What Does It Really Take to Be African?
Reading through Demetria Lucas’ ‘Not African Enough for Africa,’ prompted a few questions for me as an African woman. What exactly does being African mean? Is it a cultural thing? A color thing? Why do African Americans believe they would feel at home in Africa despite having no tangible link to the continent?
As I read through the comments it was obvious, that to a lot of African Americans, Africa is a vital piece of the identity puzzle. And I get it.
Think about it for a minute. Many Black Americans have often identified as African first and an American later. So, it makes sense that they would expect acceptance in Africa, especially since their existence in America has been difficult.
African Americans were not willing visitors to America. You were torn away from what you knew to help grow a foreign economy and were never compensated for your labor. Even now, despite your contributions, you are not really welcome, and everyday there is another reminder that you are not the same.
Add to that the fact that Marcus Garvey’s Back to Africa movement made returning to the continent seem like the solution to the problems affecting Blacks in the Diaspora. In Africa, you would never be ‘the other’. You would be fully accepted and embraced for you were once again the majority. And while things did not go quite as planned, many African Americans passed that idea down through generations. Africa became a place where you would not be the other, not a minority. It became a place where nearly everyone looked like you. You would not have to be stopped because you were black, get tagged with the Angry Black woman stereotype because no one would notice….seeing as everyone was just as black as you.
Unfortunately, the reality—as Lucas pointed out—is very different. Skin color is not enough to make you fit in, and when selling the African dream someone forgot to tell you a couple of things.
Culture trumps color. The ability to speak local languages is just one aspect. Honestly, even if you made the effort to learn the language, there are still the social cues and the slang that many would probably miss. Unfortunately, a white African would be seen as more authenticly “African” than an Black American in many instances, because in the space of two generations, the term ‘White African’ has become acceptable. In my grandparents’ days, if you were white, you were either a missionary or a colonizer. You were a stranger, never African.
The fact that African-born Whites can now claim Africa as their home is proof that culture is dynamic. In less than a hundred years, White Africans are a legitimate part of the continent. So, if such a huge change has occurred in that short span of time, how could African Americans–who are separated by hundreds of years of differences–think they will just immediately mesh into one of Africa’s many cultures? It is almost impossible.
As a child, my father had a friend–a former Black Panther–who moved to Tanzania in the late seventies. During that time, Tanzania was practicing African Socialism and he was very excited to live and farm among his people. Over 30 years later, he is still seen as a foreigner, even though he speaks Kiswahili with great fluency and has assimilated as best as he knows how.
I sympathize with wanting to know who you are, with being a child of two worlds who doesn’t quite fit into either one. I know Blacks in the Diaspora want a place where they can just be themselves, but sadly, Africa isn’t it.
Here, you are American; you have been away for five hundred years. We do not have the same experiences to bond us, the same languages to help us bridge the gap, the same memories of how things were.
Please come visit and walk the paths your ancestors walked. But that is all we can give you.
I agree w/the writer. As African-Americans – our history starts here* in the Americas. It was our ancestors’ history that began in Africa*. Abdul-Baha said that Black Americans have to ‘create’ our own culture, in the American/Caribbean world. If I were to attend a party that encouraged people to dress as our ‘forebears’ — I would not wear African clothes. Instead I would put on the white ‘tignon’ (head wrap) & white clothes of the Santerian religion. Because, although I am an African-American in the Bahai religion – my greatgrandfather was triracial (French, African, Native American). Therefore he was Creole. And that is an ‘African’ transplanted ‘American’ born reflection of our ‘unique’ African-American history/culture.
American Blacks call themselves African Americans because they want to attach themselves to the continent that their ancestors came from; Calling yourself Black does not put you anywhere it just informs others of your color. Whites don’t mind others calling them white, but they always tell where their ancestors came from whether it is Ireland, Germany or Italy etc. they place themselves in that culture although many of them have never been to specific countries. If you have one black parent you are considered black I don’t care how much of Europe that the other parent represents; in this nation you are black whether you like that name or whether you want to identify with African American.
