Akata
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Akátá is a word derived from the
Yoruba people of
West Africa and it simply means 'fox'. It is thought to be widely used loosely by some
African immigrants to the United States to describe
African Americans and their descendants, and over time it has come to have derogatory connotations due to perceived tensions between some African immigrants and African Americans.
Origin
There are many false rumors about the origin of the word, its West African
etymology means it cannot mean words like
slave or
cotton picker because languages such as
Akan Twi and the
Yoruba language have words for these already. It is thought to be disparaging because of the general negative attitude some African immigrants to the U.S. have about
African Americans[
citation needed]. Rumors about the word have developed, often with the ones claiming the word to be offensive not asking for the proper definition by those that use the word, with the resulting connotation being a result of misunderstanding and miscommunication.
Its geographical origin is Nigerian of West Africa.
Usage
.....
It may also be used to describe a cat that does not live at home, whereas the cat that lives at home is called Ologbo or Ologinni; "akata" may, by metaphorical implication, suggest that African Americans are blacks that do not reside on the African continent. The term was popularised in
Hollywood by the movie
Sugar Hill featuring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright; in the film, Nigerian drug dealers referred to the pair as "akatas, American cotton pickers". Because of this,
it often used to describe any African living outside of Africa, though Yorubas tend not to use it in a derogatory manner. It is generally used by many Nigerians living in the United States, as well as other Africans.[
citation needed]. Among the Akan people mainly in Ghana (Ashanti's) the word is used to refer to people that are associated with the life style of hip-hop like nature (one who dresses and walks like a hip-hop artiste).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akata