As an African that was raised in the U.S from childhood, my socialization has only ever been that of the Afro-American experience. I grew up in mostly black areas, went to black schools, graduated from an HBCU. 90% of all the friends I've ever had were Black Americans. So when I saw this Diaspora War bubble onto the surface a few years back, it felt very much like an agenda being pushed by opps to disunite us and as a result weaken us even further than we already are. It's honestly scary thinking about it. Call me crazy but I'm starting to wonder if this is our modern day version of Cointelpro.
Nawh, not exactly. It’s definitely out here in real life. Like you I grew up around predominantly African Americans in the Midwest. But when I moved to NYC and went to costal areas, a lot of African Americans do get called Yankees and distinguished from Caribbean Islanders. Not all do this but it is real. And vice versa with AA’s feeling a certain way abt Caribbean folk.
What is exported isn't African American culture. It is an African American stereotypes. AA have many distinct cultures in the Americas. Gullah/Geechee, Dismal Swamp, Seminole Freedman, Cowboy, Louisiana Creole, etc.. are all US African American cultures with their own foods, music and languages. People connecting to ancestral histories that are not African isn't because they are ashamed of being African. There is a much larger narrative that is based in nation building within a dominant white culture. It goes back to the Moorish Americas and Noble Drew Ali, the Nation of Islam and other similar groups. 90% of AA have mixed ancestry with some groups being more mixed than others. There was a deliberate policy to extend immigration opportunities to skilled people from the Caribbean and African on the heels of the Civil Rights movement in an effort to replace AA's who they felt had gotten too uppity. They knew that these workers would give them less trouble. They told them that they liked them better than AA's who were lazy and they believed and perpetuated this trope. The rest is history.
Gullah Geechee from the 912 here-my mom’s roots are from the 843. I identify with THAT culture, knowing exactly which plantation my great-great-great grandparents were sold to and endured forced labor. I appreciate you pointing this out. I don’t think it’s well known.
@@SocksAmpersandSandals Hey Cuzzo! My family from the 803 before there was an 843 and also the 912! Edisto to Frogmore to Pin Point! We out chea! Yes we most certainly do. If we don't know, it's because we don't want to know.
I’ve traveled abroad and heard our music. I wasn’t expecting to hear Toni Braxton at a restaurant in Japan. I think aspects of our culture as well as larger American culture are exported globally as well as stereotypes, especially negative stereotypes about us. I have a family tree that goes back to 1600s US/colonies and love my AA culture but have always been curious about my African roots. I think many things can be true at once.
As an African American dating a Caribbean man, I’m so over the diaspora war. There is disrespect from all sides and it needs to stop. The arguments are stupid and pointless. At the end of the day, we are ALL BLACK.
Yeah but this is disrespectful to say we’re “all black” when we all have diff cultures, speak diff languages and just overall are not the same culturally. Just bc we share the same skin color/race does not make us the same. And only black Americans call themselves “black” other people go by their tribe/ethnicity. So please respect that.
@@trxphywaifalt I’ve seen Africans get mad and say “black Americans aren’t the only black people” and we tell them “you have never identified as black until now”. So please tell that to your fellow Africans & not us because we know that already.
One thing I would like non American black people to realize is how small of a population black people are in America, and how even smaller we were in past decades. Whereas many black people from other countries come from overall black identified nations. The effort it has taken to stay a recognized demographic, while maintaining a cultural identity in the States under terroristic conditions is a feat.
We are about 14% of the population and that number is not accounting for the fact that African American is currently shared on the census with other Black groups who migrate here. So we are less than 14%. As a population African Americans who descend from chattel slavery have seen a decrease in numbers.
As a Jamaican American (I have Jamaican parents but I was born in America) with a Nigerian name that was raised around African Americans and their culture predominantly, everyone’s at fault. We have all been fed anti black propaganda against different black ethnic groups. It’s all by design. I don’t like diaspora wars and the conversations around it because it’s always superficial. There’s no real depth it’s always “African booty scratchers” and “yah use to bully me” when again, I’ve seen everyone dish it out with no remorse and that includes Caribbean people. I’ve heard non ADOS people say similar talking points that white people have. It’s similar to the “pull urself up from your booty straps”, “we made it, yah haven’t because ur lazy” etc. rhetoric. The real issue to me is that there’s trauma here that no one is genuinely addressing in a nuanced and delicate way. We were stolen, sold, and displaced to separate countries. There’s a cultural and historical disconnect because of that which helps further our misunderstandings. It creates biases and clouds our judgment because we don’t have all of the proper historical information about each others cultures which is important in regards to context and empathy. We can’t understand why we’re having these issues because we don’t know each other and don’t care to learn
How is everyone at fault when you fleed from your homeland and you’re all up in black Americans face via probably living in immigrant 3rd world hub of NYC/MIAMI
So happy you covered this. So annoyed with the anti black comments coming from all sides. I’ve even seen racist white people jump in and say that they respect Africans more and that African American culture is the result of our downfall.
If they respected Africans they wouldn't still be siphoning their resources while the countries they steal from remain in debt to colonialist countries BY FORCE leading to their bankruptcy. Africa's resources is keeping the west fed...and now Asia as well. Without the west would for sure crumble.
Exactly and I find it real done because those same white people to turn around and tell African Americans that they're blessed to be taken out of Africa because of how unstabilized it is.
@@melissanicole3657 While I partially agree it’s still wrong to pit Africans and African Americans against each other. These white people are still racist because they’re assuming that Black Americans are inferior and incompetent. I mainly hear these talking points when it comes to education or careers. Black Americans can’t possibly be intelligent and put education and family first
I hate diaspora wars sm because there’s xenophobia on each side and it’s just annoying bcs obviously every community is gonna have bad apples so why are we still arguing instead of being united. ALSO something I DESPISE is black people gatekeeping their culture from other black ppl bcs they never have the same energy for non blacks and that just pisses me off like why are black ppl so aggressive and resentful towards each other and not the people who continue to mock us, use our cultures for their benefit and oppress us??
omg I hate that too! I remember when the discussion about waist beads came up and I was so pissed because there are non blacks wearing it but we have more smoke for black people in the diaspora that want to connect? its nonsense.
I sometimes feel like if people knew the difference between race, nationality and culture and held these categories equally we wouldn’t have these diaspora wars. We are black! Where you are born is your nationality and your culture is where you get your values and beliefs. Africa is a continent and African American is a political term. We are black and where ever you are from is important, we are global and we will need all of our strength and weakness to unite and change. Anti-blackness is the issue and it’s global. 💪🏾🇯🇲🇨🇦
@@stepahead5944 yes political term. Who does African American describe? I am a Caribbean Canadian but ppl will label me African American because I am black but that doesn’t identify me really, because globally African American is understood as black Americans but that term gets used politically to talk about black ppl as a whole. Geographical lines are just political lines.
When I see Dispora Wars I instantly ignore or block ❌ That those conversations bring nothing but division and unnecessary drama. I just can't 😤😤😤, it's just pure nonsense of anti-blackness, xenophobia, & ignorance. And any person of African descent who engages in those talks are extremely insecure, has low self-esteem, and self hatred.
Yeah, the Diaspora war is ridiculous! I am an African American (hailing from Atlanta, GA!!!)and when ppl say we have no connection to Africa it hurts and it’s wrong. I read this great book called The Cooking Gene and it is about African food ways and how they connect to southern food. One of the things I remember from this book is tea with mint in it and now it comes from Africa(I can’t remember where in Africa). My great grandma used to make iced tea with mint in it(or kool aid with mint for me😂). And it had me thinking HERE, here is the proof that we have a culture and it is rooted in Africa, among other things!
yesss I feel that the cooking is so deep. there's so many African American dishes that are so close to Nigerian dishes (and I can imagine even closer to other country and tribes in subsaharan african too)
@HaintblueRee I’m African. For once, can you people stop spreading lies about African identity and culture. There’s no proof that mint tea came from Africa. Additionally, the fact that your relative made traditional mint tea is not proof that she had cooking genes because she could have simply gotten the info from a book or video. Besides, how can you people lose language and values but retain cooking? If you people knew anything at all about African culture you would know that cooking is tied to language and even values in many African cultures.
@mayowasworjd, pray tell what black American food is fufu close to? So many dishes huh? Why don’t you mention them? Even their fried chicken is unlike ANY African chicken and chicken is as basic as it gets!
I relate so much to having Nigerian parents, but being socialized as African-American. Personally half my family is Nigerian and the other half is African-American. The experience is a little tricky to articulate to people because there’s so much overlap between African immigrants and African-Americans.
@@ivyrainbitch I’m actually both and that’s kinda what I was talking abt with regards to it being hard to articulate. One of my parents is from Nigeria, but he is now a US citizen. My other parent is from the US and she’s a descendant of African enslaved ppl. They’re both African Americans.
I think now that people who felt severely othered in America are older with a vocabulary to back their trauma and hurt, the diaspora wars have really kicked into full swing where the hurt started. I always remember feeling incredibly hurt and paranoid when I entered my first year or two of undergraduate studies because it was seriously my first time being around people who were African-American in the book definition way: their parents and grandparents and great grandparents stretch back across American soil. It was an Othering I hadn't experienced since I'd immigrated to the States, and something that shocked my system because everyone like LITERALLY everyone I was close to growing up was a first generation baby. Now that I'm getting older, I'm trying to navigate these pains more, especially seeing the major MAJOR differences in how Caribbean immigrants experienced lands like England vs. America, along with the major similarities. Ultimately, the systems that pit us against one another have been ingrained so firmly, that we have morphed them into our own weapons, without realizing the broken shotgun blows backwards when we fire. It makes me so sad because it's an incredible journey to have to deindividualise yourself to recognise that the hurt you suffered was a symptom of greater issue, because I'm like... fucking hurt you know and I kind of want to sit in my tears and frustration and embarrassment but also I shouldn't, because the people who hurt me are crying in someway too. It's a really serious issue that is further escalating, methinks. It's especially alarming that Indigienous roots are also trying to be erased/blanketed by these same diaspora wars, particularly for people in South America and pockets of the Caribbean, it just further adds fuel to the fire. Hopefully someday we can return and build a stronger allyship, like black centres that sprouted during the 70s and 80s for the advancement and education of all diaspora babies about the roots that connected them!
You are one of the best people to discuss this. I hate the diaspora wars but I understand the sense of irritation we may have toward each other. I do love how the hyper visibility of afrobeats music is uniting us.
Perks of being an introvert is I don't engage or deal with any of this nonsense. The hell is wrong with people?! Just inventing division and drama for whaaaaat?
