Obadele Kambon

Excellent Obadele. I have had a personal dance with the devil of "Continental and Diasporan Afrikans" and from this viewpoint I immediately feel disappointment. In all of my ignorance-the need to deny someone that looks like me has never been the challenge that it appears to be in the Diaspora.
I have had Afrikan women stare me down. It is the hair. I understand. It is not straight. Who knows..maybe they are trying to figure out the tribe that I am from-until I speak.
I have had a few (I can count them on my fingers) be very polite. However, when I see them-that is I feel pity for a group of people-any people for that matter that have no true sense of self. Especially when it is evident in our 'public treatment' of each other. Solution: Continental Afrikans belong with Continental Afrikans...and we meet at an Ambassador's table to work out solutions. It has been my experience that Continental Afrikans go with anyone that brings them 'food'...maybe if more blacks from the Diaspora come to the Continent and bring rice or some other token...the gap of understanding will begin to close in...until then they will continue to run and be open to every idea that appears to bring them closer to success in terms of how they are defined by european ideals.

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I just watched a movie concerning going back to Ghana and it address the resentments and differences between continental Afrikans and Afrikans in the diaspora. Sister Nyameti make s a good point when talking about diapora Afrikans in paticular U.SAfrikans coming to Afrika with something other than some romantized notion of being welcomed like a long lost brother.

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Misunderstood "resentment and differences!!!"

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".. What are the steps to bring about an understanding of reality of who the counterpart is to use as a basis for mutual understanding, interactions and work amongst Afrikan people.."

*Brother, this is a "extremely" difficult question. The reason why I say this, is because, in my humble opinion "understanding of reality" has to be placated on "knowledge of reality" and what it means to both Continental Afrikans and Diasporic Afrikans. Currently, most of us are living in psychotropic reality of global white terrorism and its multiple dynamics. Having being trained in their customs, eating their foods, learning their principles, traditions and morals...I humbly ask you, "who's reality is that we're living through?" So, I really need to think on your question because it's definitely not a simple answer. Give Thanks!

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You're a very "centered and sane" person Obadele, only a "sane and centered" person can answer and properly give solutions to the question you posed.

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Perhaps it is like some say, "It will be her children that will return to save her." As crazy as that may seem in our eyes now, considering all that we in the diaspora have been through, Ayi Kwei may have been describing just this notion in his prologue. We will have to face the enemy in those who look just like us, in fact in our own selves, before we realize that our home is this entire planet to which we are indigenous. A meaningful discussion between one who is colonized and seeking to reclaim him/herself in the diaspora and one who is colonized but seeking to remain him/herself in the motherland, always comes down the question of what is it to be in a state of full humanity, anywhere in the world. This is in contrast to the majority who have acquiesced on either side of the Atlantic, becoming themselves parasitic, thus with whom any appreciable discussion is meaningless. Today, just as it is strange in the diaspora to find any significant number of individuals, in mass, who are receptive to our traditions and spirituality, similarly the onslaught of colonialism has affected much of our home land, as I’m sure you are painfully aware. This has effectively contributed to the dehumanization of the individual wherever he may tread. So the discussion must occur between the small few who are carrying the flame of their ancestors and their great legacy. Then I think you will find that anywhere in the world that people are honoring their ancestors and the deities there will be room for growth and mutual cooperation, understanding and respect. Just because they have black skin doesn’t mean we’re talking to Black people. Why should the proudly colonized Ghanaian or Burkinabe be any different than a proudly colonized African in Trinidad, Brazil, New York or Britain? Let like address like and let sleeping dogs lie. When we return to our original home land it is not our black skin that announces our return it is the culture and values that we carry that signals our status as total foreigner or kin. So we should seek out people who would in turn recognize us as such, just as we would them. In fact if we carry the tradition of Black people it would validate the statement that, “You’re not an African because you are born in Africa but you are an African because Africa was born in YOU.”

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Originally Posted by Ib-Ra-Hima

Perhaps it is like some say, "It will be her children that will return to save her." As crazy as that may seem in our eyes now, considering all that we in the diaspora have been through, Ayi Kwei may have been describing just this notion in his prologue. We will have to face the enemy in those who look just like us, in fact in our own selves, before we realize that our home is this entire planet to which we are indigenous. A meaningful discussion between one who is colonized and seeking to reclaim him/herself in the diaspora and one who is colonized but seeking to remain him/herself in the motherland, always comes down the question of what is it to be in a state of full humanity, anywhere in the world. This is in contrast to the majority who have acquiesced on either side of the Atlantic, becoming themselves parasitic, thus with whom any appreciable discussion is meaningless. Today, just as it is strange in the diaspora to find any significant number of individuals, in mass, who are receptive to our traditions and spirituality, similarly the onslaught of colonialism has affected much of our home land, as I’m sure you are painfully aware. This has effectively contributed to the dehumanization of the individual wherever he may tread. So the discussion must occur between the small few who are carrying the flame of their ancestors and their great legacy. Then I think you will find that anywhere in the world that people are honoring their ancestors and the deities there will be room for growth and mutual cooperation, understanding and respect. Just because they have black skin doesn’t mean we’re talking to Black people. Why should the proudly colonized Ghanaian or Burkinabe be any different than a proudly colonized African in Trinidad, Brazil, New York or Britain? Let like address like and let sleeping dogs lie. When we return to our original home land it is not our black skin that announces our return it is the culture and values that we carry that signals our status as total foreigner or kin. So we should seek out people who would in turn recognize us as such, just as we would them. In fact if we carry the tradition of Black people it would validate the statement that, “You’re not an African because you are born in Africa but you are an African because Africa was born in YOU.”

Wow. Very well stated.

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