The Africa Center, New York, has named a high-profile new CEO who intends to also focus efforts on “connection” beyond its established artistic programming.
Martin Kimani, Kenya’s former permanent representative to the United Nations, said that connection is needed now more than ever, and he wants to help provide a sense of security for New Yorkers amid political discourse.
“To have a center that is able to build inclusive conversations, and out of those inclusive conversations spark initiatives that are to increase the autonomy, the dignity and the prosperity of Africans and people of African descent is probably more necessary now,” Kimani said. “It’s always been for some time. It’s always been necessary, but right now, it’s more urgent. There are so many wars, there’s so much conflict, there’s so much political division.”
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Navigating political divides while strengthening African bonds
The political division in America between Republicans and Democrats can’t be ignored, with President Donald Trump closing down federal agencies like the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). That agency provided critical funding and development assistance to countries in Africa. It also assisted Ukraine, among other countries. The news of the agency being shut down sent shockwaves throughout the world, prompting Democrats to write a letter to the acting administrator, Jason Gray, to express their disapproval.
In spite of that move, Kimani also said the purpose of the center is to serve as a sanctuary and safe haven for Africans and those of African heritage, fostering collaboration to pursue personal aspirations and community betterment.
Despite the current political climate in the United States and abroad, Kimani said building effective global partnerships starts with strengthening internal bonds with African communities and their diaspora.
“I think the first and most important connection is between Africa and its diaspora, African countries, African communities, African changemakers with the diaspora,” he said. “African people have been at their very strongest in terms of asserting their autonomy and their freedom.”
According to Kimani, this historical pattern of unity and resistance can be seen in different eras. “If you look at the Marcus Garvey of the late 19th century and the beginnings of Pan-Africanist thought, there’s a conceptual, philosophical, and I think, deeply emotional and psychological drive to unite these attempts to seek greater freedom and greater autonomy.”
Asked if he will involve African ambassadors, creators, and the global community to help fulfill the center’s mission of greater connection, Kimani said, “My ability to reach out and involve the UN African permanent representatives and heads of mission is definitely going to be one of the things that I bring to the Africa Center.”
Kimani plans to further his plans by engaging community, as well: “From the church leadership, whether it’s the 125th Street Mosque, whether it’s the Abyssinian and other religious institutions, to city council members, to elders in the community, I’m looking to have conversations and to really listen.”
Attracting more visitors to the center, particularly locals, is a key connection point and priority for Kimani amid the growing political divide.
“We need to sharply raise the number of visitors we have here, especially from New York City, but of course, New York has people from all over. To do that, we need to have a lot more programming, and programming that is very attractive and pulls people in. To have that programming, we need more financial resources … and that’s why I was hired.”
Kimani noted that “beyond financial support, increasing visitor engagement is also crucial for our growth. The other metric is we need the traffic into the building to increase. We’re on the top of the Museum Mile; just a few hundred yards away are the huge museums with their multi-billion-dollar budgets, and they get millions of visitors.”
On Feb 5, the Africa Center started hosting a community offering that runs through Apr. 27, 2025, called “In Between Nostalgia & Dreams,” an exhibit by Ethiopian-American photographer Yusuf Ahmed, who explores the interplay between memory, heritage, and identity.
Kimani draws support from local leader
One New York arts and culture leader weighed in on Kimani’s new role at the Africa Center.
“I think it’s amazing and wonderful that another African brother has come to bring their gifts, talents, intelligence, and vision to a center like the [Africa] Center in New York City,” said Bobby Digi, CEO of the Canvas Institute, a New York nonprofit committed to the arts and culture and civic engagement. “I am praying for his success in following Pan-Africanism like Marcus Garvey and [Ghana’s former president] Kwame Nkrumah’s philosophy. I’m definitely looking forward to providing him support in whatever ways he needs, because the success of the [Africa] Center is a success of each of our Black- and Brown-led and -owned institutions.”
This appointment marks the second New York residency for the former senior diplomat, who has expressed not only his desire for driving connection but his admiration for the city.
“I love New York. It’s always been my favorite place to be,” Kimani said.