Dedicated to rebranding blackness and sharing an African perspective, especially black consciousness in Asia, Innocent Mutanga launched the Africa Center Hong Kong at the turn of 2019. The platform and creative hub has since gained traction with its on-site programmes seeing around 300 users in a week. The centre runs a range of on-site programmes from African Literature Book Club, Afro art jams, African cooking workshops, etc. In addition, the centre runs off-site cultural competency and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion programmes in schools and companies, tours of Chung King Mansions and has a growing online presence. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Mutanga fled for his life from his homeland to Hong Kong in 2013 where he arrived as a refugee, sleeping on the streets with only $HK200 in his pockets. He later went on to study Anthropology at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he became the first refugee to get into an official undergraduate programme in a local university and further went on to work for an investment bank.
Image courtesy of the speaker