Its soooo freakin disgusting I hate it!! I found out that I`m 45% Yoruba I was sooooooo pressed and super excited!!! We are one!! Ive been to 9ja like seven time lol I love the place so much
@UmmYasmin91 DNA tests are pseudoscientific, not scientific, and did it maybe occur to you that the tests showed you what YOU wanted to see? You love Nigeria so it seems rather convenient that the test would reinforce some crazy notion that you are Nigerian Yoruba. Very convenient. Too convenient
Also, no DNA tests or other tests can isolate and specify ethnic groups considering how non homogenous most ethnic groups are today. Unless the ethnic group was isolated from the rest of the world, that’s practically impossible
I've been waiting for you to speak on this again. I grew up in the middle of the diaspora war being first generation Ghanaian American on my father's side and my mother being African American......We ALL do our part in pushing stereotypes about each other. And the culture really does shift. But what's FUNNY is our oppressors can RARELY tell the difference. Especially because we culture share in America so....accidentally(?). We are derived from each other. It's ok to see it that way. POWERFUL even.
this video was great, thank you! i think i first started experiencing this as an african american who lived in miami for 4 years for college. south florida is such a vibrant mix of black caribbean and latino cultures. and as an aa, i definitely began to notice the sense of dissappointment i'd see on a person's face or comments straight up mentioning "oh, that's it?" "oh, only african american?" when people asked me what i was or where i was from. i think it was rooted in the idea that you were talking about, how being african american is seen as something inferior sometimes within our diaspora. then also colorism/texturism bc sometimes black communities across the board have a fixation with anyone lighter that could be from any other culture (i wouldn't say i'm ambiguous either esp having natural 4a/4b hair and loc'd now but my dad's side is very creole so with that in mind ppl always thought i was dominican or trini which def is related to colorism and texturism against unambigously black caribbean people hence their disappointment). also want to mention miami does have a historical presence of african americans as this is always not as noted. anyways, while these diaspora wars were honestly hurtful as well as seeing this play out on twitter every other week back in the day ( not on there now) i think i've let that sting go and just focus on the fact that so many of us across the diaspora are tired of that and really are in the mindset of loving, supporting and honoring all of our different cultures and black people across the diaspora. that's really what's most important at the end of the day
No ma’am, the term African booty scratcher predates the movie’coming to America.’ I’m nearly 50 and that was some thing that was said on the playground when I was in elementary school.
@@mayowasworld As a GenX'er I agree with Senora Cheapee. That's what they showed on tv. These documentaries, and Unicef commercials with the children with bloated bellies and flies all around. I can remember being in elementary school, and girls, with the same complexion would ask "which country are you from"? We would say, we're from here. They would ask because they were from Panama, Nicaragua, or the D.R. My Mom raised us up to say "if anyone asks you tell them you are Black of Indian descent" Meaning we were were born here, our descendants were either enslaved or sharecroppers, AND the other half of our family have Native American roots.
This term was used by the lowest class level of African Americans in grade school. It's a highly offensive and an ignorant term. The purpose of this term is to be insulting, to victimize, and demean people. There are no positive benefits for insulting people, especially your brothers and sisters from the motherland.
I also feel think that as black people we are not patient with each other when it comes to learning things about ourselves as a race. case point, on twitter a nigerian girl was dragged because she thought chloe x halle had their locs growing from their scalp but the thing is that there are people in nigeria we call "dada" people whose hair "locs" up few days after birth and there are superstitions about why their locs shouldn't be cut. so the girl basically assumed the bailey sisters were dada people but instead of simply educating her she got dragged. we need to be more patient with ourselves and realize that white supremacy did a number on us globally and help ourselves slowly learn and to remove the shackles of anti blackness
I have always thought of people living in the various African countries (la République du Congo, la Démocratique du Congo, la Tunisie, Mauritanie, le Cameroun, Burundi, etc) as phenomenal people. Because of their awesomeness, we THE descendants, are awesome. There is probably something that different ethnicities envy about us that irritate them or arouse their anxiety. We, as dark-skinned people, are capable of surviving different ecologies and have contributed to so many of the developments of various countries (most if not all) across the globe yet, to this day, people cannot seem to see/appreciate it (they have been refusing for such a long time).
@raymundofantastico I am African. You people need to stop your misinformation. We are not your ancestors and you are not our descendants as we are modern day people just like you 🤦 . You must look up your ancestors in your American museums
I'm a Black American and I remember as a child and teen one the most insulting things you could say to another BA person is that they are Africans. There was a whole host of insults having to do with being African. In America the only real images we saw of Africans was war and poverty, even in my family they saw slavery as a blessing because we ended up in America. It wasn't until I went to college and was exposed to BA who were from Africa and Africans who were from Africa, that I realized I was lied to. We are all black ppl damn it!!!
I’m also a Black American but my experience was different. I’m in my 40s and I never heard negative talk about Africans from black people until I was an adult and visited certain large metropolitan areas. Actually two of my older relatives married Nigerians and I have two sets of cousins with Nigerian dads. One set grew up in Nigeria because my mom’s first cousin moved there with her husband. It would have seemed weird to me for my family to hate on think negatively about Africans when we are related to Africans. Plus a lot of my family was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement. My mom wore/wears dashikis as do I because it’s normal to us. My family told me our ancestry is a combination of African, Irish European and Choctaw Native American descent.
@paradisesunprincess Exactly, as an African, the truth will never be insulting. You people are not African. I have relatives born in the States and they will never want to be called Black Americans because they are not. They are African who happened to be born to AFRICAN parents and of AFRICAN culture in America
You always have a way of tackling these topics that has great insight. The fact that you have lived on various continents and have been immersed in the black experience from different lenses it brings a perspective that’s needed, thank you for sharing…. Oh congratulations on the baby lock 🥳🥳🥳🥳🎉
I really want to talk about this more. I'm Liberian american living in the UK and the discussions here are always... interesting to hear. I try to defend my African american siblings as much as I can but it seems like the education about Black americans in the UK is just as bad as it is in the states. They literally still ask but where are you from like they werent trafficked to the americas. Everytime I hear it i have to check them. And the superiority they feel over them makes my skin itch like racism in the UK is any better.
This video really gave me food for thought as a BDOS (British Descendant of Slavery - via the Caribbean). However at 14:30 when Mayowa says that kind of discussion is only happening in the West, not Nigeria, it makes perfect sense. BP are in a minority in the West, so start off in a more vulnerable position. BP are acutely aware of the competition for, and distribution of "scarce" resources. In a black majority country, there maybe other inter ethnic tensions, but the mindset is different because they're not in a RACIAL minority and not in a country where they are numerically, financially, economically and culturally dominated by their former oppressors and colonisers. It makes a HUGE difference.
Slightly related but maybe trivial: So I am a new traveler from America and it has opened my eyes way more to the reach of anti blackness/white supremacy. Recently I was the only black face in a cooking class in Thailand and the host (not the chef) a Thai man made a joke about how we shouldn’t be afraid to get seconds (food), “think about Africa” 🙄 you know because people in Africa are “starving”. Everybody in the room (including a group of dark skinned southeast Asians from Australia) thought this was hilarious and I’m just like wait how is this funny? I know the phrase is old and probably stems from those food aid commercials (with the potatoes) but still it was just very strange/uncomfortable to watch strangers from different countries laugh about that collectively smfh 😡
smh im sorry you had to experience this. I remember people making those comments too which is wild because Thailand is a country that also has a lot of poverty but they can still gather to laugh at anti blackness.
I'm always seeing comments on those Middle Ground videos asking for an African American vs. African debate and at first I was so confused bc I didn't even know we had issues lmfao. All I know is I love my culture as a Nigerian and I love AA or Black/AFDOS American, Caribbean etc cultures as well. Africans and descendants of Africans everywhere have so much to give and this infighting isn't doing anything good for us. It's fine not to identify with African cultures even as a descendant, just don't dish out disrespect. Same as how I as a Nigerian have no right to talk ill of African/black-Americans or Afro-Caribbean people as if I'm better just because I was raised on African soil. My country is in hot soup right now because of corruption and all that but I'll never be ashamed of my heritage. Basically, I know Africans, the diaspora and descendants (ADOS) are destined for incredible things just as every human being is and internal conflict is not the way to go.
I recommend reading The Common Wind by Julius Scott for some historical context to the unity/disunity amongst the Afro diaspora. It centers around the Haitian Revolution, how it came about and the aftermath. It really broadened my perspective.
Yes, these diaspora wars need to stop!! This chasm between Black people is definitely by design and set on autopilot at this point. My father was from West Africa and my mother is an African American. Fortunately, within my home it was instilled in us that we are one and stressed an appreciation of the different expressions of Blackness throughout the diaspora. However, the experience outside of my home was definitely incongruent with those values. As an adult I am becoming more aware of the "design" that has been used to pit us against ourselves. We have to educate ourselves on the many branches of the same tree we originate from. Thank you so much for speaking out against this! May it continue to reverberate!
Man it needs to stop. It gets old. Like I went to an HBCU, I developed a huge pride in my culture and my roots. I love my history, before and after my ancestors were stolen to the states. I get annoyed that a lot of West Africans I meet look down on me until they find out what I do, and vice versa with African Americans. My cousin who's a bad ass who has a bad ass career is engaged to a Nigerian man but his mom hates her bc she's American...make it make sense 😑
I have experienced this. I have had to humble a few africans before and they were shocked and upset. And what sucks is i felt bad afterward bc i felt like i was talking about some version of myself. But it had to be done. Some people beg you to show them your boundaries. Another time i had an African girl from the ivory fired for throwing racial slurs at work. Like sis, I'm friendly, not nice. And she wasn't even talking about me but another black woman for no reason. Just bc she thought i didn't understand her. But just like it hurts me to hurt you, you can't hurt me either. Don't assume i don't understand you when you speak. And don't assume no one else will tell me. That's very entitled energy. And i felt bad for getting her fired, and that sucked. I wondered sometimes if i should of done differently but then i realize if the situation was flipped she would of gotten rid of me and probably felt nothing afterward unlike me. Lol so i let it go. Honestly i think if we just respected each other's boundaries we would be fine. But the superiority complexes have to be tackled first.
@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 How could she have been throwing racial slurs? After all you ppl claim we are all the same? Or do you guys just love to play the victim every chance you get?
@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 As an African I am 100% certain that it’s not a superiority complex. It’s your own insecurity and envy. Most of you people envy us Africans but you will never be us
*The things that really annoy me personally about the diaspora wars:* *1)* is many of my fellow Black Americans who want to tie our fight for reparations into it, and end up adopting all types of white supremacist, xenophobic rhetoric in the process. Doesn't have to be that way. Like... at all! I'm constantly butting heads with uncles who listen to the same Black social media figures who push that nonsense. It's not hard to fight for our own thing without throwing our other Brothers and Sisters under the bus. Then again, these are the same people who are proud to display American flag emojis in their bios and pfps and whatnot. Something that just looks absolutely ridiculous to me considering this country works in overtime to screw us over. So maybe I'm taking those specific people a little too seriously? 🤷🏾♂️ *²)* is how Black folk across the diaspora will have these conversations with their white friends. Their complaints about other Black people. Something I've seen from Black Americans, Caribbeans & Africans alike in the US. It leads to some pretty awkward "WTF?!" moments where you end up having to put one of your white friends in check because they may say some out of pocket type isht they thought they were okay to say because their proverbial _Black Friend_ had these conversations with them. That's what we're not gonna do.
