The Krasnapolsky Hotel in Amsterdam is known for its famous guests, fancy restaurants and chique parties and events. Last weekend was no exception: the African Young Professional (AYP) Network organised its first gala.

AYP Network was founded over a year ago by a group of young people from the African Diaspora in the Netherlands. “There are many young African professionals in the Netherlands who did not know about each other,” explains Pauline Mbundu, chairman of the organisation. “The same applied for us, so we saw there was a need to bring these people together.”

“Our group of people consists mainly of highly educated Africans that feel in touch with the Netherlands, but also with their African background,” adds Phyllis , who is also a board member of the network. “You know, people who want to make the best out of themselves. We approach and gather people together via Africa-related events and social media like Facebook.”

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Men dressed in black ties and women in evening gowns or traditional dresses attended the gala that was organised by AYP Network. The program included a dinner, accompanied by speeches by professionals and a performance by the Cameroonian-Dutch artist, Ntjam Rosie.

“What makes this club unique is that we help each other to share the positive aspects of being African in the Netherlands,” says Mbundu, who was lived in the Democratic Republic of the Congo before she came to the Netherlands. “We do this by organsing events and meetings. However you look at it, in the Netherlands there’s a negative image about Africa and foreigners in general, especially over the last couple of years. So we want to emphasise the positive aspects, but we also want to discuss who we are and what we stand for.”

“I’d like to think I’m the best of both worlds,” says Döll, who was born in Ghana. “I don’t feel African or Dutch, I just feel like me.”

Afropolitans
African or Dutch, it seems this generation of the African diaspora stands somewhere in between. Andrew Makkinga, host of the evening and radio presenter for a Dutch broadcaster, describes this as, 'Afropolitan': "There are a lot of terms for the new generation of Africans, but I like the word Afropolitan. When you speak of Afropolitans you basically speak of the new Africans on the continent and in the diaspora, who are working towards the rise of a more individualistic world.”

Makkinga, originally from Uganda, looks ahead at Africa’s new generation with confidence: “We are all part of this order called Afropolitans, we are young and successfull, but not really visible. With this organisation, we are making a serious attempt to work on perception management here in the Netherlands. But we need more. For some reason people still believe that regulation and Africans are like kryptonite. We Afropolitans in the Diaspora are responsible for changing that."

But apart from all this, it’s also about having fun. The gala ended with dessert, wine, upbeat music and vivid dance. “Once you get in you can’t get out,” jokes Döll.