Social Climes : A Taste of Friendship, Africa-Style

Once a month the community center of the Culver Palms United Methodist Church becomes The Palaver Hut, a culinary West African Theater.

Palm trees, baskets of fruit, folding screens and a ring of banquet tables spread with block print tablecloths and set with candles and china transform the square, Spartan room into an intimate circle.

The walls are covered in thatch and banana leaves, and reggae music plays faintly in the background as proprietress Vera Oye Yahanna welcomes her guests. Yahanna seems born to be a hostess. She laughs and greets in a deep, sing-song voice and floats around the room in a shimmering aquamarine native gown like so much magical sea foam. Imagine a modern African Carole Lombard and you’ll be close.

Yahanna began the Palaver Hut in 1990, after arriving in Los Angeles as a refugee from civil war in her native Liberia. As the invitation explains, “The Palaver Hut in any West African Village is reserved for entertainment and/or dialogue between persons of different cultures and levels of sophistication.”

The assembled audience is a true melange of ages and ethnicities, drawn from all over greater Los Angeles. Usually the evening focuses on a particular region of Africa, presenting the food, music and fashions of the indigenous culture, but this just happens to be New Year’s Eve, and the theme is Pan-African.

When everyone is seated, the program begins with the traditional greeting. Yahanna emerges barefoot, clad in a simple cloth, carrying a basket on her head and singing a song she explains is “praise to creator and ancestors.”

The food arrives in huge bowls, and is passed around the table: smoke-flavored chicken, yellowtail wrapped in banana leaves, greens, rice, and more.

Meanwhile, the SGI Repertory Company performs “An African-American Tale,” a lively musical history lesson. The interracial company is part of Soka Gakkai International USA, a Buddhist nonprofit organization sponsored by the United Nations.

“This play was written originally after the riots to bring about unity,” says company leader Gail Bunn.

Down front, a blond 2-year-old boy applauds every song with particular gusto.

As dinner winds down, the musicians take over and Yahanna coaxes everyone onto the dance floor with gentle firmness. There will be no wallflowers at this party.

A boy of about 12 was the sensation of the evening, dancing like a young John Travolta with an extra dose of rhythm. Every time he went for it, a circle cleared out on the dance floor, everyone clapping and urging him on.

“That’s an old soul,” Yahanna remarks with pleasure. “An old soul that’s very, very happy to be in that young body.”

There is an assumption afoot in American culture that children can only be entertained by childish things, but the Palaver Hut disproves this. The sophisticated drum rhythms seem to excite the little ones in the audience as much as Barney or the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. Also, parents who are used to gritting their teeth through “family fare” can at least find respite.

The large communal dining tables and the African custom of introductions and greetings ensure that everyone will meet someone new whether they arrived alone or with an entire brood. This makes the Palaver Hut popular with the singles culture.

“People have wanted me to make this more of a singles event,” says Yahanna, “but I like it the way it is, with families and children and singles and everyone.” Indeed, for single parents, the Palaver Hut may well be the best destination in Los Angeles.

By the time the musicians pack up, it is well past everyone’s bedtime, and the mood is still high. “In Africa,” Yahanna explains, “a party can last anywhere from a day to a week.”

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Where: The Palaver Hut, Culver Palms United Methodist Church, 4464 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City.

When: About once a month, as announced. For information and reservations, contact Vera Oye Yahanna at (310) 202-0439.

Cost: $20-$40, depending on the menu and entertainment. Children under 12, $10.