Crazy or truth? I am an African who grew up amongst them and I maintain that they are not and will never be African. I don’t care about the somewhat offensive views we may have towards them but at the end of the day, these people often mock, ridicule and taunt Africans. So it’s tit for tat IMO
@@YT-xk5jl yeah it's tit for tat for sure. But I still try to give them grace bc they're so far removed from their cultural roots by force. The diaspora infighting is by design and only benefits white people. I wish we could all realize this
@@YT-xk5jl Um y'all taunt, ridicule and attack us too and are trying so hard to be hated. In fact there's many instances of us being friendly only for you guys to be cold and unfriendly. Y'all brought tribalism, the same hate y'all have for other Africans with y'all when you came to the USA.
I'm a Afro-Caribbean (Jamaica🇯🇲) born and raised in the UK. Ive always found it very weird and sad that some black people deny or play down their African Roots. Our African roots are so powerful and rich. I'm proud to be African so much so that I left London to live in Ghana and I love it 🇬🇭
@@jagirl_vendetta2197 most black people outside of Africa are referred to "afro- insert nation here". So afro Latinos, afro Jamaicans, afro Brazilians etc. Just means you're African descendants
When I was in elementary school I would lie about my family being from Nigeria just because I wished I knew where I and my ancestors came from as an African American.
As a Jamaican-American born ATL I gotta say this whole culture war thing is kinda stupid. At the end of the day we were all at the back of the bus once and using the “colored” restrooms.
I feel like we’re experiencing dividing and conquering in real time. I too believe we’re siblings as we share ancestry. That a large part of the devastation West Africa experienced is a result of all the family we lost to the trade (raids and kidnapping) And same Sis regarding being Nigerian but socialized African American since I grew up here.
that part! Many people stolen and trafficked were soldiers, farmers, people who were fit and skilled. Because they were all stolen, it was easier to conquer
Yes girl..thanks for talking about this. Like you said, the wars have their roots in anti-blackness. The master taught us well, now we are doing the hating for him by hating on one another. We need to read our history more..to understand how we got here. I think it will help us appreciate each other more as black people and not be too quick to condemn one another.
Thank you for this! Please do a video on the Isreal topic. I feel like it is growing and know quite a few people caught up in this. 🤦🏾♀️ I am lucky enough to grow up with many different people from the African diaspora. From Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, and many Afro Lations as well. I have never personally experienced any bad interactions with people from the African diaspora. We always all got together and no one felt superior or inferior to one another. I am glad there are more people out there showing love and understanding than the trolls who try to divide us. I have only seen this kind of wars online personally. Not saying they don't exist in person, I recall darker skinned African American people being called African and never understood why that would be an insult unless you are self hating and uneducated. 😬😮💨 I know my experience is just a drop in the bucket, but African Americans and the diaspora have been and can be together in love. I hope it continues despite all the nonsensical behavior of the few.💖💞
Good LORD you NAILED it with this video mayowa, you NAILED it. You have articulated exactly how I have felt about diaspora wars from the African side but had no words for. I'm nigerian and I agree, a lot of africans born America are socialized as African-americans. They don't actually don't know much about African culture other than what is made popular on social media. They don't speak an African language, have never been to Africa, will never go to Africa, and parrot the same tired, negative stereotypes about africa as non-africans, yet STILL try to place themselves above the African Americans. Again, most Africans born in America are basically African-Americans/ black-Americans, and I say that as an African who fully embraces the African americans. But that is exactly why I will NEVER buy into the silly diaspora wars. The entire situation is so embarrassing on all sides.
YUPPP, and youre so right about them parroting the same tropes about nigeria you can tell they have no interest to see the country for their own, but they use this false confidence to try to mock or make fun of those who are descendants of slavery smh its a mess.
Mayowa, I love you! I’ve been saying this for years, that all of our fighting is rooted in the fact that we still don’t want to be black and we are still struggling to accept ourselves.
I am so glad that you are bringing this up because I'm fighting against this all the time we are been socialized in this country I'm not sure if it's the rest of the diaspora why people have told us what what an African looks like so an African is dark skin big behind for see hair big eyes big big broad nose big lips and a lot of these features actually came from race mixing white people have big nose I know so much smoother they might be broad but they're not necessarily always big so that is a misnomer but the ease you had of melty into African-American community is because they could identify with your look and it was a look of family in most cases now the Ethiopians and Somalians the Sudanese some other South Africans have a more difficult time because they do not fit the white people's narrative that they told us what African looks like so they are somewhat rejected or vilified or scrutinized to find out if they're really like us or not it's a lot of miseducation it's a lot of very very very deep ignorance and I'm so glad that you're bringing it up hopefully we can do better and grow.
Colonialism goes deep, smh. But from what I see, as soon as someone from the diaspora learns their history for real (family's, country's, continent's, etc), it's nothing but love for all Black people because you realize we're one, and the difference is where the slaveship stopped.
You have the best take on the “African Booty Scratcher” argument I’ve heard. I am Black American from the West Coast and I can attest the term is a colorist tease and was used toward any Black child who was dark skinned. It had nothing to do with ethnicity, directly. Although Africa caught the stray of the insult, so to speak.
I do agree that the diaspora wars are counterproductive and I think we have ti be honest when talking about them. it’s not true that African Americans coming to Africa aren’t going to be mistreated for being African American. It happens all the time. Maybe that comment is based on Mayowa’s personal experience, but as an African American with interest in visiting many African countries, I’ve listened to the stories of other African Americans. One thing that is a common thread is either mistreatment for simply being African American or mistreatment for having the means to move to an African country and live more comfortably than native locals.
one day i was watching ivia anita and she was like talking a bout getting ppl together and just randomly said yam festival and i just today wrote a whole event list today i hope to actually do it one day ,its hard for me cuase i dont have alot of community but im on fam
@@mayowasworld like we can do it my sistah buut my main issue tiny one is where .should it be like afro punk hopping black cities every year or in one place
I love melanated people from all over the world, and I hate that we aren't sticking together. However, many of us who consider ourselves to be African American are actually indigenous to our lands in the Americas and we were misclassified in ways that allowed for foreigners to invade our lands while keeping our minds focused on a so-called diaspora. When we do family genealogies some of us predate the slave trade here and many families owned entire towns before they were seized by our government. When we follow the mainstream ideologies we discount our real ancestors and what they actually fought for, and disown our birthrights when we claim African and don't have the genealogy to match a direct ancestor to Africa. I too used to claim African-American under the guise of modern teachings, but after having my genealogy professionally done, which matches the genealogy that has been recorded by family elders and with all of the research that was completed, there isn't one African on my tree. I hope that as many of us discover our new found truth about our individual histories, we can still be united with our fellow melanated brethren across the globe. The planet was melanated first, and all lands including the Americas were inhabited by so-called negros first. There are many accounts written by colonizers stating this fact. The ideology that all life started out of Africa is a theory colonizers use to rewrite the histories of the melanated indigenous populations abroad. If we shall stick together, it should be for the truth to reign supreme so that we can all thrive in our homelands globally and stop feeling displaced.... P.S. I absolutely love you and your content! Keep shining your light sis!
this is such a good ass take thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts on this. i am african ‘american’ and very proud to be part of the west african diaspora ! as an aside i was blown away at how similar the experience of collards and callaloo is, we are one people fr
Divide and conquer, as they say. How can we fight oppression when we fight amongst ourselves over trivial BS and fighting over "that step on the ladder."
I respect that you know and acknowledge that you are Nigerian and are respectful to recognize that you aren’t African American. African Americans are Africans who were sold into slavery and have been here since the 1500s. It’s completely separate and needs to be respected too.
Also, not acknowledging the sociopolitical differences between ADOS and immigrant/Caribbean/Continental African Black people can potentially cause problems. Case in point being: ADOS are the direct descendants of the enslaved Black men and women who built this country and suffered from discrimination where centuries of generational wealth was lost. However, “because we’re all Black”, you have many immigrant Black people feeling just as entitled to ADOS reparations, which to me doesn’t sit right. Yes, we’re all Black but our experiences are very different and it’s upsetting that some non-ADOS Black people try to undermine and benefit from what should be allocated only to us who were born here bc of our familial ties to slavery in THIS land. It’s unfortunate, but although I have a diverse group of Black friends from across the Diaspora, I still know of many non-ADOS Black people who make it very clear that they look down on and don’t like ADOS people, while still having the audacity to want to benefit from things that ADOS have established and fought for in this country. It’s just like White people not liking us, but tolerating us enough to allow us to patronize their businesses with our Black dollars-it’s disingenuous and yes it should be addressed.
Why play into the war by reiterating the same dead themes that come up every time? How does this help us heal? Everyone in the diaspora has a very different journey to how they got to where they are today. What do you mean by saying that yours is separate? And why would we need to think in that way? My family’s recent heritage is Caribbean. African slaves transported to the Caribbean islands who suffered a great deal during slavery. After the period of slavery abolishment, continued colonisation, and the war - my grandparent were invited to the UK to help rebuild the country. They worked in hospitals, the army, rebuilt the train lines and received horrendous racism for their efforts. Is their story so dissimilar to yours? And respect goes both ways. You must also respect the history and cultures of others to get respect back.
@@reneedasilva1153 I’m not playing into anything, I’m acknowledging differences in origin. If the Brits were to finally pay reparations to the Caribbeans, would I, being ADOS be entitled to it? No, I would not-I’d simply be happy for my kinfolk who are. The same goes for the Haitian-French dilemma. I emphasized THIS land (the U.S.) for a reason-not to dismiss or “disrespect” the experiences of other Black people from abroad. I’m not sure how you concluded that I don’t respect non-ADOS. I don’t understand how acknowledging differences is a problematic concept, but to each their own. Happy Monday!
@@SocksAmpersandSandals pssst.. "American ADOS" is unnecessary coz the A in ADOS already stands for American😂😂 it literally means American Descendent of Slaves
@@warmthonthemoon4293 I’m not sure if you were trying to shame me or not, but thanks for bringing that to my attention-suffering from pregnancy brain and sleep deprivation at the moment. I’ll make the proper changes.
BP are slow in some area... we are brilliant and creative people but when coming to figure out the enemy we are dumb... We don't see the game being play and that why I believe our help will be an outside source. Or it takes a huge calling out of the nonsense by leaders , everyone need to call a time out here! Furthermore I think some of some of These people are bought out , i am almost sure, I see one person did a 360 degree turn within days against other groups... furthermore AA male against their female and vice versa... It's ridiculous... Money pass somewhere to get us behaving like this!
Who were trying to avoid being sold into slavery themselves, which, they still were later on. Africans didn't go looking for people to sell. Europeans came looking. Wonder why they didint us other Europeans.
