I will be traveling to London and Paris in a month, and wanted to visit areas where there are African communities. I am also interested in visiting any stores or markets that sell African artifacts or art. Since I can't get to real Africa anytime soon, I thought this would a great opportunity to get to know the African community in London and Paris.

Any recommendations/suggestions would be welcome!

I think this thread has been quiet as we are all a little unsure what you are really hoping for? You won't find anywhere that will be like visiting Africa...and I'm not sure that a quick tourist visit will help you get to know a community.

Speaking for London, while there are many Africans here (from many countries, so not forming one single community) and areas that certainly have an African community - you won't find anywhere that is like a mini-Africa or a concentrated area of African businesses/lives etc that would be interesting in a tourist sense, in the way that say, some chinatowns are.

I don't know of anywhere selling African artifacts but that doesn't mean there aren't any shops for this. I don't think you'll find a whole African market. In fact, I think you are more likely to find shops selling African artifacts in more general touristy areas, as Africans living in the UK obviously aren't really the main market for African souvenirs.Again, mainstream galleries will hold exhibitions by African artists.

I could point you in the direction of a couple of London Nigerian restaurants if this interests you.

Re the community areas - you can find various African enclaves around London. I don't know how interesting they would be to visit and this really only means people living residentially along with some African grocers shops, internet/money transfer shops, and possibly a clothing shop or two. 10 minutes walking round and you'll have seen everything there is to see.Most of these do tend to be in rather, um, less salubrious neighbourhoods too. There is a big community in Peckham or around the Elephant & Castle but these are decidedly 'dodgy' areas. You might take a wander round Lewisham or Depford too as lots of Africans live there. But that's just walking round streets looking at everyday housing, with streetsful of African people wearing everyday UK clothing, talking English, etc...not really what you are looking for. To be honest, the more 'authentic' clubs, cafes and so on are not really geared up for tourists/outsiders. You would stand out a mile and I think they would find it a bit strange for you to be there. I get funny looks even going there with some of my African friends, even though people are generally friendly, and I would feel rather weird going to them on my own.

Oh - there is an African bookshop in the outskirts of Covent Garden. IT has an African restaurant above it. You could pop in there and see if they have any notices up about exhibitions/events etc.

It's also worth looking for community events/carnivals going on while you are here. There was a big Nigerian carnival a couple of months ago, and I'm sure other African communities do plenty of stuff as well. These would be better for you than just wandering round some streets.

Link to list of restaurants and some advice on African London.

http://www.geocities.com/s_durojaiye...estaurant.html
Obelende Suya is excellent, and I think Calabash is the one over the bookshop.

Go to insiderparisguides.com/download/black
This is an online guide book that I purchased a few years ago written by Melinda Herron. Everything in it is African/African American/Black Carribean etc....shops,restaurants,exhibits,history, etc and related to Paris. It's updated from time to time and then you just go on line, put in your code after you've purchased it and then get the updates. I've found it quite helpful over the years. Happy Travels!

I just went to the above website and noticed that the book has been printed in regular book form now. When I bought it it was an online book. Maybe it was experimental then. So, it's good to see it bound into a regular guide book. Happy Travels!

What nona refers to in Covent Garden is the Africa Centre, which is a bit more than a bookshop & restaurant - http://www.africacentre.org.uk/

I well remember eating there with a group of colleagues, years ago - and one colleague's food was so hot (in a spicy sense) he drank the water out of the flower vase !! It was a nice place.

Yes, on Rue Rennequin (off Wagram) in the 17th. Plus there is a restaurant there called Serengetti that had a lot of patrons. On that trip, had we had more time we were going to try it.

In Paris, in the Marais: CSAO
9, rue Elzevir
75003, Paris
TEL 01 44 54 55 88
WEB www.csao.fr

Thanks for all the advice so far from everyone!

Nona1: I realize that you can't make a quick trip and expect to learn about the community. I have travelled to real Africa many times in the past, but I haven't had a chance to learn a great deal about Africans living abroad. Plus, I am a avid collector of African art and try to make purchases where ever I go in the world. But thank you for your advice, nonetheless.

Yes, CSAO has a lot of items for purchase. I've been there many times to look. The African shops are really spread out throughout Paris. The prices are very high compared to the same types of items that I can get here in L.A. Happy Travels!