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Postcolonial Speculative Fiction

The distance between Africa and African Americans

The African American experience has been largely one of displacement, extreme mobility throughout history—often resulting in deterritorialization, and an erosion of social and cultural identity.

-Rodima-Taylor and Zokou

Daivi Rodima-Taylor and Zadi Zokou wrote a blog post commenting on the documentary BlacknBlack, and they mentioned that the documentary provides information on the relations between African Americans and Africans. The quote above focuses on African Americans, and the problems they have faced with their social and cultural identity. Since African Americans were displaced by slavery and forced to move into new environments, their cultural identity was lost. As time progresses, many are working to find their identity in the world, but the displacement has caused some distance with the continent of Africa and its people.

The many years that these people have spent with the colonizer has caused them to unconsciously adopt some of the dominant culture's ideologies about Africa. As the African Americans began to assimilate into the dominant culture, they needed to position themselves in a position to seem more civilized. By working to be accepted by the dominant culture, African Americans were slowly eroding their cultural identity which would eventually be lost over generations.

The connection with the motherland would be lost, and the younger members of the African American community will continue to see Africa and Africans in the perspective of the colonizer where the country is starving and uncivilized. Nnedi Okorafor uses two distinct stories to give commentary on the disconnect that happens between African Americans and Africans or Africa.

Relevance of the akata
The first story that Nnedi Okorafor uses is “Icon” from the collection Kabu-Kabu where an African American journalist travels to Nigeria to get a news story Throughout the story. Okorafor creates a contrast between Richard and the other African men. Throughout the work, Richard is referred to negatively as a black American. The word “akata” gets used in the story when Icon calls Ray a “idiot akata.” The use of the word shows the distinct between the two groups of people. Daivi-Taylor and Zokou’s blog post also includes the term akata, and it gives some background. The term is a Yoruba word that “originally refers to a ‘cat who does not live at home, a wild cat,’ sometimes used to refer to African immigrants by the people on the continent.” A deeper looking at akata shows how the African people view Americans as the group who roams but doesn’t try to learn more about the homeland.

The term akata appears to have a negative connotation because Africans could have seemed the American arrogance coming from African American with their sense of entitlement over the poor country of Africa. The term akata is used in the text because Richard expects to come to Nigeria and have a connection already built with the people. He doesn’t realize that his behaviors are different from that of the typical African because he is influenced by colonization.

After having so many generations that have lived in the united states, African Americans have developed to closely resemble and model themselves after successful white people as a means of survival. The influence from the dominant culture affects the views that African Americans have on African and Africans.

A more relatable and modern look at the disconnect.

The post chapter of Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon demonstrates the distance between Africans and African Americans because she shows that not having a direct tie to Africa makes the people not feel any attachment.

The chapter focuses on a group of African American, Pre-med college students in Chicago. The students are preparing for a study group, and they also discuss the event happening in Nigeria. As the characters talk, a description is given about their dress, and most of the students have on popular brand clothing. Okorafor seems to show that the social identity of African Americans in the United States comes from the brands that they wear because it shows their status.

After giving insight into their outfits, she moves to focus more on their comments about the events happening in Nigeria. The students have distanced themselves from the continent of Africa because they blame it for slavery. They do not see where Africa benefitted them in anyway. One of the female students, Nature, states that “what’s Africa ever done for me?” (303), and her question is followed by Jordan stating that Africa has only enslaved their ancestors (303). She does not consider the rich culture that could have been passed down had the slave trade not interrupted and mixed all the different tribes together. The comments by the students shows how the movement has deteriorate the cultural identities that these individuals have because they do not see how there are still influence from Africa in the African Americans live their lives today.

They place the blame of slavery on African without considers the impact of colonization. The students seem to do more victim blaming than trying to be understanding and building a connection with the land where most of their ancestors came from.

