HONOLULU (KHON2) — There’s a relatively new social organization in Hawaiʻi, and it’s helping bridge the cultural gap between races and those seeking camaraderie.
We are talking about Afro Aloha, formerly known as Black Bazaar.
To learn more about this organization and all that it’s bringing to our islands, KHON2.com was able to talk story with Amy Benson, founder of Afro Aloha.
“I founded Afro Aloha, which is Hawaiʻi’s cultural hub for locals and travelers of the African diaspora, in 2020. This was before the pandemic started,” said Benson. “The need was there for us to find a way to connect this 2 to 4% black community in Hawaiʻi and increase the visibility of this community. We did that through smaller events, activations, mostly dinners and other art and culturally based activities.”
Benson said that she felt the need to really bring this community together.
“Although it’s a small number, it’s a mighty number like we say; so, we wanted to find ways to do that and create those safe spaces and those creative spaces where people could come and see themselves culturally represented,” added Benson.
In Hawaiʻi, the population of African American and black kanaka is approximately 1.9%. Taking into account that this is significantly lower than the overall percentage of 12.1% for the United States, knowing how to find people that can share your experiences is incredibly important.
This is what Afro Aloha offers, a place to find people who share your experiences and want to grow and prosper from those experiences.
“It can be quite difficult for people to find other people that might look like them when a population is 2 to 4%,” said Benson “I’ve been here for a decade now; and when I got here, it was even more challenging because there wasn’t many social media platforms or Facebook groups and things of that nature or just different spaces that you could already plug into before you even got here.”
Benson went on to explain that Afro Aloha has done a really great job with helping to connect people with shared experiences. And these connections go well beyond the digital space. She has spearheaded some big in person events.
These opportunities provide a space for people who have moved here, many of them are escaping political and social situations on the continent according to Benson, and for those born in Hawaiʻi since little representation exists for either group.
“Afro Aloha is a hub for people to come together,” said Benson. “Our podcast also amplifies the resources available across different industries. It talks about some of the tough conversations of really what does it mean to be black in Hawaiʻi.”
Something important residents of Hawaiʻi needs to understand, said Benson, is that Afro Aloha is also a place for all races to engage one another in a safe space and to learn from one another.
“It’s really important for us to really engage one another because that’s how we learn more about one another,” added Benson. “The more time we spend together, we’re able to really realize that we’re more alike than we are different; and that’s what I really want people to know. Hawaiʻi is a very unique place. With other communities all coming together, that’s going to be really essential to liberation here in Hawaiʻi, us working together.”
There are many ways you can engage with Afro Aloha.
The easiest way is to listen to the Afro Aloha podcast, hosted by Benson. It’s available on almost all the podcast platforms. You can click here for a host of other opportunities being created by Afro Aloha.
One event you will most definitely want to check out is Dripniq. It is taking place on May 26 and promises to be a festival you do not want to miss!