Las Vegas locals may already be familiar with Africa Love Gift & Decor, a retail store of imported African products, created by importer Mara Diakhate. It has been operating in Town Square since 2017. Now, the Africa Love brand is looking to expand its reach: according to a supper club license application filed recently with Clark County, Africa Love Lounge & Entertainment, a new lounge and venue, will offer food, drink, and live entertainment at 855 E Twain Ave.
Africa Love’s store website describes it as “a collection of the best of what Africa has to offer by way of art, instruments, bags, baskets, clothing, sandals and décor.” It’s the brainchild of Diakhate, a “world traveler, entrepreneur, US citizen, and Senegalese-born native with deep business and trade ties to the African continent, as well as North America, Europe, and Asia.”
Mara Imports & Traders, Diakhate’s LA-based importing business, brings in “beautiful handcrafted instruments from Mali, Ghana, and Ivory Coast, exquisite handwoven baskets made by female artists in the rural region of Thies Senegal, gorgeous and colorful raffia handbags from the island of Madagascar, and so much more.”
This line of business is accompanied by Diakhate’s 501(c)(3) organization, Da’African Village, which “serves as a bridge of togetherness between Africa and the US.”
What Now Las Vegas was unable to reach Mara Diakhate for comment on the news of Africa Love Lounge’s opening. Details pertaining to its menu, operating hours, and opening date are unavailable at this time.