African men sold us into slavery, even now they are still selling the motherland and resources to Europeans Asian. Only the black men doesn't protect what is his, resources,lands, women and children. How can you still allow yourself to be at the bottom of foods chains this days and age
@@miram2053Historical accounts suggest that many Africans sold were POW’s to other African tribes from the various conflicts they were having with each other at the time
@Melissa Nicole Yeah, it’s a disgusting practice. But it ( if understand what you’re saying), Africans aren’t the only ones participating in this. The practice happens worldwide and to answer your question, it’s the same rationale as everywhere else.
Yeah, I have encountered these ideas as well. My opinion is it's devisive and I want no parts. It's dangerous and puts out confusion to our people who are already trying to piece ourselves together. Yes, some black people were here prior to colonization, but it's wrong to say all of us are native to America. Just as it's wrong to say we are all from Israel. We should not say all at any time when speaking of black people. No one who is oppressing us is looking at you saying, oh you're good you are a black person whose ancestors were native to this country. They are going to look at you and say you are black and your loan is denied. Period.
Alicia, its true a set of BP are from israel but that conversation need to be had in context because there is a reason why israel organized a handful of Aliya from the turn of the century to the 70s . Black people should not be excluded in those spaces as its theirs. Same for americas and canada there is a small set that were here before the caucasianess. we need to be calm when we address those specific nuances for the exact same reasons why , when we talk about Black latinos. its a dangerous game to exclude them from Latinidad because the mestizos are already trying to kick them out. Afrolatinos represent our diaspora within that cultural enclave and we can respect that. when i was in France there was Black arabs too and of various hues also. the only time i ever dissed then was when i was 14 and i remember saying " Black arabs ? PFFFF FOH" and that was my teenage ignorance until my mam schooled me on their history. we can be a prosperous diaspora with geographic differences and nuances but and we can eat from the same place in circle. Now that's me , because in real life , i never gave AF about who is what but its a huuuuge deal with many places. my wife is rom senegal and i am a biracial southern african. Her dad was ok with us marrying but all 3 of her uncles were like NAH we need a local .
The more I learn about how interconnected our cultures are, the sillier the diaspora wars get. It's definitely white supremacy and xenophobia like you said. I think about language a lot. Things like suck-teeth/smack lips (I also think it's called chuups?) have been preserved and is shared by so many of us. You can see so many aspects of West/Central African cultures that our ancestors passed down. You also mentioned dance and food. Religious practices, hairstyles, clothes. It's all there.
Since finding your channel, it has given me LIFE and helped me in so many ways. Please keep it up. It has been a breath of Fresh AIR! I feel the same way but didn't know how to verbalize it and articulate it as you have. Thank you, dada!
8:54 why is this African not acknowledging that Africans (especially from modern day deplorable Nigeria) “Igbo, Fulani etc sold off there own tribal people & rival tribal warriors to Europeans
why is this black american not acknowledging that most enslaved africans who were sent to North America were KIDNAPPED, not sold. when will you realize that africans were not a united country or ethnicity during the slave trade and often fought other tribes for weapons or defended themselves against african or colonial invaders.
As someone who was born and raised in the Caribbean I don’t care for diaspora wars . Like I refuse to believe these are real conversations taking place online like that . I talk to other people from different islands and they genuinely feel the same . I simply cannot grasp the fact that people put so much energy into online arguments. Like I genuinely believe the participants need hobbies and need to get off the internet. There’s so many more pressing matters in life than arguing about the validity of cultures with some randoms online . Black people have lost the plot and it’s sad . Love the video girlie ❤
There is so much more to unpack here, this is a good start. All parties feel hurt and discriminated against. I also think that whoever coined the term “diaspora wars” was very extreme and very SUS!
To all Native indigenous melanated Aboriginal black people we are all the same no matter where we are in the diaspora we are separating ourselves because of white supremacy before these beings came in this realm we never knew nothing about what a Jamaican is or what a African it is or what a Caribbean is we knew none of those things we were all together there were no such things as tribes race none of that we've been here for trillions billions millions of years the white supremacy and their minions have only existed for a few thousand years and it has wrecked our foundation ‼️
Such a great vast topic to cover. You said everything I was feeling. As a first generation Canadian of Jamaican descent, I think this so called war is counter productive and divisive on purpose given that we ONLY have each other!
The term African Booty scratcher was around when I was a kid. At the time there were no black immigrants where I lived. It was a term used for dark skinned people and now we are teaching our children this crap. I’m so happy you understand this and talking about it. But it starts in the home. I’m African American and growing up the N word and colorism was not allowed in our household. Same with my household now. It’s prohibited in this home. So we have to stop this by teaching our children. I almost cried when my daughter came home and told me people were calling her friends this in the 2000!!. It starts at home. So let’s get rid of this mindset.
When I first heard “Black African Bootie Scratcher” it was the early 1970s in Los Angeles and was used by my African-American schoolmates from the South. The term was always prefaced with the word “Black”, and has nothing to do with the film Coming to America, preceding it by many years.
Originally from Savannah and I love ALL my African peeps, even the ones not related to my West African Madagascan brothaz and sistaz. Also, I feel you on the castor oil. Ma tried to tell me for years. I finally tried some and my hair reacts ta dat shit!
I was literally in a Target in Brooklyn the other day. I overheard some employees talking about the diaspora wars among employees. So it was trippy when I saw you posted this Love you
People are just people and Indians overseas act differently to Indians back home! Caribbean Indians are treated bad as well and stay to their own. They have Diaspora wars too this is just the world and people. Sometimes I think black people are too critical and love acting like we are they only ones beefing as if Russia ain’t bombing Ukraine in 2022.
You raise a good point, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized all groups interracially have problems and “beef” but we the only people putting it on social media for entertainment and can’t at least pretend to be United like everyone else does
It was my study of African History, Including Diaspora & Concentration on W. Africa, Culture, since I'm part of the Diaspora. In order to Love Myself, in this World!!! I had to get to the root of Our Worldwide Hate & SELF- HATE. IGNORANCE!!! ALWAYS!!! AFRICANS ALSO NEED TO STUDY DIASPORA HISTORY & STRUGGLES. WE'LL NEVER WIN, IF WE KEEP FALLING FOR THE SAME GAME, OF " I'M BETTER".... THEY CAN WIN DIVIDED, ALL CARDS IN THEIR, FAVOR!!! WE CANNOT!!! My COLORIST Mother taught me via passive aggressive comments towards my features/Hair & My Saving grace was my Light Skin🧐🤔🤨🤯!!! THIS MUST STOP!!! Also, made clear were Not African, Okay, BUT, We are Black; Which leads back to??? Then would elude to; "them" Not being civilized due to being heathens, Yes😔🙄😭. Wow!!!
“Black Americans” aren’t ethnic africans after 4/500 years and we aren’t lost lady. We know we have african descent but we’ve gone through a ethnogenesis in america and are admixed. We have our own culture and lineage in america not africa.
Add to not many Africans came to main land United States, 4% total. We are not African nor ever been called African till messy Jackson push that narrative in 88. It's just another ploy to remove us from the land since or ancestors wasn't staying on no land prison called reservations. Were the only melondated group who's people are multi toned no matter the parents complexion. That alone shows we not like you. We were Once many tribes now are one.
I absolutely agree with EVERY SINGLE POINT you made! My dearly beloved Elder, Baba Ogun Kemi told me YEARS ago, "Whenever somebody from the continent (Africa) tries to tell you that you ain't African, you look them in the eye and tell 'em, 'I'm the child that was snatched from your mother's breast.'" I felt CHILLS when he said that to me, and he actually DOES say that to Africans from the continent who be tryin' it. I HATE these diaspora wars myself! We need to focus on the REAL ENEMY, which is NOT each other!
As an African that was raised in the U.S from childhood, my socialization has only ever been that of the Afro-American experience. I grew up in mostly black areas, went to black schools, graduated from an HBCU. 90% of all the friends I've ever had were Black Americans.
So when I saw this Diaspora War bubble onto the surface a few years back, it felt very much like an agenda being pushed by opps to disunite us and as a result weaken us even further than we already are. It's honestly scary thinking about it. Call me crazy but I'm starting to wonder if this is our modern day version of Cointelpro.
Facts. It's a set up
AGREED!!!
Nawh, not exactly. It’s definitely out here in real life. Like you I grew up around predominantly African Americans in the Midwest. But when I moved to NYC and went to costal areas, a lot of African Americans do get called Yankees and distinguished from Caribbean Islanders. Not all do this but it is real. And vice versa with AA’s feeling a certain way abt Caribbean folk.
@@sweetpeaj1952 By whom?
@@AmandaFromWisconsin I saw somewhere that ADOS had a connection to white conservatives.
What is exported isn't African American culture. It is an African American stereotypes. AA have many distinct cultures in the Americas. Gullah/Geechee, Dismal Swamp, Seminole Freedman, Cowboy, Louisiana Creole, etc.. are all US African American cultures with their own foods, music and languages. People connecting to ancestral histories that are not African isn't because they are ashamed of being African. There is a much larger narrative that is based in nation building within a dominant white culture. It goes back to the Moorish Americas and Noble Drew Ali, the Nation of Islam and other similar groups. 90% of AA have mixed ancestry with some groups being more mixed than others. There was a deliberate policy to extend immigration opportunities to skilled people from the Caribbean and African on the heels of the Civil Rights movement in an effort to replace AA's who they felt had gotten too uppity. They knew that these workers would give them less trouble. They told them that they liked them better than AA's who were lazy and they believed and perpetuated this trope. The rest is history.
Gullah Geechee from the 912 here-my mom’s roots are from the 843. I identify with THAT culture, knowing exactly which plantation my great-great-great grandparents were sold to and endured forced labor. I appreciate you pointing this out. I don’t think it’s well known.
It’s so crazy to me how someone could call a person who doesn’t even own their own body and works sun up til sun down lazy. Like your a slave? Wtf?
@@SocksAmpersandSandals Hey Cuzzo! My family from the 803 before there was an 843 and also the 912! Edisto to Frogmore to Pin Point! We out chea! Yes we most certainly do. If we don't know, it's because we don't want to know.
I’ve traveled abroad and heard our music. I wasn’t expecting to hear Toni Braxton at a restaurant in Japan. I think aspects of our culture as well as larger American culture are exported globally as well as stereotypes, especially negative stereotypes about us. I have a family tree that goes back to 1600s US/colonies and love my AA culture but have always been curious about my African roots. I think many things can be true at once.
@@SE-gs6gd That part!! We weren't lazy until we didn't work for them for free. How ironic.
As an African American dating a Caribbean man, I’m so over the diaspora war. There is disrespect from all sides and it needs to stop. The arguments are stupid and pointless. At the end of the day, we are ALL BLACK.
I’m forever proud ADOS !💓 🇺🇸
Exactly, WE ARE ALL Black✊🏾‼️
Right. The police aren’t going to ask if you’re Caribbean, or European or American, before they shoot our Black ass
Yeah but this is disrespectful to say we’re “all black” when we all have diff cultures, speak diff languages and just overall are not the same culturally. Just bc we share the same skin color/race does not make us the same. And only black Americans call themselves “black” other people go by their tribe/ethnicity. So please respect that.
