tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post7911930332207247392..comments2024-03-27T05:32:18.935-04:00Comments on NESHEAHOLIC: The Struggle with AfrocentricityLaNeshehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04219535634041170532noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-12406304840298094872011-03-29T20:08:30.274-04:002011-03-29T20:08:30.274-04:00oh by the way, we ended up dating in HS, our paren...oh by the way, we ended up dating in HS, our parents met etc and turns out we had more in common than we thought.. both our families were Christian, I wasn't a violent refugee and he wasn't dealing drugs.. and both our grandma's loved knitting, going to church and gossiping, and drinking orange juice and were both nice ladies.. so i had to give a call and tell my grandma that she had lots of things in common with Black American even if she's never been to America :)<br /><br />xoxoxo<br />KemmiAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-58788052899273129482011-03-29T20:04:01.250-04:002011-03-29T20:04:01.250-04:00I love this post and I am continental African and ...I love this post and I am continental African and i gotta tell you. I LOOOVE my African American friends, BUT,, BUT i had a VERY negative perspective when i came in the US.. when leaving Tanzania, i was 13 yrs old, my Granny told me to be "careful of the Black Americans" since they "hate us" and they are "violent" people who do "drugs and LOTS of drugs".. so for the first 1 yr i was in the US i avoided all African American even in church!.. <br />but later on boy i met a sweet guy who was African American but had opposite views abt me ex.. African are "dirty, stinky, wild, animal-like, tribal, old-fashioned and violent" <br /><br />so there we were... <br />both of us had misconceptions abt each other's culture and we overcame them.. so i challenge all my African American people to make an effort to know at least one continental African who was BORN and RAISED in Africa.. not US and all my continental African people to make an effort to know one person who was BORN and RAISED in the US BLACK community!.. Amen!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-69295275398071369592011-02-05T23:37:29.744-05:002011-02-05T23:37:29.744-05:00i love this! i have tried very hard to not over id...i love this! i have tried very hard to not over identify with "africa". I dont want to seem like im turning my back on my roots but i feel that this is not my culture. My daughter is part kemyan and I really know the difference in cultures between american blacks and africans . i think we need to find out own identityAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04497331990923326026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-76048751369000916602010-05-13T15:04:44.585-04:002010-05-13T15:04:44.585-04:00@Everyone, thank you for your thought provoking co...@Everyone, thank you for your thought provoking comments. I'm glad you enjoyed the post.LaNeshehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04219535634041170532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-67139967379206305192010-05-13T14:51:19.666-04:002010-05-13T14:51:19.666-04:00This is a great topic which can be discussed at le...This is a great topic which can be discussed at length. My parents are Nigerian and I am first generation American, and my siblings and I struggle with trying to remain connected to our African roots while conforming to an American lifestyle. It's hard because there are many elements to culture including language, fashion, religion, history, etc. Afrocentricity is a culture unto itself, however it is not "African culture". I have to argue that with globalization (which some scholars would claim is actually the Westernization of the world) Africa itself is losing it's heritage. Many people living in Africa can not even speak their own native language. So your description of Afrocentricity as a reactionary measure is fairly accurate. I thoroughly enjoyed this article.UIOhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00229096100031665113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-184407733173523022010-05-12T16:33:17.290-04:002010-05-12T16:33:17.290-04:00Anonymous: I wasn't discounting the added diff...Anonymous: I wasn't discounting the added difficulties that slavery presents (as hard as it is to say that academically). I was merely trying to point out that LaNeshe's observations on this specific issue is actually good commentary on larger one that she wasn't seeking to address.<br /><br />Of course the forced co-mingling of the peoples and the stripping of cultural ties makes this especially hurtful.<br /><br />I can't help but grieve that I have no idea what my ancestors' lives were like 150 years ago. I'm not implying that my situation is worse than anyone else's, just a personal comment.Ronnicahttp://ignoranthistorian.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-80789584378334159662010-05-12T13:39:42.578-04:002010-05-12T13:39:42.578-04:00Ronnica? this is not the same type of problem that...Ronnica? this is not the same type of problem that "most immigrants, several generations removed" have to deal with. not even close.<br /><br />black americans don't know the country of origin of 3 of their 8 grandparents. they don't know where ANY of their ancestors were taken from. they can't even tell you what part of the continent they were taken from. okay? not. the. same.<br /><br />also, our ancestors were brought here by force and were not allowed to speak their languages...like, literally, they would get whipped for doing so...which accelerated and deepened the separation from our roots. i could go on, but i'll leave it there.<br /><br />i know you meant no harm by making that comparison, but it was a very flawed one. have a nice day.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-64452267607850835622010-05-12T12:37:55.150-04:002010-05-12T12:37:55.150-04:00Cool read. Having grown up in a predominately whi...Cool read. Having grown up in a predominately white area for almost the entirety of my life, understanding what it is to be 'black' has been slow. I don't think of much in terms of 'color' or behavior. I guess I think that I am me not matter what I look like, but on the other hand I realize I am not white nor do I try to act a certain way. As I've gotten older and done more traveling (To bigger cities and Africa itself), I've found that encountering other people changes how I see myself. When I was in Africa, they were adamant that African Americans only be called Black Americans. Also, I found that with my skin color ppl have an automatic perception of how I am. <br /><br />So, the long and short is I don't think too much about color, but I am trying to be more aware of who I am in general. I guess we'll see how an Afrocentric view plays into that. :0)CChttp://ccarothers.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7641192580368746983.post-24122262906676374232010-05-12T12:14:11.045-04:002010-05-12T12:14:11.045-04:00While I understand the added complexities due to t...While I understand the added complexities due to the difference between coming to American by choice (presumably) and coercion, this is the same type of problem that most immigrants, several generations removed, have to deal with. I know the country of origin of 3 of my 8 great grandparents. That's it. I know nothing of either language (Danish or German). Only know one "tradition"...a danish pastry. That's all I have from my ancestors, all that's passed down.<br /><br />While my family (at least the parts that I know) haven't been in America for that long (late 1800s), this is even more difficult for those whose families have been in the States for much longer.Ronnicahttp://ignoranthistorian.comnoreply@blogger.com