I wasn't suggesting that you start calling yourself "African" or "African American" based on anything I said. Sometimes my fingers get away from me and they type things I don't mean.
All I know is when I was in Senegal, and now that I'm in Canada, I'm painfully aware of how much
I have internalized American culture including its pastiche of many different cultural influences. I have a distinctly
American point of view compared to people from Senegal, or Nigeria, or British Columbia. No matter what color I am, that probably won't ever change.
I know that Africa is not a country. What kind of African/African American Studies scholar would I be if I didn't?
However, since my heritage was stolen from me, and since I'll probably never know where my ancestors originated from (though I suspect it's Nigeria or Ghana), I embrace all of the continent, from Algeria to Zimbabwe. Since enslaved people came from so many different African nations/countries, and since all of their cultures combined and made up (most but not all of) "Black" culture in the United States, it's expedient for me to say "African American" rather than "Ibo/Wolof/Hausa-American." I don't mean it as a slight to African countries or different African cultures/nations. But I'm merely a descendent of Africa, I'm not African.
Here in Canada, people embrace blended identities a little bit more. It's not perfect by a long shot, but you see more people referring to themselves as "African Canadians" if they're from the continent, "Caribbean Canadians" if they're from the islands, or, in the case of Chinese, they call themselves CBC - Canadian Born Chinese. Sure, multiculturalism gets a lot of lip service up here, but generally there's not as much static if you claim a different identity for yourself.
Quote:
Originally posted by DOVE1920:
I spent 3 months in Morocco and I'm very aware of how "American" I am. I respect your opinion but I guess I prefer Black because it eludes to a specific condition. Being in Africa, even though some people don't consider Morocco Africa, made me realize that one cannot homogenize the continent into a country. So I feel that by saying I'm African American I'm making Africa into a country instead of a continent with millions of distinct peoples. I hope I'm making sense...[/B]
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[This message has been edited by SoTrue1920 (edited July 13, 2001).]