Kara Lounge: An Oasis of Senegambia and the African Diaspora in Istanbul
Image credit: Kara Lounge. Shows Rice and Maafe stew
Subheading: In an exclusive feature for the UK’s 2024 Black History Month, Adama Juldeh Munu, a Black British Muslim woman living in Istanbul celebrates Kara Lounge — a lively space where the vibrant flavours, sounds, and art of the Senegambian and broader African diaspora come together, offering a sanctuary for those seeking a sense of home and community.
Benachin, fried tilapia fish, bissap, ginger beer, djembe drums, straw woven bowls, displays of beaded bracelets and necklaces and portraits of Black femininity are signposts one may not typically associate with Istanbul’s historic neighbourhoods, less so for the city’s Beyoğlu district which is renowned for its late 19th and early 20th century Western-influenced and Art Noveau architecture, charming antique stores and outdoor cafes. But Kara Lounge restaurant is a place that stands out.
I first learned about Kara Lounge in 2021, a year after it opened when I was invited there for a meeting of a Black women’s collective, comprised of African-American, West African and African-Caribbean women. This was three years after I moved to Istanbul. And I was excited to know that the culinary tastes of my native Sierra Leone and wider West African heritage were near, like peanut butter stew, which Sierra Leoneans call Granat stew or Maafe, which it is known as in Senegal.
Kara Lounge was founded by 40-year-old Khodia Mbaye, a Senegalese-French woman, who moved to Istanbul eleven years ago. She recognised the unique opportunity to showcase African culture to not only Africans living in Turkey but also a broader, international audience. “The name ‘Kara’ was intentionally chosen. In Turkish, ‘kara’ means ‘black’, connecting both the restaurant’s identity to the neighbourhood it is located in, Karaköy, which literally means “black village” or “black district” in Turkish. In this context, the word ‘black’ is not used negatively but rather as a proud identifier”, Khodia says. She says that although opening a restaurant wasn’t her initial vision, she had always wanted to create a space that would bring people together.
Image credit: Kara Lounge. An assortment of savoury pastries, chicken skewers and green salad
It’s impossible to miss Kara Lounge when you arrive at the restaurant. Its sign is a striking, pink logo that lights up in the evening. Next to it is the icon of a Black woman in a stunning African headwrap.
There are beautiful arrangements of pink flowers cascading down over the windows and exterior of the restaurant, leading onto a porch where people can eat and drink outside. Opposite the restaurant is an array of printed images of well-known Black leaders, thinkers and artisans like Burkina Faso’s former leader, Thomas Sankara, and former Black Panther party member and intellectual, Angela Davis.
This wall reflects the purpose of Kara Lounge- that it is a space that shows the diversity and beauty of Black cultures.
Ahead to the right, is a long-winding stairway on Cezayir Street that is reminiscent of so many like it in the city- a steep portal to another world. On either side of this street are boutique cafes and restaurants that are brightly colourful and fluorescent. It evokes a sense that one is in either the Fener or Balat neighbourhoods that have vibrant facades too, and were known to house Jewish and Greek Orthodox communities during the Ottoman Empire.
But Kara Lounge’s s interior has a soft, pastel-like touch, with light pink walls, mostly navy-blue cushioned seating, and different pieces of African art. For me, it feels like home, a space where Blackness is celebrated and loved. The restaurant serves delicious Senegalese delicacies and meals from other West African countries like Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. But it also serves continental European dishes too.
Images credit: Kara Lounge. The restaurant as seen from the outside (top) and the entrance (bottom,)
The last time I had eaten here was during Ramadan (1444AH) back in April, with a non-Muslim friend who was having her first iftar with me. I had chosen to eat ateke and plantain, a dish from the Ivory Coast, that is made up of rice cassava, fried fish and plantain with salad. One of the other popular dishes is Jollof rice which is made from long-grain rice, tomatoes, chilis, onions and spices. Then there’s Tiep which is made up of dried fish, rice cassava and an assortment of garden vegetables and Maafe.
Khodia, like many other continental Africans you would meet here, is proud of her ethnic roots, which are Casamance Creole and Wolof, but she is as passionate about Africa as a whole and its communities. “Africa is stereotyped as a place of poverty and despair. However, those familiar with the continent understand that this is far from the truth. Africa is rich in culture, history, and diversity, with much more wealth than hardship in many areas. Kara Lounge aims to challenge these misconceptions and emphasise the beauty and vibrancy of African cultures through food and community,” Khodia explains.
