What makes someone an African? This has been on my mind for some time now and I thought perhaps I throw the question out there. In the African community across, there has been that one endless debate amongst Africans about what an African is. Is it someone who is born in Africa, or can someone who is born to African parents who has never been raised in Africa, still claim that they are African?
For the most part, Africans define themselves by their parents heritage. However, there are many who feel if they are born in the States but to African parents, they are not African. Crazy right? This is what i like to call identity crises( the notion where one is confused about identifying who they are or where they come from) lol. But what about those who are born to one African Parent? Must they have to choose a side of their heritage?
Take for instance, a co-worker of mine is half Asian (mom) and half African (dad) but born in the States and from appearance looks very much Asian. When approached by people including Africans with the question of “where are you from?”, and with the reply “I am African”? many of them believe she’s lying just because of her outward appearance and not “sounding African”. In most situations, her last name being African generally put a cease to it.
Having battle with this all her life, why must she and many others constantly prove themselves that they are African? How many generations of African-born do they need to be to finally be called African? Africans who are born abroad and try to claim their African heritage sometimes meet great hostility from Africans born and raised in Africa. Is it jealousy? What are your thoughts on the matter? What makes an African, an African?
Your act makes you an African. African act black
Who is writing this illiterate comment? Read the blog before you pick on black race.
Thank you Ada for adressing that ignorant comment. Back home, there is no such thing as acting black. Acting black is a term used by African Americans here in the U.S, and it is not necessarily a good thing. What makes one African is being exposed to our way of life so that even if you have lived abroad for a long time,you can still acclimate to our culture when you get back home.
I was born and raised in Nigeria, Africa, but I don’t believe that there is one defining line of what it means to be African. An author once said that we are all Africans, no matter if you’re black or white. Africa is a very complicated continent with many cultures and values. Sadly though, it seems like everything has become Westernized.
Look, I think this is interesting, I was Born and raised in Africa , the way to tell a true african is by their culture and their back ground. I’ve this Lebenese guy he was born in Africa N he’s not Black but he know basically everythink the food, the culture and the language sooo i consider him an African. man It’s our culture that tell us if we’re Africans or not.
I’M AN AFRICAN AMERICAN, BUT SOMETIMES I WANT TO KNOW MORE OF MY ROOTS BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE ARE OUTCASTS WHEN IT COMES TO COMMUNICATION BETWEEN OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS THAT ARE FROM AFRICA THAT COMES TO THE STATES, I SOMETIMES FEEL OUT OF PLACE AND BRAIN WASHED BECAUSE MY CULTURE KNOWLEDGE IS LIMITED, BLACK HISTORY IS BEYOND MARTIN LUTHER KING BUT I HAVE YET MET A PERSON FROM AFRICA THAT IS WILLING TO SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURE. YOU HAVE TO DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH INSTEAD TO LEARN WHO YOU ARE AND WHERE YOU COME FROM. IT MAY JUST BE ME BUT MOST AFRICANS THAT COMES TO THE STATE DON’T WANT NO DEALINGS WITH THE AFRICAN AMERICANS. I JUST WISH WE GET ON THE SAME PAGE.
@ Anita, most Africans i knw are willing to talk evry fact and details of African culture with u(African American), but what do most of them gets as response? insult, mockery(laughing at your accent), some will even tell u to go back to Africa, cox u smell like “dodo”. Can u please tell me why i’ll be willing to deal with u or somebody like that the nxt time we meet/see?
so, words like that spreads, and the next African man will not be willing to deal with u, xcept need be (business wise).
Regarding the blog; your perspective 2wods life and culture shows who and what you are, African, Asia and whateva culture u might av grew/come from.
I was born and raised in South Africa but I am of Indian descent and although I know Indian culture, I do not identify with India or its people.
There’s a speech by the former President of SA, Thabo Mbeki which absolutely addresses what it means to be African and it is something I hold dear. It’s titled “I am an African.”
This is interesting and quite sad!!! Is it such a big confusing issue for one to “know where he comes from” out there in the US?
On the Eurpoean continent, blacks have a different attitude…..we aknowledge that we are originally from Africa by birth or by direct parentage connection, and the term being used now is Afropean, it describe a mix of two culture within an individual, it also define the culture aesthetic of a whole generation living and working in Europe.
Because the biggest part of the African community living in Europe arrived there mostly by choice than by force during the last colonial century, it is a less confusing issue for us here…
Brainwashed is a term we can attached to this phenomenon…..to have so many African-American being confused about their own identity when history is there to screamat you as loud as it possibly can: “You guys were brutally kidnapped from your land but we manage to make you forget your roots and give you the illusion you “could” be one of us…..because we cant call you “negroes” anymore…it makes you too upset!! So lets call you “African-American”!!
Problem solved!!! This is the funny part….you are either one or the other….this politically correct attitude towards identity should be a big clue.
They rather not having all these people from Carribean, America, Europe and Africa feeling they are one and same people, they may all come together and reclaim some justice and fairness!!
Nope…cant really afford that…..the more confused they are….the better!
