Pan-Africanism : Are You African or African American?

Are You "African" or "African American?"

  • I am African.

    Votes: 83 46.4%
  • I am African American.

    Votes: 52 29.1%
  • none of the above

    Votes: 44 24.6%

  • Total voters
    179
Charlie_Bass said:
Well people can call themselves whatever they like, but a continental African and an African-American are not the same. We may share a bloodlines via a recent common ancestry, but other than that we aren't really close.
Depends on who you are talking about,I have black family members that married continental Afrikans and are learning their language and such along with actually living in the villages in Afrika, an overzealous generalization may do us no good since I know continental Afrikans that look at Afrikans elsewhere with much respect.I am glad that we will not argue over what we call ourselves,since that is a division creating phenomenon in itself.As far as us as people being "close" it all depends on what aspect you speak of,thousands of Afrikans in the Diaspora visit the Soul Coast(Gold coast),amongst other places in Afrika to reconnect with themselves and learn about themselves,which may imply that the connection of someone to themself was not prevalent where ever they lived before visiting or moving.
 
I-khan said:
Depends on who you are talking about,I have black family members that married continental Afrikans and are learning their language and such along with actually living in the villages in Afrika, an overzealous generalization may do us no good since I know continental Afrikans that look at Afrikans elsewhere with much respect.I am glad that we will not argue over what we call ourselves,since that is a division creating phenomenon in itself.As far as us as people being "close" it all depends on what aspect you speak of,thousands of Afrikans in the Diaspora visit the Soul Coast(Gold coast),amongst other places in Afrika to reconnect with themselves and learn about themselves,which may imply that the connection of someone to themself was not prevalent where ever they lived before visiting or moving.

For me maybe its different. I'm a black man of mixed ancestry, my father is black my mother is mostly Native American with some black and white ancestry. me and my mother do identify as black. In Africa I was mistaken sometime or very few occasions for being maybe a Tuareg or some other Northern group. I had a DNA test done and determined my ancestry came from Mende people in the Sierra Leone area. Culturally I share nothing with them, but it felt good to know where I came from. I learn about them but I realize that i can never be a Mende, I'm an African-American.
 
Charlie Bass....



Culturally I share nothing with them, but it felt good to know where I came from.
Culturally you may share nothing,but blood is thicker than water and make sure you do not lose yourself in another peoples culture(not ours,but mainstream medias depiction).


I learn about them but I realize that i can never be a Mende,
Nothing is impossible,culturally speaking you may be telling the truth,but your DNA says you already are one.Whether you acknowledge it or not is up to you and you only.
 
Charlie_Bass said:
Thats why I said its utterly misleading to call ourselves Africans when we've been separated from Africa for well over 380 years and have a history and culture of our own.



Please explain in detail what we have in common so much more, I'd like to know. I've been to Africa too, mostly the French speaking countries, Senegal, and a Senegalese Wolof is different culturally from a Nigerien Hausa. Thats being the case, please explain how African-Americans are so much close. I'm not saying we've totally lost our Africaness in some things, but there is a clear distinction. Overstating similarities in the name of Pan-Africanity doesn't erase the distinctions.



Call yourself whatever you like, but the fact remains you *ARE* an *AMERICAN* of African descent, not an African. I went to Africa and the Africans there clearly identified me as an American, though they did acknowledge I was black.



Please explain in detail what we have in common so much more, I'd like to know

I would surmise the reason you don't know is because probably you don't want to know.

However, the problem with the question you pose is that it's misleading. There is no monolithic African or African American culture in modern terms.

For example, there are African Americans living off the coast of South Carolina called Gullah. The Gullah culture is as authentic as any "African" culture on the continent, last time I checked they were AFRICAN AMERICAN.

Indeed there are Africans in Africa who have gone out of their way to do away with all of their African traditions and mores in favor of European and Arab ones, yet we continue to call them Africans. Gofigya

But to answer your question, and for the sake of time here, I've provided a link for you. Below you will find a comprehensive list of publications that refute your arguements that African Americans are not African. Choose any book you like.

http://www.library.uiuc.edu/afx/africanisms.htm

Call yourself whatever you like

Thanks for your permission, that's mighty white of you.

but the fact remains *ARE* an *American* of African descent not an African

:laugh: Wake me when you step down from your soapbox of endoctrination :Zzz:

Like I said before, if you don't want to identify as an African, that's your decision, I'll simply have no part of it :getout:
 
I-khan said:
Charlie Bass....




Culturally you may share nothing,but blood is thicker than water and make sure you do not lose yourself in another peoples culture(not ours,but mainstream medias depiction).



Nothing is impossible,culturally speaking you may be telling the truth,but your DNA says you already are one.Whether you acknowledge it or not is up to you and you only.

I understand thats true and all, but I'm fiercely proud of being an African-American, we've accomplished so much. Africans need to learn just as much about us as we need to learn about them. Culturally speaking. My ancestry lies in Sierra Leone amongst the Mende, but I feel closer to other African Americans. I have not visited Sierra Leone yet, but I have met some Mende speaking people in France, where I once visited. They're totally different.
 

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