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This is a very thoughtful perspective. I think sometime people take for granted how their identity is nicely package for them. How much energy and opportunity are lost when an individual must package their identity? I think on decades of media criticizing how African Americans dressed. Street clothes = gang, traditional African = you know you are not African, conservative white clothes = you know you are not white, on and on. It appears no option was an option. How can people function when optionless is your option?
Contents of this reply:
1. The distance between Africa and African Americans
  The African American experience has been largely one of displacement, extreme mobility throughout history—often resulting in deterritorialization, and an erosion of social and cultural identity.
  -Rodima-Taylor and Zokou
  
  Daivi Rodima-Taylor and Zadi Zokou wrote a blog post commenting on the documentary BlacknBlack, and they mentioned that the documentary provides information on the relations between African Americans and Africans. The quote above focuses on African Americans, and the problems they have faced with their social and cultural identity. Since African Americans were displaced by slavery and forced to move into new environments, their cultural identity was lost. As time progresses, many are working to find their identity in the world, but the displacement has caused some distance with the continent of Africa and its people.
  
  The many years that these people have spent with the colonizer has caused them to unconsciously adopt some of the dominant culture's ideologies about Africa. As the African Americans began to assimilate into the dominant culture, they needed to position themselves in a position to seem more civilized. By working to be accepted by the dominant culture, African Americans were slowly eroding their cultural identity which would eventually be lost over generations.
  
  The connection with the motherland would be lost, and the younger members of the African American community will continue to see Africa and Africans in the perspective of the colonizer where the country is starving and uncivilized. Nnedi Okorafor uses two distinct stories to give commentary on the disconnect that happens between African Americans and Africans or Africa.
  Relevance of the akata
  The first story that Nnedi Okorafor uses is “Icon” from the collection Kabu-Kabu where an African American journalist travels to Nigeria to get a news story Throughout the story. Okorafor creates a contrast between Richard and the other African men. Throughout the work, Richard is referred to negatively as a black American. The word “akata” gets used in the story when Icon calls Ray a “idiot akata.” The use of the word shows the distinct between the two groups of people. Daivi-Taylor and Zokou’s blog post also includes the term akata, and it gives some background. The term is a Yoruba word that “originally refers to a ‘cat who does not live at home, a wild cat,’ sometimes used to refer to African immigrants by the people on the continent.” A deeper looking at akata shows how the African people view Americans as the group who roams but doesn’t try to learn more about the homeland.
  
  The term akata appears to have a negative connotation because Africans could have seemed the American arrogance coming from African American with their sense of entitlement over the poor country of Africa. The term akata is used in the text because Richard expects to come to Nigeria and have a connection already built with the people. He doesn’t realize that his behaviors are different from that of the typical African because he is influenced by colonization.
  
  After having so many generations that have lived in the united states, African Americans have developed to closely resemble and model themselves after successful white people as a means of survival. The influence from the dominant culture affects the views that African Americans have on African and Africans.
  
  A more relatable and modern look at the disconnect.
  The post chapter of Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon demonstrates the distance between Africans and African Americans because she shows that not having a direct tie to Africa makes the people not feel any attachment.
  
  The chapter focuses on a group of African American, Pre-med college students in Chicago. The students are preparing for a study group, and they also discuss the event happening in Nigeria. As the characters talk, a description is given about their dress, and most of the students have on popular brand clothing. Okorafor seems to show that the social identity of African Americans in the United States comes from the brands that they wear because it shows their status.
  
  After giving insight into their outfits, she moves to focus more on their comments about the events happening in Nigeria. The students have distanced themselves from the continent of Africa because they blame it for slavery. They do not see where Africa benefitted them in anyway. One of the female students, Nature, states that “what’s Africa ever done for me?” (303), and her question is followed by Jordan stating that Africa has only enslaved their ancestors (303). She does not consider the rich culture that could have been passed down had the slave trade not interrupted and mixed all the different tribes together. The comments by the students shows how the movement has deteriorate the cultural identities that these individuals have because they do not see how there are still influence from Africa in the African Americans live their lives today.
  
