It’s Tuesday morning, I’m drinking my Hausa koko and planning my tasks for the day when my partner calls me to watch Kendrick Lamar’s performance (pictured) at the Grammy’s. I missed his performance because I spent all night debating the role the Ghanaian Diaspora play in the development of Ghana with my newly acquired Sierra Leonean friends.
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During our discussion, I argued that most “returnees” had a romanticized view of Ghana and needed to accept that until we address our ingrained lack of direction at the national level, all our efforts were going to waste.
“Dziffa, regardless of how you see it, the Diaspora returning and seeing problems as opportunities has contributed to Ghana’s growth. In Sierra Leone, we do not have such a high rate of sophisticated Diaspora returning, so we are still economically where Ghana was a few years ago,” my friend said.
I rushed to YouTube to watch Kendrick’s performance. Hearing an African-American man proudly say, “I’m African-American. I’m African,” and placing his neighborhood in America inside the African map is by far one of my most proudest moments (pictured).
Growing up in the Bronx, being African was an insult.
The African-American kids would either call us “f**king African” as an insult or make fun of our blackness. I could not relate to my friends who complained of racism from White people because all the racism I experienced were from my African-American classmates.
Granted, a lot has changed since my elementary and high school days; I had many conscious African-American friends in college who knew more about Africa than I did, and some of my customers at Dziffa even reach out to me about my experience with starting a business in Ghana and my thoughts on them moving to Ghana.
As many blacks are reclaiming their Blackness, we come to a point where we need to address exactly what to do with our drive to redefine our Blackness.
Do we wait until next February to showcase our Black Pride? Do we wait till the next shooting to rally against a system we all know doesn’t favor the Black man? Or do we find an alternative, actively participating in creating the Africa Marcus Garvey and Kwame Nkrumah dreamed of?
The Africa we all yearn for.
As Malcolm X eloquently said in “The Ballot or the Bullet“:
I am one who doesn’t believe in deluding myself. I’m not going to sit at your table and watch you eat, with nothing on my plate, and call myself a diner. Sitting at the table doesn’t make you a diner, unless you eat some of what’s on that plate.”
We are fortunate to be in a generation where the narrative of Africa isn’t of backwardness, war, and pity, but an Africa of opportunities and possibilities. Our siblings in America do not have to pray, beg, and fight to be invited to the table; they can move to Africa and make their own dinner.
The beautiful thing about relocating to Africa is you begin to see yourself as a human being, not a minority who always has to prove his or her worth.
All the mental shackles of growing up Black in America will be broken. You begin to see problems as business opportunities and really appreciate how easy it is to start a business and grow it (at least in the case of Ghana where many African Americans have relocated to).
So please, if you find America overbearing and feel as though you cannot continue to beg for that which is your human right, come to Africa.
Most of our African leaders have grown to accept their “Third World Status” as the norm and are not in a hurry to pursue excellence let alone aspire to surpass or at least be equal with our Western and Southern Donors.
If anyone would develop this continent, it would be you, the Africans in the Diaspora and Blacks globally.
Your drive for a better Africa, optimism in the continent’s potential, and ambition to take charge of your destinies will help us recreate a continent that is befitting of our ancestors.
The next generation of Blacks will not feel trapped in a place they are not welcomed and the next generation of Africans will not feel the need to flee and live as third-class citizens elsewhere because we would have built the infrastructure they need to thrive in Africa.
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Thoroughly enjoyable and insightful reading. But waaay too short! As an old Garveyite it is refreshing to see this article written by a Continental youth! I have shared it with our 15,500 member FB group Repatriating to Africa! Join us, we need you! I or another admin will add you! Medaase!
Amerikan born and bred and this insight to you is in no way a salute to the soil I walk upon it is only I informing you that I am born in the USA but haven't felt a connection for some time now. I have been connecting more and more with my distant family, several members of Ghana(not related by blood but spiritualy share DNA) born and bred of the Afrikan soil such as Ghana Accra. I presently am smitten by a gentleman there as he is to me and with hopes our journey will connect us as we are presently working towards this goal making tremendous progress yes we are happily doing this together. I am known as Abena Asantewaa dD. I too was hoping for a longer reading and yes it is very insightful. Akwaaba!
coming home
i would love to travel to africa and do what i can to make life better for my mother land and its people my brothers and sisters i pray allah blesses me to be able too come this year im 64 yrs old i have been in business for 40 yrs i want to share my knowlege so we can open up a million businesses i want to see africa the most powerful nation on this earth may allah bless us with his mercy and protection
Thank you for writing this article! I'm counting the days until I'm in Ghana, thirty days to be exact. Though I've never been, I'm ready to take a break from America again. Maybe a permanent break if I can find/create the right opportunity. I'd love to connect with you if possible there or just through social media if nothing else.
Thank you for writing this article! I'm counting the days until I'm in Ghana, thirty days to be exact. Though I've never been, I'm ready to take a break from America again. Maybe a permanent break if I can find/create the right opportunity. I'd love to connect with you if possible there or just through social media if nothing else.
Thank You, Sista.
FOR SURE
Thank you for the invite. However, making a sustainable business for local consumption makes more sense to me than luxury items for export. Is there not a large enough consumer market to support For Africa By Africa?
I have been working in Nigeria for almost four years now. That position ends in May 2016. I am White but hate racism with a passion. The situation in the US is sad beyond belief as the elections show, and the madness Mr. Obama has had to put up with from the Senate and the tons of racists who try and block his every move. Things are not perfect in Mother Africa, but this Cotinent is coming up baby. Every Black American who can must come to Africa in his or her lifetime. It is really inescribable. So many stories of amazing people and their pure goodness. If you haven't been, you MUST find a way. I've also spent time in Rwanda, Mozambique and Liberia. This is where I belong as I come humbly and as a student with so much to learn from my amazing African teachers and leaders.