Liberia and Beyond: Sub-Saharan Africa
The majority of Staten Island is 10-15% black and a small part of this population is Liberian. The Liberian community on Staten Island is concentrated in the North Shore according to the Census tract. The population actually shrunk on the North Shore from 2000-2010. There is a high population in Bloomfield (40.6%), St. George (40-49%), and very little at the mid-bottom part of the Island (generally <1%). Unfortunately, there is a high density of poverty in the North Shore ranging from 20-30% who have incomes less than $15,000 annually.
Wazobia—Come, Come, Come!
Though not primarily Liberian, Wazobia restaurant prides itself on being the only African restaurant on Staten Island. Everything is based on a rich cultural heritage stemming from the owners, who are Nigerian immigrants.The food itself tasted good, mostly based in hot spices. They served food ranging from curry chicken to goat meat, plantains to bean cakes and dipping sauce.
Bean cakes known as akara
All the food was served piled onto a plate, with sauce and spice seeping through the meat and into the sides of beans and brown rice. While not customary for stereotypical Americans (as Marissa confesses she is), it was all delicious.
Enjoying our meal
The restaurant itself is plain—a storefront with a green and white awning, so much like the rest of Bay Street, and the interior seems like a half-finished diner, with a few pieces of artwork on the walls. However, the life and heritage found here are richer than all the opulence of Versailles. The owners, Kingsley and Lara, have bought many pieces of art for their restaurant, but four have a specific story.
On a shelf are statuettes of the king and queen of Nigeria. The king, or obe, has been in power since the 1970s, and has lived according to the traditional African practices, worshipping the pantheistic gods.
King Erediuawa and the late Queen Esther
The owners of Wazobia say that when the king dies, his close servants, or maids, will be killed as well. These men know the king’s deepest secrets, which must die with him. However, no one is alarmed at this arrangement, because this is what these men have supposedly been born for—the gods have ordained it.
Most of Nigeria is not pantheistic, and does not believe in the gods. Actually, most of the country associates with the Christian faith. On the back wall hangs a large, black, wood carving with three faces turned in different directions. Moving his Bible from the counter, Kingsley proudly explained that the carving is representative of three in one: a symbol of the Trinity.
A side view of the Trinity carving
Finally, and most importantly, over the doorway to the kitchen hangs an oil painting of three men in different styles of traditional dress. The owners told us that they represent three parts of Africa: West (like Nigeria), North (like Egypt), and East (like Liberia). They are the restaurant’s “mascots,” so to speak. Each man speaks in a different language, and says, “come” in a particular way. The Westerner says, “Wa.” The Northerner proclaims, “Zo.” The Easterner says, “Bia.” Wa-zo-bia: Come! Come! Come!
The three cultures of Wazobia
Though Wazobia does not follow Liberian traditions, it is very culturally African, and gives the diner a special feeing of coming home to family.
Marissa, her mom Ruth, and Lara
WAZOBIA!
Al- Ihsaan Mosque
We went to visit Masjid Al-Ihsan located on St. Mark’s Place near the Staten Island Ferry. As a close- knit community, the Muslims of St. George would gather to go to the mosque to pray the five daily prayers and attend any extra lectures. The basis of Islam is built from the teaching of the Holy Quran, which was sent down to Prophet Muhammad. The sub-Saharan community was more prevalent in this mosque because of the neighborhood they lived in. A few members of the mosque were from North African countries such as Egypt and Morocco. On the other hand, the majority of the other attendees were from Senegal, Guinea, Liberia, and South Africa.
As a Muslim herself, Nisma was able to show her colleague Marissa around the mosque and explain he beliefs in depth. In Islam, Muslims believe in only one higher power, Allah. Any prayers should be directed towards him. They also believe that Prophet Muhammad is the last and final prophet who received the book of the Quran through the Angel Gabriel. The five pillars of Islam are Shahadah (the Oneness of God), Prayer, Giving charity, Fasting, and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mekkah). These guidelines go hand in hand with the six pillars of faith, which are the belief in Allah, Angels, Books, Prophets, Day of Judgment, and Divine Destiny.
Men and women in Islam are all equals. Women are also especially valued in Islam because they are the source of all life. It is even said by Prophet Muhammad that “Heaven lies beneath the feet of the mother,” meaning that she is the key to entering Paradise. Women in Islam are also supposed to wear the Hijab, which is a sign of modesty, covering up any part of their body that shouldn’t be freely visible to the public. We also learned that in the mosque that the Imam is the one who leads the prayers. He stands in front of the men while women stand behind them all.
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