  They place the blame of slavery on African without considers the impact of colonization. The students seem to do more victim blaming than trying to be understanding and building a connection with the land where most of their ancestors came from.
This is a topic that has been the source of much thought and consideration for me. At what point is an African-American not an African-American anymore? When does one become an American of African descent? As a white man, I know that I'm of English and Irish descent. I have little to no connection to that history and don't really identify as such. As I'm not a member of the African-American community and can never intimately understand this identity dynamic, I may never know the answer. What complicates it even more is that I physically look like an expected member of the dominant culture. The American history of slavery really throws a wrench into the relationship with identity as well.
Contents of this reply:
1. The distance between Africa and African Americans
  The African American experience has been largely one of displacement, extreme mobility throughout history—often resulting in deterritorialization, and an erosion of social and cultural identity.
  -Rodima-Taylor and Zokou
  
  Daivi Rodima-Taylor and Zadi Zokou wrote a blog post commenting on the documentary BlacknBlack, and they mentioned that the documentary provides information on the relations between African Americans and Africans. The quote above focuses on African Americans, and the problems they have faced with their social and cultural identity. Since African Americans were displaced by slavery and forced to move into new environments, their cultural identity was lost. As time progresses, many are working to find their identity in the world, but the displacement has caused some distance with the continent of Africa and its people.
  
  The many years that these people have spent with the colonizer has caused them to unconsciously adopt some of the dominant culture's ideologies about Africa. As the African Americans began to assimilate into the dominant culture, they needed to position themselves in a position to seem more civilized. By working to be accepted by the dominant culture, African Americans were slowly eroding their cultural identity which would eventually be lost over generations.
  
  The connection with the motherland would be lost, and the younger members of the African American community will continue to see Africa and Africans in the perspective of the colonizer where the country is starving and uncivilized. Nnedi Okorafor uses two distinct stories to give commentary on the disconnect that happens between African Americans and Africans or Africa.
  Relevance of the akata
  The first story that Nnedi Okorafor uses is “Icon” from the collection Kabu-Kabu where an African American journalist travels to Nigeria to get a news story Throughout the story. Okorafor creates a contrast between Richard and the other African men. Throughout the work, Richard is referred to negatively as a black American. The word “akata” gets used in the story when Icon calls Ray a “idiot akata.” The use of the word shows the distinct between the two groups of people. Daivi-Taylor and Zokou’s blog post also includes the term akata, and it gives some background. The term is a Yoruba word that “originally refers to a ‘cat who does not live at home, a wild cat,’ sometimes used to refer to African immigrants by the people on the continent.” A deeper looking at akata shows how the African people view Americans as the group who roams but doesn’t try to learn more about the homeland.
  
  The term akata appears to have a negative connotation because Africans could have seemed the American arrogance coming from African American with their sense of entitlement over the poor country of Africa. The term akata is used in the text because Richard expects to come to Nigeria and have a connection already built with the people. He doesn’t realize that his behaviors are different from that of the typical African because he is influenced by colonization.
  
  After having so many generations that have lived in the united states, African Americans have developed to closely resemble and model themselves after successful white people as a means of survival. The influence from the dominant culture affects the views that African Americans have on African and Africans.
  
  A more relatable and modern look at the disconnect.
  The post chapter of Nnedi Okorafor’s Lagoon demonstrates the distance between Africans and African Americans because she shows that not having a direct tie to Africa makes the people not feel any attachment.
  
  The chapter focuses on a group of African American, Pre-med college students in Chicago. The students are preparing for a study group, and they also discuss the event happening in Nigeria. As the characters talk, a description is given about their dress, and most of the students have on popular brand clothing. Okorafor seems to show that the social identity of African Americans in the United States comes from the brands that they wear because it shows their status.
  
  After giving insight into their outfits, she moves to focus more on their comments about the events happening in Nigeria. The students have distanced themselves from the continent of Africa because they blame it for slavery. They do not see where Africa benefitted them in anyway. One of the female students, Nature, states that “what’s Africa ever done for me?” (303), and her question is followed by Jordan stating that Africa has only enslaved their ancestors (303). She does not consider the rich culture that could have been passed down had the slave trade not interrupted and mixed all the different tribes together. The comments by the students shows how the movement has deteriorate the cultural identities that these individuals have because they do not see how there are still influence from Africa in the African Americans live their lives today.
  
  They place the blame of slavery on African without considers the impact of colonization. The students seem to do more victim blaming than trying to be understanding and building a connection with the land where most of their ancestors came from.

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