The Black Diaspora (And Beyoncé) Made London Feel Like Home

As I dug into Cococure’s chicken suya and the most delicious jollof rice I’ve ever had (a Ghanaian must have prepared it) on my first night in London, I knew I was about to have an incredible trip. Not only was I in town to attend Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour, but the Afrobeats music playing from the speakers at the West African restaurant and flavors of the rum punch prepared by a very cute bartender (I might have a type…) made London feel familiar even though I had just landed. Later, after the restaurant had turned into a club for the night and the friends I met for dinner retired to their hotels, a group of Black women adopted me, and we danced the night away. 

I woke up the next morning in my California King bed at the citizenM, a hotel located in Shoreditch, and I smiled as I used the iPad controls to raise the blinds on my wall-sized windows and take in the views. I was invited by citizenM to stay on the property, enjoy the amenities, and explore the neighborhood during my trip, and I couldn’t wait to get started. Shoreditch was so walkable and a little reminiscent of Brooklyn; I was within minutes of places like Boxpark, a one-stop shop for entertainment, shopping, and food. I stopped by that afternoon for lunch, and went back three more times because there was so much to see and do! At Boxpark, I watched a Manchester United game with a few dozen disappointed fans, had drinks at the rooftop bar, bought some beautiful prints from an independent artist at Blanchouse, and had the most delicious steak and fries from Argentinian Grill. 

Around the corner from my hotel was a multipurpose street food market called Lalaland, where I picked up jerk chicken for dinner on a Friday night before heading out on the town. An easy train ride took me to Brixton on a Sunday afternoon to enjoy brunch with my friends at The Rum Kitchen, a Caribbean restaurant with the best sweetcorn fritters and spicy wings. Our server gifted my friends and I tickets to an Afrobeats day party that happened to be in Shoreditch, just around the corner from my temporary home at citizenM. Being within walking distance from such familiar cuisines, sounds and experiences cemented in my mind that anywhere I have access to the diaspora is where I can feel at home. 

This sense of community was amplified tenfold at Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour show, which I also attended alone. To me, it came as no surprise that the Beyhive would be a safe and welcoming environment. It’s by design — Beyoncé has painstakingly and purposefully created a space for Black and queer people to thrive. I knew I’d have a great time going solo. As I kiki’d with the other concertgoers about our excitement to finally see Queen Bey perform the songs we’d been listening to non-stop for the better part of a year, I grew even more confident in my ability to curate amazing experiences for myself without waiting on friends or a partner to join me. I looked around and felt proud of myself – I was really standing in Club Renaissance, in London, about to be mere feet from Beyoncé because I decided that I wanted to be there, and I made it happen.

So often it can feel like we need to wait for other people to buy that ticket, book that trip, or try that restaurant. I learned on this trip that I can have an incredible time just relying on myself. And it doesn’t even mean that I have to be alone – I still talk to the friends I made in Club Renaissance and throughout the rest of my trip to this day. Now, I have friends to visit when I inevitably make my return across the pond.

The diversity of London and the prevalence of African, Caribbean, and Black British communities makes it one of my favorite cities that I’ve ever visited, and one that I felt extremely comfortable visiting solo. It’s so easy to make friends when you share culture, regardless of whether you’re a local or tourist. It’s not an experience that you can easily replicate, or a comfort that you can find just anywhere, but it is becoming increasingly easy to find community with other members of the diaspora when traveling. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be shopping in an H&M while Afrobeats, a genre I grew up hearing only around family, is playing on the speakers. African diasporic culture has become front and center in a way I’ve never seen before, but am thoroughly enjoying. From Afrobeats songs topping the charts to foods like oxtail entering mainstream cuisine (Okay, I don’t love that part. Why does it cost fiftyleven dollars just to get a plate of oxtail these days?), the diaspora has taken a foothold in Western culture with no signs of slowing down. As a traveler, this means continuing to prioritize visiting those cities where my community is thriving — as long as I do that, I’ll always have an amazing time.