Ireland’s thriving Afri-can community now has a dedicated place to come together online, thanks to a new social networking website at Letsgist.com.
“The site is a place for Africans to meet, exchange ideas, share information, and be informed about the Afro-Caribbean community,” says Victor Oluwi, spokesperson for the website.
“Basically, we are trying to be the first point of call when looking for news about the African community.”
Letsgist.com offers a wealth of resources for those in the African community, or native Irish who just want to learn more about African and Caribbean culture. The site features forums covering everything from African film to culture, dating in Ireland, and information regarding immigration and naturalisation issues.
Visitors can also access a growing directory of businesses that service the Afro-Caribbean community, and an Afro-Caribbean culture day sponsored by Letsgist.com is in the works.
“The whole continent is represented,” said Oluwi. “Right now we have 24 countries represented and we are always reaching out to other African and Caribbean brothers and sisters.”
Started in March by a group of African friends, the website is slowly but surely growing in popularity among Ireland’s African community.
“At first, community membership was minute, but now it’s up to 200 and growing all the time,” says Oluwi, who is quick to point out that other social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook all started small, becoming popular by word of mouth.
Oluwi is also encouraging the African community to offer feedback on the website, and let them know what elements can be added or improved to boost membership and quality.
“In the end,” he says, “we just want people to know that they can affect the world they live in and make it a better place, and still enjoy themselves doing it.”
– Charlie Johnson
