I’m a writer, marketer, husband and dad. Born and bred in Nigeria until I was a teenager, then moved to London.
In 2008, my reluctant wife (then fiancee) and I made the move to Harlesden. Best move we made. As an African immigrant who’s lived in over 10 different parts of London over a 20 year period (Camberwell, Peckham, Ealing, Holloway, Kilburn, Westbourne Park, Lewisham to name a few) this is the first place I’ve truly been able to call home.
This is where I can buy plantain, garri, supermalt or chin chin. This is where I can get my hair cut and argue with the Ghanian or Jamaican barber about why Arsenal should or shouldn’t sack Arsene Wenger.
More recently, I began to think about the fact that despite my kids being of African descent, this is where they will say they grew up. Not just London, but Harlesden. This is where they’ll identify with. But I get the feeling that 10 years from now, the next generation won’t appreciate how far Harlesden will have come. You know, just like this generation can hardly believe we used to pay with cash on buses instead of Oyster or pen and paper instead of iPads. There will be a lot that they take for granted. So I guess this is a way for me to record Harlesden’s history. Then nag them about it!
As a Harlesden resident, I think about Harlesden a lot. These are my thoughts. This is my take on Harlesden.
This is Harlesden 