The Black Expo African open market in a Beijing hutong brings foreigners and locals closer

From New York to Indianapolis, Texas to New Mexico, the Black Expo phenomenon gathers hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. annually with the aim of promoting black culture through food, sport events, fashion exhibitions and comedy shows. And now, the first Black Expo was held in Beijing on March 31.

An entrepreneur from Washington D.C.,organizer Olivia Nadine wanted to offer a platform for small African businesses in Beijing to feature their products to an appreciative Chinese audience. Joined by James Sserwadda, a Ugandan artist, and Hannah Getachew, an Ethiopian female empowerment advocator, Black Expo grew with the aim of “further shaping the black narrative” in China.

“We wanted to have an inviting environment that shows offblack culture and how diverse it is because we are not a monolith.We are a diaspora,” said Nadine.

It took the team six months to prepare for the environment at Courtyard No.27, an art and culture space in a renovated hutong courtyard located in the center of Beijing.One of the first people to share Nadine’s enthusiasm was Yu Ge, manager of the Courtyard No.27.

在进行方案设计时，要以调度中心、集控中心和变电站为核心，分层次的构建三级监控网络，实现数据采集分析分层有序进行，确保所得信息的真实性和可靠性，为进一步的调度操作提供良好的数值参考。

“We’d organized an event showcasing Africa last year, but Black Expo has attracted a bigger participation from many different African countries. I think Chinese people enjoy African artworks, as well as African music and dance,” he explained.

This was evident on the day of the well-attended Expo by the way Chinese visitors accepted the Jindafit challenge by Salsa Caribe DJ and professional fitness instructor D’Jack Tchinda. However, only the bravest souls could complete his one-hour full-body dance workout based on African moves and rhythms. The foodies also came out in their numbers enjoying everything from cupcakes to hummus-based specialties.

②工程规模大。入海水道西起洪泽湖二河闸，东至滨海县扁担港注入黄海，与苏北灌溉总渠平行，居其北侧。河道宽750m，深约4m。总投资41.17亿元，贯穿江苏省淮安市的清浦、楚州两区和盐城市的阜宁、滨海两县，并分别在楚州区境内与京杭运河、在滨海县境内与通榆河立体交叉。入海水道是江苏省规模最大的单项水利工程。

Visitors at Black Expo in Beijing

OLIVIA NADINE Organizer of Black Expo African open market in Beijing

“Oh, just an ice cream,” the man told him. Then he stood up and said to the waiter, “I am just going out to buy a newspaper.”

We wanted to have an inviting environment that shows off black culture and how diverse it is because we are not a monolith. We are a diaspora.

按食品种类统计分析，对11类食品663份样品进行细菌学检验，致病菌阳性检出率最高的是乳品及乳制品，为31.71%，检出菌株为蜡样芽胞杆菌；其次为婴幼儿食品，阳性检出率为31.33%，检出菌株为蜡样芽胞杆菌；速冻米面生制品、熟制品，膨化食品，烧烤类食品，冷冻饮品均未检出致病菌。

One of the biggest attractions was the colorful display of African cosmetics and fashion. Jimena Ortega, promoting a clothing range from Cape Verde, said many outfits on display epitomized the message of Black Expo.

“A lot of the girls represented their countries through their clothes today. Although many people see Africa as one place, now they can really see the diversity [of the continent] from the clothing,” she said.

Visitor Shen Kaiqi, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology from Minzu University of China,said the Black Expo was an interesting case of social integration in Beijing. “As the Belt and Road Initiative brings more and more foreigners to Beijing, they have a stronger need to feel a sense of belonging. Black Expo serves this purpose primarily, although it also enables Chinese people to witness and experience African culture and to explore ways to communicate with foreigners. But integration [still] remains a very slow process,” she said. ca