The Africa Center in New York City

The Africa Center in New York City is a space dedicated to celebrating African culture and heritage. The Center also features a café and a gift shop.

History

The story of The Africa Center dates back to 1984, when it first opened in New York under the name Museum for African Art. The original mission was to promote African art and culture through exhibitions and educational programs. In the early 2010s, the museum began transforming into a broader institution — The Africa Center — expanding its focus to include not just art, but also business, politics, technology, and community development related to Africa and its diaspora.

The Center relocated to a new building on Fifth Avenue in East Harlem, near Museum Mile — a symbolic location reflecting the intersection of cultures. The architectural firm Caples Jefferson Architects designed the new space. By 2019, The Africa Center had become a hub for conversations about African identity and the continent’s economic and cultural ties to the world, bringing together experts, artists, entrepreneurs, and the public from around the globe.

*The Africa Center in New York City, source*

Exhibitions at the Center

1. Temporary Exhibitions and Installations
The Center organizes exhibitions focusing on:

Contemporary African art
Diaspora identity
Social, political, and economic issues
Everyday culture in African countries

Examples:

States of Becoming (2022) — a multimedia exhibition about African artists living and working in the U.S., exploring ideas of migration, transformation, and belonging.
African/American: Making the Nation’s Table — an exhibition about the contributions of Africans and African Americans to American culinary culture (in collaboration with the James Beard Foundation).

2. Events

Screenings of films by African directors
Performances and live music
Discussions with artists, writers, economists, and public figures

3. Education
The Center actively develops public engagement programs — lectures, public readings, book clubs, workshops, and cooking demonstrations — all designed to deepen understanding of current developments on the continent and within the diaspora.

Teranga Café at The Africa Center

Inside the Center, you’ll find Teranga Café — a modern culinary space inspired by the food traditions of West Africa. The name “Teranga” comes from the Senegalese Wolof language and means “hospitality” — a feeling that permeates everything in the café, from the decor to every dish served.

The menu features dishes based on traditional African ingredients like sorghum, fonio, baobab, yams, and various spices. Guests can try specialties such as chicken yassa (chicken marinated with onions and lemon), jollof rice (rice cooked with tomatoes and spices), or mafé (peanut stew).

The café also emphasizes healthy eating, sustainability, and cultural exchange. The space is decorated in warm, rich tones, with touches of modern African design.

Interesting Facts

The interior design uses natural light, eco-friendly materials, modern ventilation systems, low-flow plumbing, and air quality control;
Since its founding in 1984 as the Center for African Art, the organization has produced around 60 exhibitions, hosted at nearly 140 venues in 17 countries;
Teranga Café opened in February 2019 as part of the Center. The name means “hospitality” and chef Pierre Thiam showcases dishes that reflect the continent’s culinary diversity;
The Center supports live video portals by Shared Studios, connecting New York directly with communities across Africa.