@ Veshti: “it just informs others of your color?” I do not know anyone who literally has Black skin or White for that matter. And from what your implying Indians should start calling themselves Black or anyone with Brown skin for that matter!!! In America calling yourself Black does put you somewhere. What some ppl are trying to say is that maybe ppl should stop using color as a reference to describe someone when it has no real meaning. Ask yourself what does it mean to be Black and there is no real answer just as if you were to ask yourself what it means to be White. Any answers that do arise will soley be based on stereotypes. To be politically correct we are all shades of brown period. Lastly, I do know of some Europeans that are 3rd generation Americans who refuse to refer to themselves as White.
I feel the same about us bridging the gap and working together. I believe we should learn about our cultures as well as embrace each other. I think it would be a great opportunity for us to improve one anothers strengths and weaknesses to maximize our success as a whole.To start, I have created a blog, called the Integration Journal which is about the similarities and differences between Africans and African-Americans. You can view my blog at http://www.integrationjournal.blogspot.com.
Thanks!
There is something a lot of people on this forum are missing. Heritage is not claimed from where you were born or where you have spent the most part of your life. As far as I am concern and which is indeed a fact, there is no such thing as a White African. Can the so called white people identify themselves to any ethnic group in Africa. Yet African Americans are able to identify themselves through DNA to a particular ethnic group. I just want to use this opportunity and refer those who are christian on this forum to the bible. The Jewish people after spending so many years in Egypt and being enslaved for 400 years did not become Egyptians. They had Joseph who ruled Egypt and had children born in Egypt who never became Egyptians. The fact that some of them spoke the Egyptian language and practised their culture like Moses did not make them Egyptians. We should learn from these and see also God’s purpose for humankind when it comes to cultural heritage.Apart from this, today whenever and wherever you meet a Jewish person, he or she will be proud of their heritage and will tell you I am Jewish irrespective of the fact that he or she might be a citizen of a different country.
I am a continental African and live in South African. Most of the white people only identify themselves with Africa to claim the advantages of the land. When it comes to culture, I will tell you they are very European and it is not uncommon to find them easily integrating with European visitors. Besides there is none who can claim an African language to be his mother tongue. The Afrikaans language spoken by most of them though usually claim to be an African language which I do not agree is a replica of Dutch. Does this ring any bell in our heads.
Of course it has to. Heritage is something that lives in you. Even in Africa, because of European influence on some parts, you will find continental Africans who cannot speak an African language nor practice any of its culture. Then why should we judge our Africanness from the fact that I was born on a land not connected with Africa or refuse anybody from being African because he or she was not born in Africa. Kwame Khrumah once said we are Africans not because we are born in Africa but because Africa lives in us. So please let us wake up an embrace the spirit mama Africa has for us in order to claim our Africanness. It is not for anybody to tell us whether we are Africans or not. If the blood of the land flows in you irrespective of any admixture which might be not of your choice, then I will say it is your right to be called an African. This is a fact established and remains a fact. No matter the literature on this subject, no one can change that fact for it will last until the end of time as it is established. Even human wisdom that evolves over time and tries relate culture to dynamism as illustrated by the writer hereof will not overcome this. We are Africans and Viva Africa the Motherland.
The article and its subsequent comments took me through a range of emotions. I was disappointed by the author’s oversimplified view of “repatriation” or “re-connection”. I was actually hurt by some of the comments that said black Americans aren’t welcome. As I read though, more people began to weigh in and there was actually a decent balance of comments. I even laughed at a few. Point is, the communication is what matters most. No, we don’t need permission or acceptance but it wouldn’t hurt. No, we don’t have the family or language but there is still a tangible connection. Both Africa and America have suffered as a result of the slave trade. In many ways, neither group has rebounded sufficiently to and as a result, we are still struggling to heal ourselves and find a higher purpose than slavery, colonialism, lower class citizens or division. We can work together to make a better reality for all of us but it starts with a conversation not unlike this one.