@@trxphywaifalt
I’ve seen Africans get mad and say “black Americans aren’t the only black people” and we tell them “you have never identified as black until now”. So please tell that to your fellow Africans & not us because we know that already.
One thing I would like non American black people to realize is how small of a population black people are in America, and how even smaller we were in past decades. Whereas many black people from other countries come from overall black identified nations. The effort it has taken to stay a recognized demographic, while maintaining a cultural identity in the States under terroristic conditions is a feat.
You got MAJOR CAP, real talk.
everything you said is a lie
That's so true 👏👏
@@peachyskies5158 well said!
We are about 14% of the population and that number is not accounting for the fact that African American is currently shared on the census with other Black groups who migrate here.
So we are less than 14%. As a population African Americans who descend from chattel slavery have seen a decrease in numbers.
As a Jamaican American (I have Jamaican parents but I was born in America) with a Nigerian name that was raised around African Americans and their culture predominantly, everyone’s at fault. We have all been fed anti black propaganda against different black ethnic groups. It’s all by design. I don’t like diaspora wars and the conversations around it because it’s always superficial. There’s no real depth it’s always “African booty scratchers” and “yah use to bully me” when again, I’ve seen everyone dish it out with no remorse and that includes Caribbean people. I’ve heard non ADOS people say similar talking points that white people have. It’s similar to the “pull urself up from your booty straps”, “we made it, yah haven’t because ur lazy” etc. rhetoric. The real issue to me is that there’s trauma here that no one is genuinely addressing in a nuanced and delicate way. We were stolen, sold, and displaced to separate countries. There’s a cultural and historical disconnect because of that which helps further our misunderstandings. It creates biases and clouds our judgment because we don’t have all of the proper historical information about each others cultures which is important in regards to context and empathy. We can’t understand why we’re having these issues because we don’t know each other and don’t care to learn
bingo!! you said it best! and your cultural background is so diverse! but yeah we never get deep, it feels like the convo is on loop.
Perfectly said
This is perfect! I’m Jamaican born, also with an African name living in the U.K. and lawd mih tiyad!!!!!!! 😖
How is everyone at fault when you fleed from your homeland and you’re all up in black Americans face via probably living in immigrant 3rd world hub of NYC/MIAMI
heavy emphasis on that last part
So happy you covered this. So annoyed with the anti black comments coming from all sides. I’ve even seen racist white people jump in and say that they respect Africans more and that African American culture is the result of our downfall.
They should know. Their ancestors had a hand in that "downfall." 😪
What’s sad is some people in the diaspora think the approval of non-Black people, ESPECIALLY White people’s approval is a flex‼️It’s not.
If they respected Africans they wouldn't still be siphoning their resources while the countries they steal from remain in debt to colonialist countries BY FORCE leading to their bankruptcy. Africa's resources is keeping the west fed...and now Asia as well. Without the west would for sure crumble.
Exactly and I find it real done because those same white people to turn around and tell African Americans that they're blessed to be taken out of Africa because of how unstabilized it is.
@@melissanicole3657 While I partially agree it’s still wrong to pit Africans and African Americans against each other. These white people are still racist because they’re assuming that Black Americans are inferior and incompetent. I mainly hear these talking points when it comes to education or careers. Black Americans can’t possibly be intelligent and put education and family first
I hate diaspora wars sm because there’s xenophobia on each side and it’s just annoying bcs obviously every community is gonna have bad apples so why are we still arguing instead of being united. ALSO something I DESPISE is black people gatekeeping their culture from other black ppl bcs they never have the same energy for non blacks and that just pisses me off like why are black ppl so aggressive and resentful towards each other and not the people who continue to mock us, use our cultures for their benefit and oppress us??
YES👏🏾‼️Exactly👏🏾‼️
Power.
Yup!
omg I hate that too! I remember when the discussion about waist beads came up and I was so pissed because there are non blacks wearing it but we have more smoke for black people in the diaspora that want to connect? its nonsense.
You're absolutely right. We all need to seize the hate.
I sometimes feel like if people knew the difference between race, nationality and culture and held these categories equally we wouldn’t have these diaspora wars. We are black! Where you are born is your nationality and your culture is where you get your values and beliefs. Africa is a continent and African American is a political term. We are black and where ever you are from is important, we are global and we will need all of our strength and weakness to unite and change. Anti-blackness is the issue and it’s global. 💪🏾🇯🇲🇨🇦
A political term?
@@stepahead5944 yes political term. Who does African American describe? I am a Caribbean Canadian but ppl will label me African American because I am black but that doesn’t identify me really, because globally African American is understood as black Americans but that term gets used politically to talk about black ppl as a whole. Geographical lines are just political lines.
Amen. Educating ourselves about your very comment is key! 👏🏾
When I see Dispora Wars I instantly ignore or block ❌ That those conversations bring nothing but division and unnecessary drama. I just can't 😤😤😤, it's just pure nonsense of anti-blackness, xenophobia, & ignorance. And any person of African descent who engages in those talks are extremely insecure, has low self-esteem, and self hatred.
👏🏿 👏🏿 👏🏿
Yeah, the Diaspora war is ridiculous! I am an African American (hailing from Atlanta, GA!!!)and when ppl say we have no connection to Africa it hurts and it’s wrong. I read this great book called The Cooking Gene and it is about African food ways and how they connect to southern food. One of the things I remember from this book is tea with mint in it and now it comes from Africa(I can’t remember where in Africa). My great grandma used to make iced tea with mint in it(or kool aid with mint for me😂). And it had me thinking HERE, here is the proof that we have a culture and it is rooted in Africa, among other things!
yesss I feel that the cooking is so deep. there's so many African American dishes that are so close to Nigerian dishes (and I can imagine even closer to other country and tribes in subsaharan african too)
You're delusional. You have no connection to African
It's not an equal
@HaintblueRee I’m African. For once, can you people stop spreading lies about African identity and culture. There’s no proof that mint tea came from Africa. Additionally, the fact that your relative made traditional mint tea is not proof that she had cooking genes because she could have simply gotten the info from a book or video. Besides, how can you people lose language and values but retain cooking? If you people knew anything at all about African culture you would know that cooking is tied to language and even values in many African cultures.
@mayowasworjd, pray tell what black American food is fufu close to? So many dishes huh? Why don’t you mention them? Even their fried chicken is unlike ANY African chicken and chicken is as basic as it gets!
We are NOT lost! Check yourself
She wants to Africanize us. That's why she's always using AA instead of Black American.
Ur lost 🤮. Looking for a way to differentiate yourselves all in the name of being “unique”😂. Better awaken your minds
I relate so much to having Nigerian parents, but being socialized as African-American. Personally half my family is Nigerian and the other half is African-American. The experience is a little tricky to articulate to people because there’s so much overlap between African immigrants and African-Americans.
wow, a very diverse background! I've been curious how people who are half african and have african Americans are feeling about these convos.
@@mayowasworld yeah I’ve really started to realize that we’re all baking in many layers of interalized racism✨
You're not African American you're a Nigerian
@@ivyrainbitch I’m actually both and that’s kinda what I was talking abt with regards to it being hard to articulate. One of my parents is from Nigeria, but he is now a US citizen. My other parent is from the US and she’s a descendant of African enslaved ppl. They’re both African Americans.
You aren't socialized as a Black American because you're Nigerian
I think now that people who felt severely othered in America are older with a vocabulary to back their trauma and hurt, the diaspora wars have really kicked into full swing where the hurt started. I always remember feeling incredibly hurt and paranoid when I entered my first year or two of undergraduate studies because it was seriously my first time being around people who were African-American in the book definition way: their parents and grandparents and great grandparents stretch back across American soil. It was an Othering I hadn't experienced since I'd immigrated to the States, and something that shocked my system because everyone like LITERALLY everyone I was close to growing up was a first generation baby.
Now that I'm getting older, I'm trying to navigate these pains more, especially seeing the major MAJOR differences in how Caribbean immigrants experienced lands like England vs. America, along with the major similarities. Ultimately, the systems that pit us against one another have been ingrained so firmly, that we have morphed them into our own weapons, without realizing the broken shotgun blows backwards when we fire. It makes me so sad because it's an incredible journey to have to deindividualise yourself to recognise that the hurt you suffered was a symptom of greater issue, because I'm like... fucking hurt you know and I kind of want to sit in my tears and frustration and embarrassment but also I shouldn't, because the people who hurt me are crying in someway too.
It's a really serious issue that is further escalating, methinks. It's especially alarming that Indigienous roots are also trying to be erased/blanketed by these same diaspora wars, particularly for people in South America and pockets of the Caribbean, it just further adds fuel to the fire. Hopefully someday we can return and build a stronger allyship, like black centres that sprouted during the 70s and 80s for the advancement and education of all diaspora babies about the roots that connected them!
You are one of the best people to discuss this. I hate the diaspora wars but I understand the sense of irritation we may have toward each other. I do love how the hyper visibility of afrobeats music is uniting us.
Perks of being an introvert is I don't engage or deal with any of this nonsense. The hell is wrong with people?! Just inventing division and drama for whaaaaat?
Control
Me too! I'll happily stay a introvert.
To make $ off of people who don’t know who they are and want to latch on to something anything to feel good/superior.
@UniQueLyEviL exactly introverts don't walk around with such a chip on their shoulder. GROSS!!!!!!
Its soooo freakin disgusting I hate it!! I found out that I`m 45% Yoruba I was sooooooo pressed and super excited!!! We are one!! Ive been to 9ja like seven time lol I love the place so much
@UmmYasmin91 DNA tests are pseudoscientific, not scientific, and did it maybe occur to you that the tests showed you what YOU wanted to see? You love Nigeria so it seems rather convenient that the test would reinforce some crazy notion that you are Nigerian Yoruba. Very convenient. Too convenient
Also, no DNA tests or other tests can isolate and specify ethnic groups considering how non homogenous most ethnic groups are today. Unless the ethnic group was isolated from the rest of the world, that’s practically impossible
@@YT-xk5jl whatever who cares lol I literally found my Yoruba cousin Idgaf abt anything else good day
My problem is you only talked about "African booty scratcher" what about "Akata"?
🎯
I've been waiting for you to speak on this again. I grew up in the middle of the diaspora war being first generation Ghanaian American on my father's side and my mother being African American......We ALL do our part in pushing stereotypes about each other. And the culture really does shift. But what's FUNNY is our oppressors can RARELY tell the difference. Especially because we culture share in America so....accidentally(?). We are derived from each other. It's ok to see it that way. POWERFUL even.