She is also what I would call a ‘true sister’ of the African diaspora, a term that describes the collective of African-descended and/or Black communities in the Americas, Europe and beyond. One such gesture that is indicative of this is the availability of a red drink called bissap, which is made from hibiscus flowers, ginger, cloves, and citrus. It is also known as sobolo in Ghana, zobo in Nigeria, sorrel in the Caribbean and Rosa de Jamaica in parts of Latin America. Bissap is also part of a beverage tradition of red drinks that plays a significant role in commemorating liberation in the United States, especially during Juneteenth commemorations in the US. As author of Soul Food (2014) Adrian Miller suggests that a convergence of hibiscus tea and kola nut tea were the underpinnings for what is known as Red Drink, as records show some form of it was drunk on plantations during and after chattel slavery in the US. Judith Carney, a professor of geography at the University of California at Los Angeles found that “enslaved people taken from West Africa carried hibiscus seeds to the Caribbean, the first port of call on the slave route, where the plant thrived. As the displaced Africans adapted to the unfamiliar settings, they altered their red drink recipes, drawing on the flora and traditions of the different Caribbean islands, adding spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, bay leaves, sugar and occasionally spirits like rum.”
Kara Lounge is more than just a restaurant; it serves as a vibrant hub for cultural exchange, community engagement, and empowerment for the Black diaspora in Istanbul, and also gives Black women opportunities and training. 20-year-old Armida Bakyana who is an international relations student in Istanbul, but whose family comes from Burkin Faso and currently lives in France. She is interning at the restaurant as an events coordinator and is in the process of organising a quiz night to commemorate Black History Month this October among other activities. “Because I study politics and history, I want to organise and promote and inform people about Black histories and at the same time, for people, who do not know anything as much, about our struggles and liberations. People know about Malcolm X and Nelson Mandela, but alot of people do not know about what and who inspired them,” Armida explains.
Image credit: Kara Lounge. Bissap drink, also known as sorrel.
Likewise, for other Black women, Kara Lounge has been a space for them to connect to their roots, and find a sense of belonging in a city far away from home while forging new connections and a shared cultural identity.
Personally, here, I have been able to connect with three of my sub-cultures. Firstly, I purchased my first pair of Bhoylé earrings — gold-plated pieces that symbolise my Fulani background. Secondly, I have been able to enjoy performances by djembe drummers and a female djeli (griot) from the Guinean Mandinka people, who share my heritage as descendants of the Mali Empire. And then there’s an active Black diaspora culture embodied in moments with some of the Black women I’ve found communion with in my time here. Whether that’s when we’ve made jewellery together or been engaged in a dance session.
Raycene Nevils Karakeci is a writer, editor, translator, university lecturer and community organiser from Detroit, Michigan who lives in Istanbul tells me that Kara Lounge has She tells me that ‘, I like to use I always thought of my Blackness as a uniquely American experience and I never really saw myself as part of the diaspora until I met the community here. As a community organiser that serves expat women, I like to use my free time to bring people together and I’m most passionate about bringing Black women together, because for a long time that was a missing part of my Istanbul experience, which was shaped by how people perceived me as a Black woman. Outside of Ethiopian food, I never had any other African food as an African-American. And yet the food profile tastes familiar to me. I kept coming back because these were foods that made me reminded me of home. I needed to see a community that moves like me, speaks like me, looks like me and tastes like me. I love that we have this (space) at the centre of our community now.”
Kara Lounge is one of many African food establishments that have been on the increase in Istanbul in recent years, which is consistent with the growing number of Black communities that have made their home here. A report from state agency Anadolu Agency suggests that as of 2017, there are up to around 1.5 million Africans living in Turkey, with at least a quarter of them residing in Istanbul.
African communities have become more prominent in areas like Şişli, Başakşehir and Aksaray in the Fatih district, also known as ‘Little Africa.’ This is where Zulu Restaurant and Cafe, which opened several years ago, serves delicacies from West and South Africa. Nearby, one can find numerous Somali internet cafes and restaurants, such as Fahiye Somali Cafe & Restaurant and Waaberi Restaurant. Again, in the Beyoğlu district, near the famous Taksim area, the Habesha Restaurant offers delicious Ethiopian cuisine, with popular dishes like Injera — a sour, fermented pancake-like flatbread served with various sauces and stews. Outside of central Istanbul, in Esenyurt, the Nigerian community there has introduced restaurants like Suya Bistro. Suya is a Nigerian street food that consists of smoky, spiced beef skewers served with onions, tomatoes, and lime juice.
Locals and visitors can immerse themselves in a mosaic of African heritage in the city, which serves as a reminder that even in a place as ancient as Istanbul, new and vibrant food stories are being written every day.
