Restoring Closeness the AfroGreeks live- Events and live Streaming
05:55
This performance took place in the neighbourhood of Kypseli, on the terrace of a local bookstore called: Literature House. Mc Yinka was inspired by poetry and improvised using rap. He also performed two of his original songs.
06:43
The neighbourhood of Kypseli
the AfroGreeks Teaser
00:22
Kypseli being a home: Kypseli is a typical example of a metropolitan neighbourhood, as it incorporates historical layers of urbanization, social mobility, migration flows, and contemporary trends in the reuse of space. In the 30s the area was developed by upper-class residents who created residences and later apartment buildings. The area was then subsequently shaped by waves of internal and international migration, from the arrival of refugees from Asia Minor to immigrants from Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. This composition led to a multicultural everyday life, where locals and immigrants coexist, redefining public space and forming new practices of urban life. However, the area also went through phases of decline, with abandoned or neglected properties, which then returned to the housing market, often thanks to immigrants who revitalized them by occupying them for cheap rent. Up till recently Kypseli was an isolated and invisible neighbourhood where most foreigners in Athens lived, the majority of which were of African descent. The neighbourhood was once seen unsafe and dangerous to walk around during night hours but the residents of the neighbourhood never gave up on Kypseli, making it one of the most colourful neighbourhoods in Athens, where you can still experience hospitality and community. A place with a plethora of artistic initiatives, studios, cafes and the most beautiful neoclassical buildings and oldest bars, diners and theatres in the center of Athens. Kypseli’s historical trajectory, from a "good investment area" to a zone of "degradation" and then back on the rise, is directly linked to contemporary gentrification processes, making Kypseli a living laboratory of urban complexity, where it once functioned as a "ghetto" for marginalized populations and today is part of gentrification trends, while still maintaining the microcosms that make it unique.
Restoring Closeness the AfroGreeks live- Events and live Streaming
05:55 - 06:42
This performance took place in the neighbourhood of Kypseli, on the terrace of a local bookstore called: Literature House. Mc Yinka was inspired by poetry and improvised using rap. He also performed two of his original songs.
06:43 - 07:06
The neighbourhood of Kypseli
the AfroGreeks Teaser
00:22 - 00:30
Kypseli being a home: Kypseli is a typical example of a metropolitan neighbourhood, as it incorporates historical layers of urbanization, social mobility, migration flows, and contemporary trends in the reuse of space. In the 30s the area was developed by upper-class residents who created residences and later apartment buildings. The area was then subsequently shaped by waves of internal and international migration, from the arrival of refugees from Asia Minor to immigrants from Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. This composition led to a multicultural everyday life, where locals and immigrants coexist, redefining public space and forming new practices of urban life. However, the area also went through phases of decline, with abandoned or neglected properties, which then returned to the housing market, often thanks to immigrants who revitalized them by occupying them for cheap rent. Up till recently Kypseli was an isolated and invisible neighbourhood where most foreigners in Athens lived, the majority of which were of African descent. The neighbourhood was once seen unsafe and dangerous to walk around during night hours but the residents of the neighbourhood never gave up on Kypseli, making it one of the most colourful neighbourhoods in Athens, where you can still experience hospitality and community. A place with a plethora of artistic initiatives, studios, cafes and the most beautiful neoclassical buildings and oldest bars, diners and theatres in the center of Athens. Kypseli’s historical trajectory, from a "good investment area" to a zone of "degradation" and then back on the rise, is directly linked to contemporary gentrification processes, making Kypseli a living laboratory of urban complexity, where it once functioned as a "ghetto" for marginalized populations and today is part of gentrification trends, while still maintaining the microcosms that make it unique.