The African Dispora

It happened out of nowhere. Suddenly, seamlessly, my Nigerian acquaintances became my closest friends. Throughout my foray into Nigerian culture, I’m reminded often enough of that persistent, deep prejudice held by Africans toward African-Americans. But I shouldn’t take this personal.

We don’t trust each other either, my boy says, laughing.

In the form of japes, we get into the African/African-American gap: Africans loathe African-Americans’ work ethic and wayward morals; African-Americans feel Africans are backwards, schemers and arrogant.

But as Peter Ustinov said, “comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” The diasporic divide can be laughed off for only so long. Consider this. From 1980 to 2009, the African-born population in United States grew from just under 200,000 to almost 1.5 million.

Add that to the much deeper influx of Latinos and this country is becoming increasingly browner. We’re going to be brushing shoulders more often, which means sooner or later, we’re going have to hash out this beef.

So why not now? What’s the hold up?

Neither side has an accurate picture of the other. Western media plays the exacerbating role of depicting one culture as miscreants, entertainers and gun fodder and the other as primitive, unsophisticated and victimized by a dysfunctional continent.

We are familiar with the history of how African-Americans came to this country. But many aren’t as mindful of a significant impetus behind the huge influx of African immigrants. Over the years, as Africa’s resources were increasingly not controlled by Africans, the labor market became hugely imbalanced.

There was too many supply of workers. Not nearly enough demand for work. The wealth of their countries spread to first-world economies.

Hence around 1960, a throng of African citizens migrated West to start anew in a country they’ve only heard and read about. Currently, some estimates count between 46 and 49 percent of all African immigrants having a college diploma. In the Nigerian community, 17 percent have master’s degrees, compared to 19 percent of white residents.

Overall, African migrants send billions annually back to their families and friends in remittances.

Even with this nobility of purpose and accomplishment, Africans are still outsiders to a culture imbued with the legacy of slavery and civil rights battles. Many African-Americans still resent African leaders who profited off the slave trade, while others have no connection to Africa other than what they see through the media.

Meanwhile, there isn’t love lost from the other side, with many Africans harboring the notion that African-Americans lack identity and are indolent complainers.

There is also an obvious color component underpinning the rift. In a world where the fairer skin is sine qua non for magazine covers, billboards and cinematic presence, the darker complected Africans don’t quite measure up. There is a socialized aversion to color and black people are no exception. The “darkness everybody” jokes within the African-American community and #teamlightskin hashtags reinforce our serious hangup over complexion.

The irony is that our destinies are linked. The greatest lamentation of slavery, the vestige we can’t seem to shake, is the chasm it created in people’s knowledge of themselves through a tie to African heritage.

We are reaching urgent times in this collective discourse. Economic inequality, HIV/AIDS and racial prejudice are common foes to blacks in America, regardless of background.

Both cultures share the common barrier of a system that pushes colored folks to the margins. The longer we ignore this link, the longer we deprive ourselves of progressive action toward creating something better. At some point, we have to alchemize our minor cultural differences into a global perspective bound by a deep connection.

Considering how President Barack Obama is the seed of a Kenyan immigrant, now is as good a time as any to initiate earnest dialogue on this divide. The son of a Kenyan is married to a sistah in the White House. Right in front of us is a muse, a spring to propel us into this vacuum and start the closing process.

  • Medusa

    Agreed, I’m West African as well, spent a lot of time in the US (although I’m not American) and when I was in my home country, I heard the dumbest, most ignorant shit coming out of my relatives about black Americans. I also heard the dumbest, most ignorant shit about (all) Africans coming from black people in America. I’m a pan-Africanist (and I include diasporan Africans in that, as in, anyone whose ancestry is from Africa regarldess of whether they’re Cuban, Canadian, Russian, Trinidadian, or Kenyan), and I think we’re all being exploited and dominated by the international community even if we dont’ share identical histories. The idea that we’re all the same is stupid, but the idea that we somehow shouldn’t be united in a struggle against classist, racist oppression also seems counterproductive. We face similar types of discrimination wherever we are (would you believe when I was back in my OWN country I was turned down for jobs because they wanted to hire white people? very simliar shit happens to non-whites in the West as well) and remaining divided won’t help anyone. Shit, Blacks from the United States and the Carribbean were united with blacks in South Africa against the apartheid struggle. I don’t see why we shouldn’t want to do the same, even if race is socially constructed. (I realize that it is, I just don’t see why that means we can’t be diverse and unified at the same time.)

  • Jenae

    I have found this superiority complex towards black Americans from both African and Caribbean people. It makes no sense to me, because who do they think gave them the opportunities that they are able to take advantage of in this country today? Globally, blacks in this country have made more progress than anywhere in the world, but that is somehow ignored?

    And furthermore, they need to take notice that in this country, I don’t care what country you’re from, those who are not black, see you as “black”. They don’t care about your country of origin, and they certainly aren’t thinking about that when they decide to drop that infamous n-bomb.

    All are welcome, but if you are of the attitude that you are superior to black Americans, then I feel you should be with “your” people, in “your” country of origin, and make some progress there, where I’m sure you won’t suffer from any discrimination.

  • Allie

    while this article addresses thoughts that i have and have shared with a lot of people, i just have one issue with it. if you are discussing hashing out the diaspora, actually include the diaspora. the article instead seems, to me at least, to be highlighting a few problems with interactions between black people in america and black people in africa. the diaspora is just people of african descent, which places them all over the world. with an article like this you ignore black people in so many other parts of the world.

  • Allie

    also this is just a general comment. if you are of african descent, you are black. there is no such thing as the nigerian race, haitian race or something else as ridiculous, just as there is no american race.

  • Kels

    From reading all the comments it is clear that one side suffers from PSTD ( Post Slavery Traumatic Disorder) and the other side PCTD (or Post Colonial Traumatic Disorder) and the common denominator is TRAUMA but both sides are forgetting who has caused them this trauma while they are at each others’ throat.This is proof of the relevance of this magazine and its mission. Both sides could do with reading ‘YURUGU:An Afrikan-centred critique of European cultural thought and behaviour’ by Marimba Ani. Whereas some African American parents may not know much about Africa several AA intellectuals know a lot more about Africa than some Africans do. One can mention Leo Hansberry, Chacellor Williams, J.A. Rogers, Hendrik Clarke, Molefi K. Asante, John Jackson, George James etc etc. Also there is the African History Network with a website and radio programme. Thus, AAs can easily learn a lot about Africa and black Africans could learn more about AAs instead of resorting to stereotypes. It is unfortunate to use a few bad apples on either side to paint the whole group with a broad brush.

More in African Americans, Africans, opinion