Know your neighbour: African-American doctor enjoys his new neighbourhood in Kyalami
Dr Asad el-Malik and his family have been living in Kyalami for a year and are loving it.
Dr Asad el-Malik, PhD (44) emigrated to South Africa a year ago with his family and has found a home in Kyalami.
Dr el-Malik is the manager of the Diaspora Project at the African Centre for the Study of the United States (ACSUS) at the University of the Witwatersrand.
According to El-Malik, the centre conducts research and dialogue to develop a critical eye on the U.S. from an African perspective. This is an academic examination of U.S. systems, history, culture and society.
The centre has three areas of focus namely U.S. businesses in Africa, Africa-U.S. cities’ engagement and the Diaspora Project.
The centre hosts dialogue events and conferences, including the inaugural U.S. Business in Africa Awards and the Africa-U.S. Cities Conference.
He was born and bred in New Orleans, a city located in southeastern Louisiana, United States.
In 2019, he and his family, his wife Adrianne (42) and two sons Austin (13) and Aden (10) visited South Africa and immediately felt at home. After several consecutive visits in 2021 and 2022, the Republic of South Africa granted them a three-year resident visa in 2023. They first lived in Lonehill but moved to Kyalami Estate about three months ago.
The couple has a YouTube channel where they document their lives in a new country and have said that moving to South Africa was an easy decision to make since there are a lot of similarities between African Americans and South Africans. “Cultural familiarity – Hip Hop music is big in the county and they (South Africans) enjoy a good braai though we call it a barbeque, it is still the same concept,” he said. “Our children enjoy soccer and Kyalami has great parks to practice.
“They also enjoy riding their bikes although the hills have proven challenging to their legs coming from a place that is below sea level. My wife and I enjoy Kyalami Corner because of its convenience. We also enjoy the Waterfall and Polo Fields areas.”
On Sundays, el-Malik enjoys the Fourways Farmers Market, this is where he socialises with other South Africans and gets to learn more about their culture which is beneficial to the work that he does at Wits.
Details: Subscribe to their YouTube Channel “Asad El Malik, PhD [https://www.youtube.com/@asadelmalikphd]” to follow their journey.
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