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From my experience, native Africans aren't big on African Americans. When I worked in Iraq there were a lot of Ugandans subcontracted to guard a lot of buildings and whatnot. They would often refer to African Americans as "Fake Africans" and then laugh at them.
What I have seen is - When direclty confronted with the question, most Africans will give a politically correct answer. However, when "off camera" and amongst themselves, you sometimes will hear something simlilar to the last post. To me, it is all very complicated and hard to fully understand. There is a side of me that wants to reconnect and "get back to my roots": so to speak. But there is also that other side of me that questions how you have a buyer without a seller? - and through that lense I see a continent that went into the business of selling it's people wholesale and over hundreds years - for what appears to have been a bunch of trincates. As I match that up against the pain and suffering it caused my ancestors, I find it ironic that their opinion about anything would be meaningful. So when confronted with an African response that is at least civil with some drgree of understanding, I will also be civil. But when confronted with the typical scorn and superiority toward diaspora blacks they are known for then I say the disrepect is mutual. We have been in the west for well over 400 years now. We have a heritage now that they do not share and we don't need their permission to revere it.
From my experience, native Africans aren't big on African Americans. When I worked in Iraq there were a lot of Ugandans subcontracted to guard a lot of buildings and whatnot. They would often refer to African Americans as "Fake Africans" and then laugh at them.
It was hilarious.
Nice try. Not going to sink to that level. From my experience, native Africans and African Americans have been cool with each other.
Half my family is black American and the other is from Africa (immigrated within the past few decades). Culturally they are very different although most of my older relatives lived in this country much longer than their home country, they did adapt to black American culture and embrace both sides and experiences. The same goes for my younger relatives, they were born and raised here in the states and fit into black American culture and their parents culture at home.
I do know that one of my older cousins ex husband who is also African didn't like black Americans for dumb stereotypical reasons. He didn't like the rap/thug culture that many young black guys are into, and hated how they wasted their lives while they had so much opportunity to succeed due to free and accessible education (k-12 schools). He wasn't fond of "ghetto" people with certain mindsets.
What I have seen is - When direclty confronted with the question, most Africans will give a politically correct answer. However, when "off camera" and amongst themselves, you sometimes will hear something simlilar to the last post. To me, it is all very complicated and hard to fully understand. There is a side of me that wants to reconnect and "get back to my roots": so to speak. But there is also that other side of me that questions how you have a buyer without a seller? - and through that lense I see a continent that went into the business of selling it's people wholesale and over hundreds years - for what appears to have been a bunch of trincates. As I match that up against the pain and suffering it caused my ancestors, I find it ironic that their opinion about anything would be meaningful. So when confronted with an African response that is at least civil with some drgree of understanding, I will also be civil. But when confronted with the typical scorn and superiority toward diaspora blacks they are known for then I say the disrepect is mutual. We have been in the west for well over 400 years now. We have a heritage now that they do not share and we don't need their permission to revere it.
This why I wish more African history was taught especially to black Americans at least basic stuff. Actually during the slave trade there were a lot of warfare between African states and tribes. Most of the slave trade was one state selling captives of another state likewise Oyo, Benin, and Dahomey for example. Imagine if the US and Canada started raiding and taking each other that kind of what happen. It benefited the winning state they gain guns, alcohol or what ever at the same time decreasing there enemies, to other the state however it was nothing positive. With European and Middle Eastern sponsorship this became important to some states economy. Just it is commonly said today Africa is not a country, it never was and black people never have been one people, we come from a broad background of different ethnicities that had conflict with each other as much as France and Britain has.
I still feel black Americans should still search our roots that not the same thing as Modern Africa obvious they aren't ancestors. Just as our ancestors left those who stayed there ancestors had a different path staying. Other wise are African heritage is only what was there before we to came to America, after that are heritage is what happen in the Diaspora.
Just as many black Americans have dumb ideals of Africans many Africans have dumb ideals of black Americans. So really it's nothing to be surprised or even to be upset over it call ignorance at both ends. I repeat they don't know our history they don't know blacks faught in the America Reveloutions, they don't know how much we influence American culture over the centuries. There nothing sillier than believing recent pop culture is some how heritage of an ethnic group oh yeah as if my Grandmother listen to T-pain. But than get it worse they nearly believe in racist ideals cast of the black American youth, you know rap music equal I'm going rob you type stuff. That's no better than believing blacks in Africa have no class and etc, both ideals are something blacks would usually argue with racist over, but yeah.
Many have the ideal of the west in which they relate it to over coming colonization and because they don't know much of our history they view us as sell outs associating with the culture that depressed them. Honestly blaming the west for problems in Africa is no better than some black Americans blaming some whites for stuff over 40 years. I'm just saying it's kind odd to view black Americans with a spoon in our mouth but not taking opportunity, when your coming from a independent nation with some of the wealthiest land by resources. Then the success of African immigrants in the US today is only after what black Americans have open up after the civil right movement.
