In 2017 husband and wife duo Gregory and Kelly Stutzer founded Afrohaus, an organization dedicated to celebrating and empowering voices from Africa and the diaspora. The idea for Afrohaus was birthed from a very intentional prayer Kelly said that inspired them to start hosting events. They created the vibe they wanted to see more of by combining art, poetry and live music for their community.
Photo: Gregory and Kelly Stutzer hosting an Afrohaus event
The couple had already established their name as members of dance music group The.WAV. They attained much success releasing music under the U.K label Dudley Road Records and were among the first few pioneers of the contemporary AfroTrap and Afrobeats sound in Los Angeles. Their notoriety worked in their favor as they used their success as a group to introduce Afrohaus to their community by making it a Los Angeles event series.
Their events were designed to invite people of all races and walks of life to come together and reflect on their shared African roots through the various art forms while exploring what it means to be a member of the diaspora community.
Only one year after their conception, Afrohaus received a certificate of recognition from the city of Los Angeles for their work with the community. “Receiving recognition was never our intention and this was a complete surprise,” Kelly told Amplify Africa, “it was Juneteenth of 2018 and it came from such a spiritual place as the very same day we pulled off hosting two events simultaneously in Los Angeles and New York City which was a huge accomplishment for us.”
With the heart of Afrohaus being live events, the COVID-19 pandemic brought them to an abrupt halt. However, they were able to find the silver lining and grasped the opportunity to establish their digital presence. “So many people started hosting virtual events and we wanted to find a unique approach to reach our community,” Kelly said. Both of their parents are educators and so it felt natural for them to use their digital platform to enter the educational space.
They launched the Afrohaus App and collaborated with their long time friend and historian Paul Joseph and are now using their platform to teach about Black history. Their first ever Afrohaus Masterclass titled “Time Machine: A Million Years Into Black History” will take you on an interactive journey through a million years of history focusing on Africa and her descendants. Professor Paul Joseph will present riveting stories of the first humanoid types, the rise and fall of the Ancient Civilizations, Migration through the Nile and other parts of Africa, when Africa and Europe met, Post Colonial Africa and The Americas. They are creating a safe and welcoming environment for people of all ages and backgrounds to ask questions and deepen their knowledge of this story of humanity.
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“We are building a dream platform for our tribe,” they said, “we can take our own dollars and invest into our communities to make platforms such as this one sustainable.” By signing up for the Time Machine monthly membership you will have access to the masterclass on the app as well as other exclusive content. The masterclass orientation will take place virtually on Wednesday September 16th, and there will be a new lesson each week for the next 5 months. Each lesson will be accompanied with images and a live Q&A session with Paul Joseph that enhances the experience. You can view the entire course curriculum ,,here.
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Their journey has been a long one and as they continue their work, Gregory offered some words of advice for people who are working to use their gifts to serve their community, “embrace that it will be hard but don’t ever give up because your community needs you, and never compromise your purpose.”
He shared with us that their long term goal for Afrohaus is “to create a platform where content created by African creators can live.” One thing is obvious, Gregory and Kelly are extremely passionate about providing a space and a platform to better their community and we are grateful for their dedication to that cause. Knowledge is power, so sign up for the Afrohaus Masterclass ,,here. Begin learning the history that will empower you.
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