Srila Prabhupada was born Abhay Charan De on September 1, 1896 to a practicing Hindu family in Kolkata.  As a youth growing up in British-controlled India, Abhay became involved with Mahatma Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement to secure independence for his nation. A 1922 meeting with a prominent scholar and religious leader, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati, proved most influential on Abhay’s future calling. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta was a leader in the Gaudiya Vaishnava denomination, a monotheistic tradition within the broad Hindu culture. He asked Abhay to bring the teachings of Lord Krishna to the English-speaking world. Abhay became a disciple of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta in 1933 and resolved to carry out his mentor’s request. Abhay, who became known worldwide as A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada and as Shrila Prabhupada, spent the next 32 years preparing for his journey to the Western world.

In 1965, at the age of 69, Shrila Prabhupada travelled to New York City aboard a cargo ship. The journey was treacherous, and the elderly spiritual teacher suffered 2 heart attacks aboard ship. Arriving in the United States with just 7 dollars in Indian rupees and his translations of sacred Sanskrit texts, he began to spread the teachings of Krishna consciousness.  His spiritual message resonated with many young people, some of whom came forward to become serious students of the Krishna tradition. With the help of these students, Shrila Prabhupada rented a small storefront on New York’s Lower East Side to use as a temple. On July 11, 1966, he officially registered his organization in the state of New York, formally founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON).

In the 11 years that followed, Srila Prabhupada circled the globe 14 times on lecture tours, bringing the teachings of Lord Krishna to thousands of people on 6 continents. Men and women from all backgrounds and walks of life came forward to accept his message, and with their help, Shrila Prabhupada established ISKCON centers and projects throughout the world.

‘So my request to you, those Indians here in Nairobi, please try to understand this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement seriously and take it, and you have got immense opportunity to spread among the Africans. Just like our student Śrīmān Brahmānanda was speaking. He went to preach on the street this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement, and many hundreds of these Africans joined, and they chanted.

So, ceto-darpana-marjanam: if you want to live with the Africans very nicely, friendly, try to introduce this Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement amongst them. They will be happy and you will be happy. Thank you very much. Hare Kṛṣṇa.’

'Puṣṭa Kṛṣṇa: Here is one black American, a sannyāsī in the renounced order of life.

Prabhupāda: ...the bodily concept of life, he is no more African, no more American. He is spirit soul.' - May 16 , 1974 written in Bombay to brahmacaries in Nairobi.

Dear Brahmananda Maharaja,

Please accept my blessings. I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter of January 24, 1974, which has only reached me now due to travelling.

I appreciate your spirit in wanting to retaliate against the Kenya government for their not allowing me to enter the country on Krsna's mission. I think, however, that the proposal of international demonstrations at the embassies of the Kenya government would be a waste of time. If it could not be done from there why waste our time in such demonstrations.

Rather let us answer this atrocity by converting all Africans to Krsna Consciousness. Please keep in the front of your attention my desire that you convert the Africans. I know you have some of them already now train them up, so that even if you are forced to leave, they will be able to carry on Krsna Consciousness on their own. That is your real work rather than promoting international demonstrations abroad. Better you work the poison at home, and make the Africans Krsna Conscious, then my mission will be served.

I will be glad to see you when we all meet at Mayapur.

Your ever well-wisher,

A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami - May 16 , 1974 written in Bombay to brahmacaries in Nairobi.

'Brahmānanda: Yes, twice a day, at noon and at evening. We've built a special pavilion on the side of the temple. See, we were making the mistake all along of trying to mix the Africans and the Asians together.

Prabhupāda: That is not good.

Brahmānanda: That was a bad policy. Now we have separate = the Asians on one side and the Africans on the other side, and both are happy.

Prabhupāda: That's nice.

Brahmānanda: Before they were both unhappy. Now they're both happy.

Prabhupāda: No, the Indians, they do not like to sit down...

Gargamuni: No. Indians don't like to mix, and Africans also, they like to be with their own. And we have a... The instruments we use... They make their own instruments out of different materials. They have these pieces of metal and wooden blocks. [laughs] They love it. They can make much noise... Actually the Asians like it very much when they see the Africans doing that. So both are very happy.' - Your ever well-wisher, A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami ACBS/sdg

'Prabhupāda wasn’t satisfied preaching only to the Indians. He wanted to preach to the Africans. Indians and Africans were completely segregated. But since a Kṛṣṇa conscious person does not make distinctions based on the body, Prabhupāda said the Indians had a duty to share their spiritual culture with the Africans.

Prabhupāda impressed on Brahmānanda Swami that his first duty in Africa was to give Kṛṣṇa consciousness to the Africans. Because of bad experience in Turkey and Pakistan, Brahmānanda Swami had been reluctant to hold public kīrtanas in Nairobi. Besides, the Africans spoke mostly Swahili; they were culturally different and usually too poor to buy books, so Brahmānanda Swami didn’t know how to preach to them effectively. Going to the Indians had been easy and natural.

But Prabhupāda wanted the Africans. “It is an African country,” he said simply. “They are the proprietors. We should be preaching to them.”

'The more you advance in Kṛṣṇa consciousness, you become purified from all this influence of māyā, because it is acting by māyayā bahu-rūpayā. And as soon as you come to Kṛṣṇa consciousness, even if you have got a different form, a different bodily form, because you are aloof from that, your..., you are not affected by the influence of māyā.

Just like anyone who is coming to Kṛṣṇa consciousness in any country, they are forgetting their bodily consciousness. Just like in our Society we have got members from different parts of the world. Especially in Africa we have seen, there is very much distinction between white and black. But in our Society there is no such distinction. The Indians there, they hated with the...

Because the Africans are working as servant to Indians. So now this time they agreed to take prasādam, all in the same line. The Europeans, Americans, Indians, Africans, even brāhmaṇas, high caste, all. I also. We sat down to take prasādam. In our Māyāpur they are distributing prasādam. Perhaps it is for the first time that Hindus and Muslims are taking prasādam in the one line.' - SB 2.9.2

'Brahmānanda: When someone takes so spontaneously, like this African, without any preaching, but just spontaneously take...

Prabhupāda: Yes. They are not yet so advanced.

Brahmānanda: But it means in past life there must have been some connection if he immediately takes it so wholeheartedly, without any previous connection.

Indian man (4): The Indian peoples, when they see the Africans in the temple, singing and all that, they criticize, you know. They criticize us. They say, "Oh, you..." That boy, he told me. He read your Nectar of Devotion. Then he came to the conclusion... He read the story also of Mahārāja Ambarīṣa. So he used to go to the Hindu temple to clean the floor early in the morning before going to university. He told me that he went for one week and they never said anything. When he was going daily the temple, they told him, "Don't come here. Don't clean here. We don't want the African to come."