I am African American. Thank you Sis! Much Love!!! You are a Blessing to the World African Community! Wakanda Forever!
this video was great, thank you! i think i first started experiencing this as an african american who lived in miami for 4 years for college. south florida is such a vibrant mix of black caribbean and latino cultures. and as an aa, i definitely began to notice the sense of dissappointment i'd see on a person's face or comments straight up mentioning "oh, that's it?" "oh, only african american?" when people asked me what i was or where i was from. i think it was rooted in the idea that you were talking about, how being african american is seen as something inferior sometimes within our diaspora. then also colorism/texturism bc sometimes black communities across the board have a fixation with anyone lighter that could be from any other culture (i wouldn't say i'm ambiguous either esp having natural 4a/4b hair and loc'd now but my dad's side is very creole so with that in mind ppl always thought i was dominican or trini which def is related to colorism and texturism against unambigously black caribbean people hence their disappointment).
also want to mention miami does have a historical presence of african americans as this is always not as noted. anyways, while these diaspora wars were honestly hurtful as well as seeing this play out on twitter every other week back in the day ( not on there now) i think i've let that sting go and just focus on the fact that so many of us across the diaspora are tired of that and really are in the mindset of loving, supporting and honoring all of our different cultures and black people across the diaspora. that's really what's most important at the end of the day
No ma’am, the term African booty scratcher predates the movie’coming to America.’ I’m nearly 50 and that was some thing that was said on the playground when I was in elementary school.
wow never knew smh its sad its been around for so long.
@@mayowasworld As a GenX'er I agree with Senora Cheapee. That's what they showed on tv. These documentaries, and Unicef commercials with the children with bloated bellies and flies all around. I can remember being in elementary school, and girls, with the same complexion would ask "which country are you from"? We would say, we're from here. They would ask because they were from Panama, Nicaragua, or the D.R. My Mom raised us up to say "if anyone asks you tell them you are Black of Indian descent" Meaning we were were born here, our descendants were either enslaved or sharecroppers, AND the other half of our family have Native American roots.
This term was used by the lowest class level of African Americans in grade school. It's a highly offensive and an ignorant term. The purpose of this term is to be insulting, to victimize, and demean people. There are no positive benefits for insulting people, especially your brothers and sisters from the motherland.
Your hair looks so good and moisturized
Definitely one of of inspiration to finally lock my hair
I also feel think that as black people we are not patient with each other when it comes to learning things about ourselves as a race. case point, on twitter a nigerian girl was dragged because she thought chloe x halle had their locs growing from their scalp but the thing is that there are people in nigeria we call "dada" people whose hair "locs" up few days after birth and there are superstitions about why their locs shouldn't be cut. so the girl basically assumed the bailey sisters were dada people but instead of simply educating her she got dragged. we need to be more patient with ourselves and realize that white supremacy did a number on us globally and help ourselves slowly learn and to remove the shackles of anti blackness
I have always thought of people living in the various African countries (la République du Congo, la Démocratique du Congo, la Tunisie, Mauritanie, le Cameroun, Burundi, etc) as phenomenal people. Because of their awesomeness, we THE descendants, are awesome. There is probably something that different ethnicities envy about us that irritate them or arouse their anxiety. We, as dark-skinned people, are capable of surviving different ecologies and have contributed to so many of the developments of various countries (most if not all) across the globe yet, to this day, people cannot seem to see/appreciate it (they have been refusing for such a long time).
I agree with you, Raimundo🙌🏾‼️
@raymundofantastico I am African. You people need to stop your misinformation. We are not your ancestors and you are not our descendants as we are modern day people just like you 🤦 . You must look up your ancestors in your American museums
I'm a Black American and I remember as a child and teen one the most insulting things you could say to another BA person is that they are Africans. There was a whole host of insults having to do with being African. In America the only real images we saw of Africans was war and poverty, even in my family they saw slavery as a blessing because we ended up in America. It wasn't until I went to college and was exposed to BA who were from Africa and Africans who were from Africa, that I realized I was lied to. We are all black ppl damn it!!!
I’m also a Black American but my experience was different. I’m in my 40s and I never heard negative talk about Africans from black people until I was an adult and visited certain large metropolitan areas. Actually two of my older relatives married Nigerians and I have two sets of cousins with Nigerian dads. One set grew up in Nigeria because my mom’s first cousin moved there with her husband. It would have seemed weird to me for my family to hate on think negatively about Africans when we are related to Africans. Plus a lot of my family was heavily involved in the Civil Rights Movement. My mom wore/wears dashikis as do I because it’s normal to us. My family told me our ancestry is a combination of African, Irish European and Choctaw Native American descent.
It's not insulting. Alot of Caribbean ppl don't want to be Labeled as Africans because we are not Africans. It's as simple as that.
@paradisesunprincess Exactly, as an African, the truth will never be insulting. You people are not African. I have relatives born in the States and they will never want to be called Black Americans because they are not. They are African who happened to be born to AFRICAN parents and of AFRICAN culture in America
I AM NOT SURE WHERE OR HOW YOU WERE RAISED, I AM 60 AND HAVE ALWAYS ALWAYS BEEN PROUD OF MY AFRICAN HERITAGE.. NOT EVERYONE, BUT JUST YOU
You always have a way of tackling these topics that has great insight. The fact that you have lived on various continents and have been immersed in the black experience from different lenses it brings a perspective that’s needed, thank you for sharing…. Oh congratulations on the baby lock 🥳🥳🥳🥳🎉
thank you!!
I really want to talk about this more. I'm Liberian american living in the UK and the discussions here are always... interesting to hear. I try to defend my African american siblings as much as I can but it seems like the education about Black americans in the UK is just as bad as it is in the states. They literally still ask but where are you from like they werent trafficked to the americas. Everytime I hear it i have to check them. And the superiority they feel over them makes my skin itch like racism in the UK is any better.
Thank you for making this😭 Twitter makes me lose edges everyday about this
LMAO!
This video really gave me food for thought as a BDOS (British Descendant of Slavery - via the Caribbean).
However at 14:30 when Mayowa says that kind of discussion is only happening in the West, not Nigeria, it makes perfect sense.
BP are in a minority in the West, so start off in a more vulnerable position. BP are acutely aware of the competition for, and distribution of "scarce" resources.
In a black majority country, there maybe other inter ethnic tensions, but the mindset is different because they're not in a RACIAL minority and not in a country where they are numerically, financially, economically and culturally dominated by their former oppressors and colonisers.
It makes a HUGE difference.
yup you hit the nail on the head.
Slightly related but maybe trivial: So I am a new traveler from America and it has opened my eyes way more to the reach of anti blackness/white supremacy. Recently I was the only black face in a cooking class in Thailand and the host (not the chef) a Thai man made a joke about how we shouldn’t be afraid to get seconds (food), “think about Africa” 🙄 you know because people in Africa are “starving”. Everybody in the room (including a group of dark skinned southeast Asians from Australia) thought this was hilarious and I’m just like wait how is this funny? I know the phrase is old and probably stems from those food aid commercials (with the potatoes) but still it was just very strange/uncomfortable to watch strangers from different countries laugh about that collectively smfh 😡
smh im sorry you had to experience this. I remember people making those comments too which is wild because Thailand is a country that also has a lot of poverty but they can still gather to laugh at anti blackness.
I'm always seeing comments on those Middle Ground videos asking for an African American vs. African debate and at first I was so confused bc I didn't even know we had issues lmfao. All I know is I love my culture as a Nigerian and I love AA or Black/AFDOS American, Caribbean etc cultures as well. Africans and descendants of Africans everywhere have so much to give and this infighting isn't doing anything good for us. It's fine not to identify with African cultures even as a descendant, just don't dish out disrespect. Same as how I as a Nigerian have no right to talk ill of African/black-Americans or Afro-Caribbean people as if I'm better just because I was raised on African soil. My country is in hot soup right now because of corruption and all that but I'll never be ashamed of my heritage. Basically, I know Africans, the diaspora and descendants (ADOS) are destined for incredible things just as every human being is and internal conflict is not the way to go.
exactly!!!
I recommend reading The Common Wind by Julius Scott for some historical context to the unity/disunity amongst the Afro diaspora. It centers around the Haitian Revolution, how it came about and the aftermath. It really broadened my perspective.
thanks for this reccomenndation !
Yes, these diaspora wars need to stop!! This chasm between Black people is definitely by design and set on autopilot at this point. My father was from West Africa and my mother is an African American. Fortunately, within my home it was instilled in us that we are one and stressed an appreciation of the different expressions of Blackness throughout the diaspora. However, the experience outside of my home was definitely incongruent with those values. As an adult I am becoming more aware of the "design" that has been used to pit us against ourselves. We have to educate ourselves on the many branches of the same tree we originate from. Thank you so much for speaking out against this! May it continue to reverberate!
yes I think youre right, a lot of it is us having to take the knowledge into our own hands.
Man it needs to stop. It gets old. Like I went to an HBCU, I developed a huge pride in my culture and my roots. I love my history, before and after my ancestors were stolen to the states. I get annoyed that a lot of West Africans I meet look down on me until they find out what I do, and vice versa with African Americans. My cousin who's a bad ass who has a bad ass career is engaged to a Nigerian man but his mom hates her bc she's American...make it make sense 😑
I have experienced this. I have had to humble a few africans before and they were shocked and upset. And what sucks is i felt bad afterward bc i felt like i was talking about some version of myself. But it had to be done. Some people beg you to show them your boundaries. Another time i had an African girl from the ivory fired for throwing racial slurs at work. Like sis, I'm friendly, not nice. And she wasn't even talking about me but another black woman for no reason. Just bc she thought i didn't understand her. But just like it hurts me to hurt you, you can't hurt me either. Don't assume i don't understand you when you speak. And don't assume no one else will tell me. That's very entitled energy. And i felt bad for getting her fired, and that sucked. I wondered sometimes if i should of done differently but then i realize if the situation was flipped she would of gotten rid of me and probably felt nothing afterward unlike me. Lol so i let it go. Honestly i think if we just respected each other's boundaries we would be fine. But the superiority complexes have to be tackled first.
@@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 this.
@LadyDnMiller You’re not African and will never be. Our identity will never belong to you and everybody has African roots
@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 How could she have been throwing racial slurs? After all you ppl claim we are all the same? Or do you guys just love to play the victim every chance you get?
@chaosswa-ee-ty5911 As an African I am 100% certain that it’s not a superiority complex. It’s your own insecurity and envy. Most of you people envy us Africans but you will never be us
*The things that really annoy me personally about the diaspora wars:*
*1)* is many of my fellow Black Americans who want to tie our fight for reparations into it, and end up adopting all types of white supremacist, xenophobic rhetoric in the process. Doesn't have to be that way. Like... at all! I'm constantly butting heads with uncles who listen to the same Black social media figures who push that nonsense. It's not hard to fight for our own thing without throwing our other Brothers and Sisters under the bus. Then again, these are the same people who are proud to display American flag emojis in their bios and pfps and whatnot. Something that just looks absolutely ridiculous to me considering this country works in overtime to screw us over. So maybe I'm taking those specific people a little too seriously? 🤷🏾♂️
*²)* is how Black folk across the diaspora will have these conversations with their white friends. Their complaints about other Black people. Something I've seen from Black Americans, Caribbeans & Africans alike in the US. It leads to some pretty awkward "WTF?!" moments where you end up having to put one of your white friends in check because they may say some out of pocket type isht they thought they were okay to say because their proverbial _Black Friend_ had these conversations with them. That's what we're not gonna do.
