Little Africa Paris Village façade
© Entrée to Black Paris

Last weekend, Tom and I planned to lunch at Au Paradis Tropical, a Créole restaurant just steps away from the Château Rouge metro station in the 18th arrondissement.

On the way, we decided to swing by the Little Africa Village concept store to see the merchandise on display.

Little Africa Village window displays
© Entrée to Black Paris

When we entered, we found owner Jacqueline Ngo Mpii in a meeting.  She took a moment to welcome us and told us that the artwork from the recent Pérou Noir exhibition, which closed on November 15, 2025, still hung in the gallery space downstairs. 

Though the exhibition is currently being dismantled, she unlocked the entrance to the gallery and invited us to take our time looking around.

Pérou Noir - graphic announcement
© Entrée to Black Paris

We happily accepted this invitation and descended the stairs to view the display.

This exquisite show featured works by twelve Afro-Peruvian artists that explore the invisible roots and erased voices of Afro-Peruvian visual art and interpret the African presence in Latin America and Abya Yala (a term used by some Indigenous peoples of the Americas to refer to the Americas). 

Curator Milena Carranza Valcárcel described the exhibition as "listen[ing] to these submerged voices and bring[ing] them to the surface like a song of rebirth."

Altar Renacimiento I
Herbert Rodríguez
2024 Sublimation fabric
Image © Entrée to Black Paris

Máscara Tribal I-IV
Herbert Rodríguez
2024 Cut and painted paper
Image © Entrée to Black Paris

Las raíces de nuestro pueblo
Dedee Mandros
2025 Cyanotype photographyImage
© Entrée to Black Paris

Jarana con guitarra y charango
Joan “Entes” Jiménes Suero
2022 Acrylic
Image © Entrée to Black Paris

S/T
Serie : cajoneada
César Octavio Santa Cruz
2024 Screen printing and acrylic on wood - wooden box
Images © Entrée to Black Paris

Negro libre
Carlos Alberto Ostolaza Ramírez
1996 Acrylic
Image © Entrée to Black Paris

The exhibition catalog and music playlist are available at the QR codes shown below.

QR codes for exhibition catalog and music playlist
© Entrée to Black Paris

We reemerged from the exhibition with the intent to learn more about Afro-Peruvian art in general and the artists and curator in particular.

Before we left, Ngo Mpii gave us samples of two fragrances made by the Swedish-Gambian perfumer, Maya Njie.  She told us that Little Africa Village is partnering with The Colors, a consulting firm and ecosystem dedicated to multicultural beauty, to offer Afro-descendant cosmetics and perfume brands a new platform for visibility, expression, and connecting with their customers. 

The two organizations launched Maya Njie in Paris on September 25, 2025.

Maya Njie perfume samples
© Entrée to Black Paris

Taking a final look around this always well appointed space, we headed out for what we anticipated would be a wonderful midday meal.

Little Africa Village
6 bis, rue des Gardes
75018 Paris
Metro: Barbès-Rochechouart (Lines 2 and 4)
Internet: https://littleafrica.fr/

Entrée to Black Paris wishes you and yours a happy holiday season.

Come back in January for Part 2 of Art and Food Pairing™: Little Africa Paris Village and Au Paradis Tropical!