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The Horn African Cafe & Restaurant

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The Horn African Cafe & Restaurant

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THE HORN

A COMMUNITY AND A CULTURE

A Documentary by Emile Czarny

In 2007, Peter and Enushu, with their two children Corry and Kahan moved into the location on Johnston St which would soon become the spectacular Ethiopian restaurant, ‘The Horn African Cafe & Restaurant’.

Since then, they have created a restaurant that has lured workers and customers worldwide and has nurtured the creativity of magnificent musicians. Constructing a community, and an atmosphere that shares a love for music, food, Ethiopian and jazz culture.

Over the past two years, I have spent increasingly more time around the restaurant and interacting with the people. Being a friend to the family who runs it as well having several close friends working there often I will spend nights in and around the restaurant, it is the interactions that I have on these nights that I savour, and what makes it such a special place to me.

I have been lucky enough to immerse myself into this crowd, while I am not a musician, I’m not a chef, and I am not Ethiopian, I am a friend, and the beauty of the community that ‘The Horn’ provides is its inclusiveness and willingness to invite others in and share their joy and passion for their culture.

Kahan Harper on life around The Horn & its community

Peter with Kahan and other friends post their performance on a Friday night at the restaurant.

Peter & Enushu

Spending time around The Horn, both during and before the beginning of my documenting it caused it to quickly become a special place to visit, for reasons other than the food and the music.

For the people

There is seldom a moment when I am not greeted, offered a drink, and I’m most certainly offered a chat.

It is that which makes the restaurant so hospitable, and creates an atmosphere that represents the community

Members of the Black Jesus Experience and guests embracing each other after weekly Sunday night performance

Peter with Mudai & Yosef

Family member and chef, Mudai

The Kitchen.

The restaurant, its atmosphere, its customers, and its efficiency rely on the kitchen. Despite this pressure, demand, and stress, the space is never shy of joyous faces and a welcoming aura.

Alongside this, their traditional Ethiopian coffee and abundant selection of Ethiopian beer is only a taster of the traditional culture that The Horn represents.

The Horn works hard to remain a traditional Ethiopian restaurant. Sourcing local produce and serving 100% teff injera.

On a Sunday night, almost every week of the year, The Horn is transformed from the restaurant that it is every other night, into an even more spectacular event space in conjunction with this.

The renowned Black Jesus Experience (BJX) transfigure the courtyard into an organised and enthusiastic live music performance, livening up the diners and engaging them in their wonderful display.

While it is a step away from playing at large festivals such as WOMADelaide and performing at professional event spaces like The Night Cat, the cultural hub that The Horn is allows for the music, the food, and the people to come together as one.

I have been fortunate enough to watch BJX live at the restaurant and other venues on multiple occasions. Attending professional spaces and watching them perform to their fullest is amazing, but there is a personal effect and an intimacy of viewing them while dining on a Sunday night at the Horn.

Peter Harper and the Black Jesus Experience at The Horn African Café & Restaurant

The BJX perform a combination of improvisation and organised music, when you pay attention you can recognise this and spot the moments when they acknowledge each other’s rhythms, flows, and beats.

You can witness polished performers in a zone where they can express their creativity and provoke reactions from one another, expressing their true musical skillset.

This is what personalises the experience that they provide.

With the music, the food, and the people. The Horn, a small family-run restaurant has transformed into a cultural hub, a local icon and an ambassador for Ethiopian culture within the inner north and beyond.

The Horn Africa Cafe & Restaurant has become a place of sentimental value to me, whether this is because of the memories I have made, the people I have met and the time I have spent there, is difficult to express. But what it has shown me is that community can transform a restaurant into something much more significant.

The Horn African Cafe & Restaurant most certainly has that community.

Special Thanks to Peter, Enushu, Kahan, Corry, Mudai, Yosef, Black Jesus Experience, Josh H, Josh L G, Diarmaid, James, Tom, Alex, and numerous others who contribute to the community.

Special Thanks to Peter, Enushu, Kahan, Corry, Mudai, Yosef, Black Jesus Experience, Josh H, Josh L G, Diarmaid, James, Tom, Alex, and numerous others who contribute to the community. Special Thanks to Peter, Enushu, Kahan, Corry, Mudai, Yosef, Black Jesus Experience, Josh H, Josh L G, Diarmaid, James, Tom, Alex, and numerous others who contribute to the community.