1.“Too American for the Africans,but Too African for the Americans.” The hardest part of being a first generation African teen is not knowing where you fit in. For many their native tongue has been forgotten in order to assimilate with the American culture. Forgetting your native language means getting ridiculed and scolded every time you go to a family party or even try speak the language. Even with that many of us feel out of place in the American society. Our ethnic food, clothing, language, and heritage is usually laughed at in hostile environments like schools. Everyone made fun of the African kids and called us names like “African booty scratcher”. I can even remember the times I would be afraid to dress in my traditional clothing in public, because of the way Americans look down upon foreign people. It is surprising to now see an uprise in others embracing their identities as diasporas.
2. Being asked, “So do you speak African?” This is a question that almost every single African has been asked. It is probably one of the most infuriating questions I have come across. There are thousands and thousands of languages in the continent of Africa. Each country has their own native language, and there own way of life. Asking someone if they speak African is simply erasing all the history and culture that comes with the versatile languages. The worst part is that this question is usually followed by the person making click noises. It is hard to explain to someone that not all of our languages are related to the Khoisan Languages (the languages that involve click noises). Our native tongues are filled with rich history and culture that deserves to be exposed to the rest of the word.
3. Being told, “Oh I visited Africa, I don’t know where, but I know I went to Africa.” Africa is not a country, but a continent filled with 54 countries. The entire continent is filled with different cultural traditions, languages, alphabets, religions, and music. Not all of Africa is one. The East is different from the West, and the South is different from the North. That being said, not all of Africa is the Sahara desert. Disregarding popular opinion, we have houses, cities, and cars in the various African countries. We do not all live in huts or ride horses to school; however, there are villages with people that go through these struggles every day.
4. Having your country’s struggles be the only way it is remembered. African countries are usually highlighted in mainstream western media when their poverty or disease ridden state is being exploited. Too often our channels will have commercials with pictures filled with sick looking children that are smothered in dirt and flies flying around their foreheads. Right next to them is the older White woman asking for a donation so that they can feed a “starving child in Africa”. Although raising money for these children and organizations can be helpful, it tends to be the only way that people remember many African countries. It also emphasizes the idea of a White savior “saving” our countries. Disease outbreaks like HIV and Ebola put many African countries at the forefront of western medias. Documentaries will show parts of Africa that feed into the stereotype of African countries being high in their poverty rates. Although the poverty in many of these countries is at a very high level, there needs to be representation of the wealth of in these countries. According to the National Black Chamber of Commerce, Africa as a continent has the richest natural resources, but the media fails to report on that. The one-sided viewpoint that is represented on our news channels is what leaves Americans looking down upon Africa.
5. Lastly, living with traditional/ strict parents. As an African teen, I can tell you that one of the hardest things is growing up in the light of an African parent. Many diaspora parents are the most hardworking, determined, and ambitious people that will ever grace the world; however, they are sometimes the hardest to please. African parents tend to have this vision of their child growing up to become a doctor, engineer, or lawyer. As soon as you tell them that you have decided to go another route, they act as if you have killed them (no exaggeration). Living in America where public school education is considered great, makes African parents hold this belief that we should all go into the same fields. I give the utmost respect to the children of African parents that go into the arts despite the scolding from their family members. We need more African sociologist, singers, dancers, artist, and writers so that our culture and art does not die with the older generation. Remember you can take the ambition of your parents and use it to fuel you in a different direction. Regardless of how strict or traditional African parents can be, they have some of the funniest, and generic, childhood stories. I’ve heard the story about how they walked 5 miles in the heat with one shoe ripped up, just so that they can get to school. Ohh and don’t forget they were all the “top of their classes”. Nothing beats African parents and their unwithering determination to make themselves look good in front of their peers and in front of their children.
