The Black Culture Cafe – A New Gate Opens in the Heart of Dalston
Set in the heart of Dalston, Open The Gate, The Black Culture Café is a new venue dedicated to promoting African and Black culture – a centre offering visual art, film, poetry and literature, dance, music and other social activities as well as a café with authentic, homemade African and Caribbean dishes. Sandrine Herbert, one of the founders, explains why London needs a permanent cultural centre such as this one.
Located in Dalston, an area already thriving with a multicultural crowd, lively bars and restaurants and a large black community (around 60% of the total local population) – this new venue sets a new tone for the black cultural scene in London as soon as you step in through the door to the spacious area and genuinely laidback, friendly atmosphere.
Sandrine, who grew up in France and has a mother from Madagascar, saw a need for a place in London where you can meet other people who share a common interest in black culture. “There is no permanent space doing this,” she explains. The café intends to offer a varied programme, from open mic nights, poetry readings, Kazimba drums groups, dance workshops as well as interactive movie nights with talks and discussions of documentaries and culture films. “I want the café to be a reference – to be the centre,” says Sandrine, “somewhere where people can enjoy unique events and programmes and that brings people together – we are aiming for and have interest from quite a wide market.”
There are already a number of arts venues, museums and a well-established café scene in the city. Is there a space for Open The Gate? Sandrine thinks so: “The fact that cafes are so popular is a good thing for us, it shows that people have a need for it.”
“There are lots of places offering black culture and arts but there is a problem of visibility for such spaces,” she points out, “We can offer the visibility, right here in Dalston on this busy, central location”.
The café also offers a homemade, authentic and eclectic menu of Italian, African and Caribbean dishes, such as Mafe (Beef in peanut butter sauce), Djollof Rice (rice cooked in a tomato sauce), Ackee and Saltfish with Dumplings and Veggie Couscous.
Open the Gate has already held its first monthly African Market. How did the public respond to the venue and its first major event? “People were very receptive,” states Sandrine, “and it drew some media attention, including the BBC.” The market offers arts and craft, fashion, traditional fabrics, music and arts – the next one is on 17th July. Currently, there is also an exhibition of photography, which is funding wells for African villages. It is soon to invite multicultural creative arts group the Ifreecans Collective, to showcase their new work in an exhibition entitled ‘Hut, Pot and Gourd’, which will also involve a live painting show on the opening night, with public participation encouraged. It very much reflects Sandrine’s hope of “bringing different things at the café. To enlarge, promote and support black cultural events”.
Open The Gate: The Black Culture Café
33-35 Stoke Newington Road, Dalston, London N16 8BJ
www.openthegate.org.uk
I’ve been there and I loved it!
The place is nice, cosy and stylish. It radiates with a chic “laid-backness” which makes it the perfect spot for (affordable) good food, arty talks and quiet exposure to African culture!
Thanks for letting us know about that sort of places.