We had Anibal Abayneh as our special guest on the MyAreaVibe Spotlight Show. Anibal is the CEO of the Cafe Lalibela Ethiopian Cuisine and the Executive Director/Founder of African Fest USA. Through the African Fest USA initiative, Anibal has made sure that all African countries including his home country, Ethiopia, have the opportunity to display to the world the real narrative of Africa. In an interview with the City of Tempe, he stated: “Not only does African Fest USA bridge the gap between communities who otherwise seldom engage with and learn from each other, but it provides a unique opportunity for our people to educate and change the false narrative that Africa is a continent of Third World countries without much to offer”. Africa does have a great deal to offer, and here is a sample of what Anibal is doing to showcase that:
Cafe Lalibela Ethiopian Cuisine
This family-owned Ethiopian restaurant is located in the heart of Tempe, Arizona. At this restaurant, they exclusively serve Ethiopian dishes. The main ingredients and seasonings come directly from the home country, which brings out the full authentic taste in the dishes. You can appreciate these exotic flavors over a shared meal at the restaurant, or order their food from Whole Foods and Natural Grocers.
Furthermore, in July of 2020, Cafe Lalibela released its own coffee brand! The coffee beans are shipped from Africa, and get roasted in the US for optimum freshness. You can purchase their coffee on location!
African Fest USA
African Fest USA is a day dedicated to displaying the various African cultures through food, art, dance, lifestyle, and music to the public. The event is usually held in Tempe, AZ, which makes it convenient for people to attend the event due to its location. Anibal made an exclusive announcement on MyAreaVibe Spotlight Show: the upcoming Africa Fest USA will no longer be just a weekend event, but a whole week festival! He welcomed all African artists, media, photographers, stylists, models, and anyone else that would like to participate to get in contact with him to get more information.
Due to the success from the first event in 2019, the City of Tempe recognized the organization with an African Fest USA Day. Ethiopian Airlines is partnering with this organization as well.
Update: Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the African Fest USA 2021 in-person event has been canceled but the organization is currently working on alternative plans that will be released to the public.
The MyAreaVibe Family would like to thank Anibal Abayneh for taking the time to be on the MyAreaVibe Spotlight Show. It is always great to see community members that are helping others on a daily basis!
If you are interested in being a guest on the MyAreaVibe Spotlight Show, feel free to contact us on: myareavibe@gmail.com or give us a call at 602-492-1058!
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