Business as usual!!
my parents,sister,brother,baby brother are born in africa in the country of rwanda only me and my brother were born in amercia im confused too.im like half and half besieds my ancestors werent slave no too deep in africa 4 the whites to care enough. thats wat i am half and half i have no accent or anything manhattan is my home and im not african-american becuz my ancestors were not slaves ppl got there human slaves from ghanda im from like east africa
Am African both by origin and residence, i have friends and family in America and most of them tell me that Americans of European origin are more interested in learning about Africa than African Americans. For this i would say the media is partly to blame for the reason that they rarely report positively about Africa, Much of the reporting is about hunger, famine, war etc hence African Americans feel less of themselves being associated with that. Much of the blame goes to the African Americans themselves, if a person really wants to learn about there cultural background, it shouldn’t matter much about the economic status of there origins. African Americans should take it upon themselves to learn about Africa, the History and culture of there mother land. History has much to do with being an African and one understands more about our culture and tradition. There is so much positivity in Africa than there is negativity, i am Zambian by nationality and we have a rich cultural heritage which would be of interest to anyone willing to learn African culture and history.
This topic is very dear to me. My organization and I just had an Young African Leaders conference and this was one of the discussion topics.
I would like to call myself a Ghanaian-American, growing up I was teased by my African-American peers and was also teased and cut off, by Ghanaian peers as well. Now, it was not all the black Americans that teased me,…it was just a handful of ignorant ones I guess with low self-esteem. Eventually, I had no choice but to grow tough skin and hold my own, meaning fight back with words, and as I got older I just ignored them. My Ghanaian peers that were born in Ghana and came to America at a later age in life did the same teasing that the black Americans did. Now for many years my siblings and my cousins all asked this question because they were born in the U.S. as well. “Why is it that some Africans try to take our African card”?
Is it because they are jealous of us Africans born abroad? Is it because we can blend in two cultures simultaneously? I don’t get it, our parents are African, we all have African names, we all for the most part understand the native language, we all cook and eat the food, we all attend the cultural functions that sometimes can roll over into the wee hours in the early morning of the next day, we all call non-blood relatives auntie and uncle,lol, we all watch the movies from back home, we all listen to Ghanaian and other African music, we all read and stay abreast on the issues dealing with the continent of Africa.
So what is it? What makes a person an African, I was so excited when I stumbled across this article. Many children and grown adults are suffering with this issue as we speak. I personally think that it’s totally up to that person. If a person chooses to identify with their African side and culture then so be it! Let them be African, Let them be whatever they decide to be.
I’m sick and tired of Africans putting a criteria on “AfricanNess” yes,..I created a new word,lol. “AfricanNess”. Those continental Africans that feel they need to put a criteria on being African need to realize that they are creating a big disconnect between the ones born abroad. So then there are three kinds of Africans created; Africans born on the continent, Africans born abroad, and African-Americans. We need to realize out of those three classifications that I just mentioned, there is a large sum of people.
(Now Pause and think about this) How powerful would the continent of Africa be if we could all come together and be on the same page. Africans born abroad would want to go back home and not only visit, but to create businesses over there (not that they don’t already, it would just be more), and Africans born on the continent could be doing business not only with the Africans born abroad but African-Americans (once again, not saying that this is not already happening,..it would just be way more”) I just believe in Uniting; we can’t Unite if we’re so separated.
(sighing), I know I kind of went on a tangent, and allowed the “African-Hippie) to come out:-) But yeah, those are my thoughts. So until next time, Much Love!
@Leslie: Am from Rwanda too! The truth my brother is your cultural heritage is embedded in your DNA, this link is your real identity and its spiritually way deeper connected to the real you than your connexion with your physical birth place…..your American identity is real, I feel you … but it is a lot smaller than 50%…..unless you choose it to be! Absorb it freely my brother….it is blessing for enlightment not a curse of confusion. Go check Rwanda 4urself when you can…..you ll feel it!
I think it’s very interesting how “Whites” from South Africa feel threaten when their not accepted by some, especially “Black Africans” as “South African”. This on going question regarding African identity is serious. Is there land or resources to be divided amongst born Africans or something? What is the deal??? Is there some kind of trophy for being African? Can I get one? Please. I’m African no doubt and proud! Born and raised in America by two African parents but that’s only one part of my identity.
Its odd to me how Caucasians whose history on the African continent which has been so violent, embrace being called “African” “South African,” yet live very separate lives from “Black South Africans”. Is their some kind of underground land/resource grab happening again or what??? I mean thats really the only thing that comes to mind why Caucasians are so tied to the land.
This identity issue reminds me of the so called African wax fabric phenomenon. West/Central Africans identify with that lovely fabric so much, however, its not made, produced or conceptually created by people in Africa. Google the very brilliantly Artist Yinka Shonibare who deals with similar issues authicity in his artwork.
This identity issue reminds me of the so called African wax fabric phenomenon. West/Central Africans identify with that fabric so much, however, its not made, produced or conceptually created by people in Africa. Google the very brilliantly Artist Yinka Shonibare who deals with similar issues authicity in his artwork.
Identiy is not so simple!
some spelling mistake above. sorry!
I think it’s very interesting how “Whites” from South Africa feel threaten when their not accepted by some, especially “Black Africans” as “South African”. This on going question regarding African identity is serious. Is there land or resources to be divided amongst born Africans or something? What is the deal??? Is there some kind of trophy for being African? Can I get one? Please. I’m African no doubt and proud! Born and raised in America by two African parents but that’s only one part of my identity.
Its odd to me how Caucasians whose history on the African continent which has been so violent, embrace being called “African” “South African,” yet live very separate lives from “Black South Africans”. Is their some kind of underground land/resource grab happening again or what??? I mean that’s really the only thing that comes to mind why Caucasians are so tied to the land.
This identity issue reminds me of the so called African wax fabric phenomenon. West/Central Africans identify with that lovely fabric so much, however, its not made, produced or conceptually created by people in Africa. Google the very brilliantly Artist Yinka Shonibare who deals with similar issues authenticity in his artwork.
i believe being an african is knowing the culture, food, traditionn and african history