Folks, the title of my forward is African-American "Attitudes" Toward
Africans, By Baba Galley Jallow.

Chi Jaama

Joe Sambou


>From: Joe Sambou <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 21:52:18 +0000
>
>Baba Galleh, thanks for narrating your experience/observations of the
>African-American "Attitude" towards the African.  In the interest of
>balanced reporting, could you also please narrate your experience or
>observations of African "Attitudes" toward African-Americans.  This way
>your
>readers can decide whether the perceived attitude is one sided or coming
>from both sides.  I look forward to that read.
>
>Chi Jaama
>
>Joe Sambou
>
>
>America's Black Enigma
>
>The Independent (Banjul)
>
>COLUMN
>April 1, 2002
>Posted to the web April 1, 2002
>
>Baba Galleh Jallow
>Banjul
>
>I can never cease being fascinated at what I would call America's Black
>Enigma. The complex question of the black presence in America, how black
>and
>white America are struggling with the very thorny question of integration,
>and how blacks treat blacks, particularly how most African-Americans treat
>or behave towards their African cousins who are becoming more of a greater
>presence in the United States from day to day.
>
>Personally, I have had quite a few interesting, sometimes rather unpleasant
>experiences as an African in America. Most of these experiences, I must
>hasten to say, occurred during encounters with fellow black people,
>African-Americans. In my earlier discussions of black to black relations in
>America, I had suggested that there exists noticeable black to black
>racism.
>I had suggested that most African-Americans display a noticeable level of
>spiteful condescension towards their African cousins. Indeed, they are
>almost always quick to make it clear that they are Americans, lest they are
>mistaken for Africans.
>
>This is quite understandable, even if particularly fascinating and even
>nauseating. Africa is hardly known in America and the very little knowledge
>that goes around is gleaned from television coverage of military atrocities
>around the continent. Gruesome footage of the bloody genocide in Rwanda in
>1994, gruesome footage of Sierra Leonean babies, children, men and women
>amputated by the rebel RUF; gruesome footage of the never ending war in
>southern Sudan accompanied by unimaginable scenes of wretchedness and
>material depravation. These, among many other negative images, are the
>African food from which the average American mind is fed. So that once you
>are identified as an African, something clicks in the mind of the person
>you
>are dealing with, and if you are adequately observant, you notice immediate
>changes in behaviour towards you. Generally, such behaviour is
>condescension
>or even outright contempt.
>
>The other day, I walked into a CVS pharmacy to buy a bottle of Tylenol
>headache tablets. The African-American lady behind the counter smiled and
>asked, as they always do, 'may I help you sir?' I gave her the items I
>picked from the shelf. 'Do you have a CVS card?' she asked. 'Yes I do?' I
>replied, giving her the small red card that entitles customers to a small
>discount at the store. 'You are from Africa,' she said, smiling.
>
>I replied that I am, and surprisingly, she continued smiling at me and
>looking quite pleasant. She did not, like most African-American
>salespersons
>do, suddenly wear a serious cat face and keep mum or try in some way or the
>other to make me feel 'the difference'. 'Oh I would like to go to Africa,'
>she said. 'Which part of Africa are you from?' she pursued. 'I'm from The
>Gambia,' I replied. 'The Gambia? Where is that?' Being used to that
>question, I simply said it was in West Africa.
>
>Very few Americans, particularly African-Americans, know where Africa is,
>not to say The Gambia. 'Oh I really would love to go to Africa,' she
>repeated. An old, well-built African-American lady standing adjacent me at
>the counter said to her: 'Oh baby you gonna waste your life like hell in
>Africa.' Then turning to me the same old lady asked, 'Can you cook fufu?'
>Presumably, to that old lady, being African meant at least being able to
>cook fufu. I had to confess to her though, that I was not privileged to be
>able to cook fufu. I was fascinated that that was the only thing she could
>think of asking me. Others would ask, can you speak Igbo? Or are you from
>Nigeria?
>
>My experience with that CVS lady was an exception to the general rule.
>
>Mostly, sales persons would start out saying the automatic, pleasant, 'may
>I
>help you sir?' when you go shopping in a store. Once, however, you speak
>and
>your accent tells them that you are an African, you generally notice an
>immediate change in their demeanor. Often, you notice that they suddenly
>assume an air of pious aloofness, or recoil into themselves and try to have
>as little to say to you or do with you. Or, they wear a cat face and
>pretend
>to be really serious. If you are particularly lucky, they would try to make
>you feel that you are not an American, or conversely, that although they
>are
>black like you, they are clearly Americans, not Africans.
>
>You go into a bank to cash a check. If you are lucky to find a white
>cashier, you generally get a quick service. I have noticed that white
>people, in most cases, are much nicer to Africans. If, however, there is an
>African-American cashier, well, you might be in for a little suspicion. I
>have on a few occasions had the sobering privilege of standing there,
>enjoying the drama as an African-American cashier would cast suspicious
>glances at me, peer skeptically at my ID, go into an inner office to
>consult
>a superior officer, come back again, and, I'm sure, secretly wonder...
>
>It is appropriate, at this point, to indicate that there are many thousands
>of African-Americans who earnestly love and adore their roots, and who are
>always eager to discuss matters African and proud to identify themselves
>with the continent. There also exists a gamut of Africa-oriented or
>pro-Africa organisations run largely by black people, such as Africa
>Action,
>the Constituency for Africa, and TransAfrica among many others, that are
>committed to the advancement of the African people. It is also important to
>note that United States law forbids any form of racial discrimination or
>profiling. The problem of black to black racism, if we may call it that, is
>highly individual.
>
>Finally, America is plagued by a sickening culture of suspicion,
>particularly suspicion of black people; particularly if you are a black
>person, not wearing a well-pressed suit with tails, ties and a pair of
>shining black shoes to match; particularly if you are an African, not
>having
>smooth cheeks and wearing a well pressed suit, with an air of dazzling
>sophistication around you, with a smart Will Smith accent. As I am not in
>the habit of wearing suits just for the sake of demonstrating my
>sophistication, or assuming a fake accent, I often face similar situations
>of suspicion. Such suspicion, I must say, is understandable considering the
>high rates of crime, particularly among black people in America. Not that
>white America is above crime.
>
>For the African in America, the choices are clear: Either develop a thick
>skin, remain who you are, refuse to feel ridiculed and make those who try
>to
>ridicule you into study subjects. Or, go all out to pretend that you are an
>African-American and in the process, learn to speak through your nose,
>incur
>mountains of debt, go bankrupt or wreck psychological damage on yourself.
>
>Of course, what I call - inappropriately perhaps - America's Black Enigma,
>is too complex and varied to discuss in an essay of this length.
>
>If we are lucky, we might be able to examine other aspects of this
>fascinating subject in subsequent discussions. Meanwhile, I am learning to
>cook fufu so that if I encountered that sweet old lady again, I could shout
>a resounding YES to her very pertinent question: Can you cook fufu?
>
>
>
>
>
>
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