American investor: Paris is further than you see on postcards
The "Little Africa" neighborhood is a cultural mirror for blacks in the heart of France
The La Gute d'Or neighborhood, nicknamed “Little Africa”, attracts large numbers of tourists and investors thanks to its diversity and rich history. A.F.B.
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The neighborhood of La Gute d'Or, nicknamed "Little Africa", near the famous Parisian district of Montmartre, attracts large numbers of tourists, investors and university students, thanks to its diversity and rich history, despite being the scene of social problems that prompted the American Fox News channel, years ago, to classify it as a "region." Dangerous ».
Patrick Banks, a black American investor who has lived in the French capital for years, says: "When I tell them about the La Gout d'Or region, people immediately call me not to go, so I ask them why."
He adds, "Paris is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, but it is a diverse city, and if you do not visit these neighborhoods, you will miss what gives Paris its elegance beyond what you see on postcards."
Banks discovered this popular area located in northeastern Paris, and learned about its history, which was made by successive waves of immigrants, with the help of a young tourist guide who, for years, organized excursions in the heart of the African community in Paris.
"I want to know the treasures of this place, bypassing the dirt spread in the streets and crumbling buildings," says Jacqueline Ngo Mbebe, a French woman from Cameroon, who is the founder of the Little Africa tourism agency.
She adds, "This is a neighborhood where prostitution and drug trafficking are active, but it is also a neighborhood in which well-known creative people work, and African popular culture flourishes, and it is also very much loved by its residents."
Success stories
The neighborhood, which spans a little over a square kilometer, includes more than 300 stores devoted to African fashion and cuisine, and it reminds American tourists of famous neighborhoods with a majority of blacks, such as Harlem and Brooklyn, according to Ngo Mbee.
After regaining the momentum of the anti-racism movement, following the killing of the black American George Floyd by a white policeman, La Gout Dor is not ashamed of its black and African identity, according to Youssef Fofana.
And in his small store on Mira Street, the young Senegalese man who works as a designer for a global clothing brand shows his surprise, "Because we still need to demonstrate in 2020 for change."
Fofana said, "Investors from the diaspora did not wait to show the value of African culture and contribute to changes in the world," expressing his regret that African innovators do not find their way to fame "except by working with a major brand or institution" owned by Beid.
Fofana has customers from Japan and the United States, but its brand is first and foremost "oriented to Parisians and Africans".
Close to the place, the tailor Alexander Zongo, from the "Mazali Couture" store, is busy in his shop, amid an avalanche of customers' demands.
"People from far away go to my shop, and I have more European customers than Africans," the designer explains.
"I set up my shop here because I love this neighborhood very much," he says. "I don't want it to be seen as a matter of social isolation."
American college students
And the "Covid-19" epidemic is still delaying the return of tourists to "micro Africa". Nevertheless, Jacqueline Ngo Mbey signed an agreement with the Paris Tourism Authority to organize virtual visits to the neighborhood.
"In the current context, I would say that we were right to invest in culture," she explains. We must tell people who we are in order to change their outlook and mentality. ”
"Black Americans especially want to see African art and brands that promote diversity," said Patrick Banks, of California, "The tourism market for Americans is $ 63 billion annually." This is a large sum, and we know how to invest it to push for change. ”
Jacqueline Ngo Mbey:
"We have to tell people who we are, to change their outlook and their mindset."
300
A store dedicated to African fashion and cuisine in a neighborhood that spans a square kilometer.