my skills. However, after a 14-day fact-finding mission in beautiful South Africa, that included me seeking additional guidance from the U.S. embassy and police personnel, as well as participating in an informational interview with a social service agency in Pretoria. Also, having met some cool people, I concluded that South Africa was a bit too westernized for me. Plus, I felt black South Africans were dealing with the similar challenges blacks were dealing with in America. I wanted to get rid of these challenges; I was trying to get away. It made me rethink my plans!