Again not all Africans have a bad ideal of Black Americans. I remember being ask to write a poem by a Guinean girl about Africa using a list of words she choose, she was real cool. I had a crazy amount friends from all over africa who were cool. At the end of day the people on both sides who want to learn more will and the ignorant will stay ignorant. I just hate though some africans believe that black Americans have a entitlement view of the world "which is weird relative to black American history" but this will make Black Americans less interested in anything related to Africa.
This why I wish more African history was taught especially to black Americans at least basic stuff. Actually during the slave trade there were a lot of warfare between African states and tribes. Most of the slave trade was one state selling captives of another state likewise Oyo, Benin, and Dahomey for example. Imagine if the US and Canada started raiding and taking each other that kind of what happen. It benefited the winning state they gain guns, alcohol or what ever at the same time decreasing there enemies, to other the state however it was nothing positive. With European and Middle Eastern sponsorship this became important to some states economy. Just it is commonly said today Africa is not a country, it never was and black people never have been one people, we come from a broad background of different ethnicities that had conflict with each other as much as France and Britain has.
I still feel black Americans should still search our roots that not the same thing as Modern Africa obvious they aren't ancestors. Just as our ancestors left those who stayed there ancestors had a different path staying. Other wise are African heritage is only what was there before we to came to America, after that are heritage is what happen in the Diaspora.
Just as many black Americans have dumb ideals of Africans many Africans have dumb ideals of black Americans. So really it's nothing to be surprised or even to be upset over it call ignorance at both ends. I repeat they don't know our history they don't know blacks faught in the America Reveloutions, they don't know how much we influence American culture over the centuries. There nothing sillier than believing recent pop culture is some how heritage of an ethnic group oh yeah as if my Grandmother listen to T-pain. But than get it worse they nearly believe in racist ideals cast of the black American youth, you know rap music equal I'm going rob you type stuff. That's no better than believing blacks in Africa have no class and etc, both ideals are something blacks would usually argue with racist over, but yeah.
Many have the ideal of the west in which they relate it to over coming colonization and because they don't know much of our history they view us as sell outs associating with the culture that depressed them. Honestly blaming the west for problems in Africa is no better than some black Americans blaming some whites for stuff over 40 years. I'm just saying it's kind odd to view black Americans with a spoon in our mouth but not taking opportunity, when your coming from a independent nation with some of the wealthiest land by resources. Then the success of African immigrants in the US today is only after what black Americans have open up after the civil right movement.
Again not all Africans have a bad ideal of Black Americans. I remember being ask to write a poem by a Guinean girl about Africa using a list of words she choose, she was real cool. I had a crazy amount friends from all over africa who were cool. At the end of day the people on both sides who want to learn more will and the ignorant will stay ignorant. I just hate though some africans believe that black Americans have a entitlement view of the world "which is weird relative to black American history" but this will make Black Americans less interested in anything related to Africa.
We all live in a knowledge based society. It is global. It is the information age. There is no excuse for ignorance, as the access to information is everywhere now. Furthermore, the ability to interact with people all over the globe has given Black people from Africa and the diaspora an incredible opportunity to learn about each other. Remaining ignorant in this day and age is no different than seeing the world as flat when everyone knows that it is round. Regarding opportunity, technology has blew the doors of opportunity wide open for everyone. It is up to Black people everywhere to take advantage of these opportunities in every aspect of life.
When I was in W. Africa, there were no African-Americans, there was an abundance of native Africans, mostly Efik, Ibo, Hausa, Yoruba and Pygmies, nobody messes with the Pygmies, altho, I found them quite inviting, intelligent, well educated and charming, endowed with an interesting perspective and an active sense of humor.
When I was in W. Africa, there were no African-Americans, there was an abundance of native Africans, mostly Efik, Ibo, Hausa, Yoruba and Pygmies, nobody messes with the Pygmies, altho, I found them quite inviting, intelligent, well educated and charming, endowed with an interesting perspective and an active sense of humor.
African Americans tend to visit Ghana when they go to W. Africa. The other country that African Americans seem to gravitate to on the continent is South Africa. Going by the ethnic groups that you mentioned, it appears that you were in Nigeria when you visited W. Africa.
I'm curious, how is the view/relations between Native Africans and people of African descent throughout Central/Latin America?
I'm fortunate to have family in W. Africa, Europe, The Caribbean and The States but i've always been interested in the exchanges between Latin America and Africa. I was watching a really fascinating documentary on the Garifuna people in Guatemala not that long ago, and i've often wondered the relations. There's such a huge piece of the diaspora located in that part of the world (especially in Brazil)
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