My people are too easy to manipulate.
When your friend was called african looking, she should of smiled with a BIG OLE JOKER SMILE AND LIGHT IN HER EYES AND SAID "THANK YOU''.
As a 2nd gen african I've had to check some of my relatives for the way they talk about African Americans, that shit is crazy to me
Crazy or truth? I am an African who grew up amongst them and I maintain that they are not and will never be African. I don’t care about the somewhat offensive views we may have towards them but at the end of the day, these people often mock, ridicule and taunt Africans. So it’s tit for tat IMO
@@YT-xk5jl yeah it's tit for tat for sure. But I still try to give them grace bc they're so far removed from their cultural roots by force. The diaspora infighting is by design and only benefits white people. I wish we could all realize this
@@YT-xk5jl Um y'all taunt, ridicule and attack us too and are trying so hard to be hated. In fact there's many instances of us being friendly only for you guys to be cold and unfriendly. Y'all brought tribalism, the same hate y'all have for other Africans with y'all when you came to the USA.
@@YT-xk5jlyou’re the problem. It is tit for tat, but what came first? The chicken or the egg?
@@YT-xk5jlyou’re right and nobody ever wanted to be African it’s a relief when I found out I wasn’t
I'm a Afro-Caribbean (Jamaica🇯🇲) born and raised in the UK. Ive always found it very weird and sad that some black people deny or play down their African Roots. Our African roots are so powerful and rich. I'm proud to be African so much so that I left London to live in Ghana and I love it 🇬🇭
genuine question - how are you Afro-Caribbean if you were born and raised in the UK O.o.... where'd the Caribbean come in?
@@jagirl_vendetta2197 that means that her family is of Jamaican descent.
@@MsTake012 oh okay, ty for the explanation!
@@jagirl_vendetta2197 because people can be born in different countries
@@jagirl_vendetta2197 most black people outside of Africa are referred to "afro- insert nation here". So afro Latinos, afro Jamaicans, afro Brazilians etc. Just means you're African descendants
When I was in elementary school I would lie about my family being from Nigeria just because I wished I knew where I and my ancestors came from as an African American.
As an African, I would never have bought that. Most of us can always tell even if we are born in the West. We can just tell who our people are.
As a Jamaican-American born ATL I gotta say this whole culture war thing is kinda stupid. At the end of the day we were all at the back of the bus once and using the “colored” restrooms.
Your hair is beautiful mayo don't ever change for nobody ♥️♥️
Showing support queen
I feel like we’re experiencing dividing and conquering in real time.
I too believe we’re siblings as we share ancestry. That a large part of the devastation West Africa experienced is a result of all the family we lost to the trade (raids and kidnapping)
And same Sis regarding being Nigerian but socialized African American since I grew up here.
that part! Many people stolen and trafficked were soldiers, farmers, people who were fit and skilled. Because they were all stolen, it was easier to conquer
Yes girl..thanks for talking about this. Like you said, the wars have their roots in anti-blackness. The master taught us well, now we are doing the hating for him by hating on one another. We need to read our history more..to understand how we got here. I think it will help us appreciate each other more as black people and not be too quick to condemn one another.
Thank you for this! Please do a video on the Isreal topic. I feel like it is growing and know quite a few people caught up in this. 🤦🏾♀️ I am lucky enough to grow up with many different people from the African diaspora. From Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago, and many Afro Lations as well. I have never personally experienced any bad interactions with people from the African diaspora. We always all got together and no one felt superior or inferior to one another. I am glad there are more people out there showing love and understanding than the trolls who try to divide us. I have only seen this kind of wars online personally. Not saying they don't exist in person, I recall darker skinned African American people being called African and never understood why that would be an insult unless you are self hating and uneducated. 😬😮💨 I know my experience is just a drop in the bucket, but African Americans and the diaspora have been and can be together in love. I hope it continues despite all the nonsensical behavior of the few.💖💞
Good LORD you NAILED it with this video mayowa, you NAILED it. You have articulated exactly how I have felt about diaspora wars from the African side but had no words for. I'm nigerian and I agree, a lot of africans born America are socialized as African-americans. They don't actually don't know much about African culture other than what is made popular on social media. They don't speak an African language, have never been to Africa, will never go to Africa, and parrot the same tired, negative stereotypes about africa as non-africans, yet STILL try to place themselves above the African Americans. Again, most Africans born in America are basically African-Americans/ black-Americans, and I say that as an African who fully embraces the African americans. But that is exactly why I will NEVER buy into the silly diaspora wars. The entire situation is so embarrassing on all sides.
YUPPP, and youre so right about them parroting the same tropes about nigeria you can tell they have no interest to see the country for their own, but they use this false confidence to try to mock or make fun of those who are descendants of slavery smh its a mess.
Lord protect mayowa,we must protect her🖤✊🏾
Mayowa, I love you! I’ve been saying this for years, that all of our fighting is rooted in the fact that we still don’t want to be black and we are still struggling to accept ourselves.
Those people did it intentionally to make sure we suffer and never come up I admire how brutal and wicked those people her.
I am so glad that you are bringing this up because I'm fighting against this all the time we are been socialized in this country I'm not sure if it's the rest of the diaspora why people have told us what what an African looks like so an African is dark skin big behind for see hair big eyes big big broad nose big lips and a lot of these features actually came from race mixing white people have big nose I know so much smoother they might be broad but they're not necessarily always big so that is a misnomer but the ease you had of melty into African-American community is because they could identify with your look and it was a look of family in most cases now the Ethiopians and Somalians the Sudanese some other South Africans have a more difficult time because they do not fit the white people's narrative that they told us what African looks like so they are somewhat rejected or vilified or scrutinized to find out if they're really like us or not it's a lot of miseducation it's a lot of very very very deep ignorance and I'm so glad that you're bringing it up hopefully we can do better and grow.
Colonialism goes deep, smh. But from what I see, as soon as someone from the diaspora learns their history for real (family's, country's, continent's, etc), it's nothing but love for all Black people because you realize we're one, and the difference is where the slaveship stopped.
You have the best take on the “African Booty Scratcher” argument I’ve heard.
I am Black American from the West Coast and I can attest the term is a colorist tease and was used toward any Black child who was dark skinned. It had nothing to do with ethnicity, directly. Although Africa caught the stray of the insult, so to speak.
Thanks for this video, Mayowa.
Ok! So. What rich celebrity do we coach into putting together a diaspora festival.
LMAO!
Ppl need to heal please
Let’s have a moment for the beauty 😮💨👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾
You look lovely with classic makeup.
I do agree that the diaspora wars are counterproductive and I think we have ti be honest when talking about them. it’s not true that African Americans coming to Africa aren’t going to be mistreated for being African American. It happens all the time. Maybe that comment is based on Mayowa’s personal experience, but as an African American with interest in visiting many African countries, I’ve listened to the stories of other African Americans. One thing that is a common thread is either mistreatment for simply being African American or mistreatment for having the means to move to an African country and live more comfortably than native locals.
one day i was watching ivia anita and she was like talking a bout getting ppl together and just randomly said yam festival and i just today wrote a whole event list today i hope to actually do it one day ,its hard for me cuase i dont have alot of community but im on fam
thats a great idea too because its big in igbo culture!
@@mayowasworld like we can do it my sistah buut my main issue tiny one is where .should it be like afro punk hopping black cities every year or in one place
I love melanated people from all over the world, and I hate that we aren't sticking together. However, many of us who consider ourselves to be African American are actually indigenous to our lands in the Americas and we were misclassified in ways that allowed for foreigners to invade our lands while keeping our minds focused on a so-called diaspora. When we do family genealogies some of us predate the slave trade here and many families owned entire towns before they were seized by our government. When we follow the mainstream ideologies we discount our real ancestors and what they actually fought for, and disown our birthrights when we claim African and don't have the genealogy to match a direct ancestor to Africa. I too used to claim African-American under the guise of modern teachings, but after having my genealogy professionally done, which matches the genealogy that has been recorded by family elders and with all of the research that was completed, there isn't one African on my tree. I hope that as many of us discover our new found truth about our individual histories, we can still be united with our fellow melanated brethren across the globe. The planet was melanated first, and all lands including the Americas were inhabited by so-called negros first. There are many accounts written by colonizers stating this fact. The ideology that all life started out of Africa is a theory colonizers use to rewrite the histories of the melanated indigenous populations abroad. If we shall stick together, it should be for the truth to reign supreme so that we can all thrive in our homelands globally and stop feeling displaced....
P.S. I absolutely love you and your content! Keep shining your light sis!
Please no, I don't know where the term "African Bootyscratcher" came from, but it's definitely not from Coming To America 😅
Making fun of people who were trafficked… whewwwwww! This was a word.
this is such a good ass take thank you for taking the time to express your thoughts on this. i am african ‘american’ and very proud to be part of the west african diaspora ! as an aside i was blown away at how similar the experience of collards and callaloo is, we are one people fr
and its also similar to a dish we have called efo riro
@@mayowasworld just looked it up it looks soooo good too 😭 i hope to try it someday!
Proud to be an African Descendent
You are so intelligent! Hearing you speak and absorbing it is like a mental exercise for me
such a nice true comment :)
Divide and conquer, as they say. How can we fight oppression when we fight amongst ourselves over trivial BS and fighting over "that step on the ladder."
You're so beautiful, love the hair. Thoughtful commentary.
I respect that you know and acknowledge that you are Nigerian and are respectful to recognize that you aren’t African American. African Americans are Africans who were sold into slavery and have been here since the 1500s. It’s completely separate and needs to be respected too.
Also, not acknowledging the sociopolitical differences between ADOS and immigrant/Caribbean/Continental African Black people can potentially cause problems. Case in point being: ADOS are the direct descendants of the enslaved Black men and women who built this country and suffered from discrimination where centuries of generational wealth was lost. However, “because we’re all Black”, you have many immigrant Black people feeling just as entitled to ADOS reparations, which to me doesn’t sit right. Yes, we’re all Black but our experiences are very different and it’s upsetting that some non-ADOS Black people try to undermine and benefit from what should be allocated only to us who were born here bc of our familial ties to slavery in THIS land.
It’s unfortunate, but although I have a diverse group of Black friends from across the Diaspora, I still know of many non-ADOS Black people who make it very clear that they look down on and don’t like ADOS people, while still having the audacity to want to benefit from things that ADOS have established and fought for in this country. It’s just like White people not liking us, but tolerating us enough to allow us to patronize their businesses with our Black dollars-it’s disingenuous and yes it should be addressed.
Why play into the war by reiterating the same dead themes that come up every time? How does this help us heal?
