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As I said earlier, in the Netherlands, many of the blacks are actually of Indonesian descent. It has something to do with colonialism but not Africa.
I think there's some confusion in terminology.
An American would be unlikely to use "black" to describe an Indonesian person, no matter how dark they are. I know people of various races who are darker than some people with an African heritage, but they still are not identified as black in the US. That term is pretty much reserved for people of African descent.
the numbers are nothing near the percentage of Blacks in America. Americans are more politically correct so we hear less racist remakrs in public. In Europe (just as everywhere else in the world where racism exists) you may be walking and someone will walk from your side and call you the N word. I've actually witnessed that when traveling with a Black friend of mine.
overall you won't have a different experience as a Black man, you may have a different experience as a human being though.
the numbers are nothing near the percentage of Blacks in America. you may be walking and someone will walk from your side and call you the N word. I've actually witnessed that when traveling with a Black friend of mine.
Well that's still the case in certain insular neighborhood in the USA. But racism isn't just name calling. How are employment, housing, and interpersonal relationships effected. I heard some countries have a very pronounced glass ceiling. Conversly interacial dating seems less taboo....
Dont go to Spain. I was in Spain, and most Africans are very poor Africans from Africa trying to sell stuff to survive on the streets. Spain doesnt have the history with Africa like the other countries.
I noticed a lot more Africans in the UK, France and definetely Belgium/Netherlands who seemed to be a stronger part of the landscape and more integrated into the culture - than say Spain anyways.
If my experiences in Germany are any indication, a foreigner living there might have a more difficult time finding employment. If you don't posess a German Meisterbriefe for your particular skill, getting hired is difficult to impossible. Otherwise, I'd imagine that people are the same anywhere; some will treat you nicely, others won't.
If you don't posess a German Meisterbriefe for your particular skill, getting hired is difficult to impossible.
When you are in a trade, the Meisterbrief is still seen as a proof of excellence in Germany -- you should get a job if you have one... independant of your origin. Same is true for other businesses if you have Bachelor or MBA (and a work permit of course).
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More than meets the eye...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Beer
Dont go to Spain. I was in Spain, and most Africans are very poor Africans from Africa trying to sell stuff to survive on the streets. Spain doesnt have the history with Africa like the other countries.
I noticed a lot more Africans in the UK, France and definetely Belgium/Netherlands who seemed to be a stronger part of the landscape and more integrated into the culture - than say Spain anyways.
Spain does have a history with Africa through the slave trade by importing slaves from The African Continent to it's crown Spanish colonies such as Cuba, Dominican Republic and Colombia. You don't have the amount of people immigrating from these colonies to thier "mother colony" on the scale of African countries though.
To blacks living in Europe, what is the experience like?
What I've heard from few of American Blacks - both professionals and those who were stationed in Europe - well, they've said something like "Europeans don't care much about the color of your skin, as much as they care about you financial situation. So if you are from Africa and poor, they look down on you, but if you come from US and are OK financially, then they don't care much, and they regard you just as another "American." As soon as you come back home to US, that's when you know that it's all about your skin color."
PS. Wherever you go - my advice is to stay away from Russia though.
To be Black there in nowerdays is simply dangerous IMHO.
As I said earlier, in the Netherlands, many of the blacks are actually of Indonesian descent. It has something to do with colonialism but not Africa.
Btw, Sweden has a substantial number of blacks, yet they have nothing to do with Swedish colonialism.
The largest ethnic group of blacks in the Netherlands is Surinamese. The experiences of the Surinamese is closely related to the African-American experience. Both groups, having been enslaved in the Americas, have a similar history and culture. The vast majority of blacks in France & the UK are from the colonial countries of Africa, and are not descendants of slaves. In Germany, there is a significant population of "Afro-Germans" who are mostly comprised of children of US Soldiers and Germans. The rest of the black population in Europe is pretty much recently (last 25 years) immigrated due to socio-political factors in their home countries (Example: Sweden's large Eritrean population- based on physical characteristics, most Americans would consider these people "Arab" as opposed to black).
Speaking from personal experience, I think that blacks in Europe are treated better than here in the US. Europeans tend to be more open minded and in turn less fearful of people who look different from them. Of course, I'm speaking of Western Europe; once you go east of Germany, don't expect to come out alive! Russia has a well documented history of violence towards blacks. Ironically, the guy who is considered the "greatest poet" of Russia was a black guy named Alexander Pushkin.
Ironically, the guy who is considered the "greatest poet" of Russia was a black guy named Alexander Pushkin.
The guy's great-grandfather was black, or at least from Africa. I suppose if you follow the "one drop" rule he counts as black, but it's a little bit of a stretch to count Pushkin as being black. We're talking 12.5% black, at most.
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More than meets the eye...