Everyone in the diaspora has a very different journey to how they got to where they are today. What do you mean by saying that yours is separate? And why would we need to think in that way? My family’s recent heritage is Caribbean. African slaves transported to the Caribbean islands who suffered a great deal during slavery. After the period of slavery abolishment, continued colonisation, and the war - my grandparent were invited to the UK to help rebuild the country. They worked in hospitals, the army, rebuilt the train lines and received horrendous racism for their efforts. Is their story so dissimilar to yours?
And respect goes both ways. You must also respect the history and cultures of others to get respect back.
@@reneedasilva1153 I’m not playing into anything, I’m acknowledging differences in origin. If the Brits were to finally pay reparations to the Caribbeans, would I, being ADOS be entitled to it? No, I would not-I’d simply be happy for my kinfolk who are. The same goes for the Haitian-French dilemma. I emphasized THIS land (the U.S.) for a reason-not to dismiss or “disrespect” the experiences of other Black people from abroad. I’m not sure how you concluded that I don’t respect non-ADOS. I don’t understand how acknowledging differences is a problematic concept, but to each their own. Happy Monday!
@@SocksAmpersandSandals pssst.. "American ADOS" is unnecessary coz the A in ADOS already stands for American😂😂 it literally means American Descendent of Slaves
@@warmthonthemoon4293 I’m not sure if you were trying to shame me or not, but thanks for bringing that to my attention-suffering from pregnancy brain and sleep deprivation at the moment. I’ll make the proper changes.
BP are slow in some area... we are brilliant and creative people but when coming to figure out the enemy we are dumb... We don't see the game being play and that why I believe our help will be an outside source. Or it takes a huge calling out of the nonsense by leaders , everyone need to call a time out here! Furthermore I think some of some of These people are bought out , i am almost sure, I see one person did a 360 degree turn within days against other groups... furthermore AA male against their female and vice versa... It's ridiculous... Money pass somewhere to get us behaving like this!
We were SOLD by Africans to European traders. Not stolen
Who were trying to avoid being sold into slavery themselves, which, they still were later on. Africans didn't go looking for people to sell. Europeans came looking. Wonder why they didint us other Europeans.
African men sold us into slavery, even now they are still selling the motherland and resources to Europeans Asian. Only the black men doesn't protect what is his, resources,lands, women and children. How can you still allow yourself to be at the bottom of foods chains this days and age
@@anonymousanonymous870 as an African I feel like even other Africans have given up on africa like a lot of African leaders don't live in africa
@@miram2053Historical accounts suggest that many Africans sold were POW’s to other African tribes from the various conflicts they were having with each other at the time
@Melissa Nicole Yeah, it’s a disgusting practice. But it ( if understand what you’re saying), Africans aren’t the only ones participating in this. The practice happens worldwide and to answer your question, it’s the same rationale as everywhere else.
Yeah, I have encountered these ideas as well. My opinion is it's devisive and I want no parts. It's dangerous and puts out confusion to our people who are already trying to piece ourselves together. Yes, some black people were here prior to colonization, but it's wrong to say all of us are native to America. Just as it's wrong to say we are all from Israel. We should not say all at any time when speaking of black people. No one who is oppressing us is looking at you saying, oh you're good you are a black person whose ancestors were native to this country. They are going to look at you and say you are black and your loan is denied. Period.
Alicia, its true a set of BP are from israel but that conversation need to be had in context because there is a reason why israel organized a handful of Aliya from the turn of the century to the 70s . Black people should not be excluded in those spaces as its theirs.
Same for americas and canada there is a small set that were here before the caucasianess.
we need to be calm when we address those specific nuances for the exact same reasons why , when we talk about Black latinos. its a dangerous game to exclude them from Latinidad because the mestizos are already trying to kick them out. Afrolatinos represent our diaspora within that cultural enclave and we can respect that.
when i was in France there was Black arabs too and of various hues also. the only time i ever dissed then was when i was 14 and i remember saying " Black arabs ? PFFFF FOH" and that was my teenage ignorance until my mam schooled me on their history.
we can be a prosperous diaspora with geographic differences and nuances but and we can eat from the same place in circle. Now that's me , because in real life , i never gave AF about who is what but its a huuuuge deal with many places. my wife is rom senegal and i am a biracial southern african. Her dad was ok with us marrying but all 3 of her uncles were like NAH we need a local .
Thank you for this. This was beautifully and powerfully worded ✊🏾
I love listening to you speak. You always speak the truth and are always so thoughtful and deep thinkihg. I would attend that event for sure...
The more I learn about how interconnected our cultures are, the sillier the diaspora wars get.
It's definitely white supremacy and xenophobia like you said. I think about language a lot. Things like suck-teeth/smack lips (I also think it's called chuups?) have been preserved and is shared by so many of us. You can see so many aspects of West/Central African cultures that our ancestors passed down. You also mentioned dance and food. Religious practices, hairstyles, clothes. It's all there.
Since finding your channel, it has given me LIFE and helped me in so many ways. Please keep it up. It has been a breath of Fresh AIR! I feel the same way but didn't know how to verbalize it and articulate it as you have. Thank you, dada!
8:54 why is this African not acknowledging that Africans (especially from modern day deplorable Nigeria) “Igbo, Fulani etc sold off there own tribal people & rival tribal warriors to Europeans
why is this black american not acknowledging that most enslaved africans who were sent to North America were KIDNAPPED, not sold. when will you realize that africans were not a united country or ethnicity during the slave trade and often fought other tribes for weapons or defended themselves against african or colonial invaders.
and also the igbo and the fulani are literally well known for not selling slaves and inciting slave rebellions when they get caught by white people.
As someone who was born and raised in the Caribbean I don’t care for diaspora wars . Like I refuse to believe these are real conversations taking place online like that . I talk to other people from different islands and they genuinely feel the same . I simply cannot grasp the fact that people put so much energy into online arguments. Like I genuinely believe the participants need hobbies and need to get off the internet. There’s so many more pressing matters in life than arguing about the validity of cultures with some randoms online . Black people have lost the plot and it’s sad . Love the video girlie ❤
Like our land and resources are being snatched from us right in-front of our faces and that’s what we’re doing ??!!!!!?? WE ARE DONE FOR
Ikr
I love this video!! So much TRUTH! Thank you, Sis. ❤️❤️❤️👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿💯💯💯🥰🥰🥰🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
There is so much more to unpack here, this is a good start. All parties feel hurt and discriminated against. I also think that whoever coined the term “diaspora wars” was very extreme and very SUS!
that ending was triflin af but in the best possible way... 😁
LOL
To all Native indigenous melanated Aboriginal black people we are all the same no matter where we are in the diaspora we are separating ourselves because of white supremacy
before these beings came in this realm we never knew nothing about what a Jamaican is or what a African it is or what a Caribbean is
we knew none of those things
we were all together
there were no such things as tribes race none of that
we've been here for trillions billions millions of years
the white supremacy and their minions have only existed for a few thousand years and it has wrecked our foundation ‼️
That is not true .
🙄
They make fun because they don’t know the history. It’s as simple as that. And it will continue until they are exposed to that knowledge.
Such a great vast topic to cover. You said everything I was feeling. As a first generation Canadian of Jamaican descent, I think this so called war is counter productive and divisive on purpose given that we ONLY have each other!
The term African Booty scratcher was around when I was a kid. At the time there were no black immigrants where I lived. It was a term used for dark skinned people and now we are teaching our children this crap. I’m so happy you understand this and talking about it. But it starts in the home. I’m African American and growing up the N word and colorism was not allowed in our household. Same with my household now. It’s prohibited in this home. So we have to stop this by teaching our children. I almost cried when my daughter came home and told me people were calling her friends this in the 2000!!. It starts at home. So let’s get rid of this mindset.
The ending 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I LOVE IT.
When I first heard “Black African Bootie Scratcher” it was the early 1970s in Los Angeles and was used by my African-American schoolmates from the South. The term was always prefaced with the word “Black”, and has nothing to do with the film Coming to America, preceding it by many years.
Randomly was humming this theme song this morning lol I had to rack my brain like wait what IS that ?? Lol
lol!
I
Originally from Savannah and I love ALL my African peeps, even the ones not related to my West African Madagascan brothaz and sistaz. Also, I feel you on the castor oil. Ma tried to tell me for years. I finally tried some and my hair reacts ta dat shit!
This was so good! You explained it perfectly!
No, I started using Jamaican black castor oil as soon as I got my Locs and oh my Universe! It was the best oil for my hair!💜
I was literally in a Target in Brooklyn the other day. I overheard some employees talking about the diaspora wars among employees. So it was trippy when I saw you posted this
Love you
People are just people and Indians overseas act differently to Indians back home! Caribbean Indians are treated bad as well and stay to their own. They have Diaspora wars too this is just the world and people. Sometimes I think black people are too critical and love acting like we are they only ones beefing as if Russia ain’t bombing Ukraine in 2022.
You raise a good point, it wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized all groups interracially have problems and “beef” but we the only people putting it on social media for entertainment and can’t at least pretend to be United like everyone else does
You are exactly right, we have to put our petty differences aside and then build up our nations within the diaspora.
Preach Sister!
Thank you from adding nuanced perspective to the conversation.
It was my study of African History, Including Diaspora & Concentration on W. Africa, Culture, since I'm part of the Diaspora. In order to Love Myself, in this World!!!
I had to get to the root of Our Worldwide Hate & SELF- HATE.
IGNORANCE!!! ALWAYS!!! AFRICANS ALSO NEED TO STUDY DIASPORA HISTORY & STRUGGLES. WE'LL NEVER WIN, IF WE KEEP FALLING FOR THE SAME GAME, OF " I'M BETTER".... THEY CAN WIN DIVIDED, ALL CARDS IN THEIR, FAVOR!!! WE CANNOT!!!
My COLORIST Mother taught me via passive aggressive comments towards my features/Hair & My Saving grace was my Light Skin🧐🤔🤨🤯!!! THIS MUST STOP!!! Also, made clear were Not African, Okay, BUT, We are Black; Which leads back to??? Then would elude to; "them" Not being civilized due to being heathens, Yes😔🙄😭. Wow!!!
“Black Americans” aren’t ethnic africans after 4/500 years and we aren’t lost lady. We know we have african descent but we’ve gone through a ethnogenesis in america and are admixed. We have our own culture and lineage in america not africa.
Add to not many Africans came to main land United States, 4% total. We are not African nor ever been called African till messy Jackson push that narrative in 88. It's just another ploy to remove us from the land since or ancestors wasn't staying on no land prison called reservations. Were the only melondated group who's people are multi toned no matter the parents complexion. That alone shows we not like you. We were Once many tribes now are one.
I absolutely agree with EVERY SINGLE POINT you made! My dearly beloved Elder, Baba Ogun Kemi told me YEARS ago, "Whenever somebody from the continent (Africa) tries to tell you that you ain't African, you look them in the eye and tell 'em, 'I'm the child that was snatched from your mother's breast.'" I felt CHILLS when he said that to me, and he actually DOES say that to Africans from the continent who be tryin' it. I HATE these diaspora wars myself! We need to focus on the REAL ENEMY, which is NOT each other!