Going to an international school and being more aware of the globe, I pride myself in my identity as an African. But as I delve into that identity, I am also aware of the fact that I don't exactly know what that is. Being African is more than just ethnicity or nationalities. It's also cultures. But the thing is, this cultural history isn't there. Of course this gap was caused by Europeans when they burned the writing of our ancestorsand also the fact that to garner freedom during the time of colonization, our ancestors had do to westernise themselves. So ofcourse the passing down of the cultures was side-lined by the fight for liberation.
For this reason, I get skeptical when an African describes something as "not an African thing". But to be honest how much of our daily post-colonial life is African? I mean, we don't live in traditional houses, we don't put on traditional clothes daily,we don't have a monarchy, we learn in English and a lot of Kenyan teenagers don't speak their mother - tongue (myself included of-course). One might say that this is development and moving in a more global society but the difference is Europe, America and Asia HAVE their history. Their history is documented - it also helps that people with guns didn't burn down all their stuff to justify barbarism. Also walking down the streets of Asia or Europe, one can see their ancestral designs and historical monuments. But walking down the street in Kenya, you see the result of the British.
The colonisers play a big role in African countries and how they are now. In Kenya, it's the railways, the buildings, the English we speak,the population of Indians with their own country in a country. It's all around us. Our school system will always be something I am critical of. The only African aspect is the learning of Kiswahili and knowledge of some of our history and the fact that it is literally in an African country. But the wearing of uniforms, our obsession with boarding schools, and that we learn almost everything in English, is very much British. We ignore all the HUGE signs and still are adamant that one shouldn't "lose their Africanness" when they go abroad. When the truth is we are losing it every single day. Our hair, our AFRICAN hair, is policed in schools.( I am very passionate about this topic and I AM ready to fight). What does hair have to with grades? This became even more absurd to me when I first started in my school and realized the hair that I had been taught to tame in school, is fascinating to white people with no boundaries. Other African girls in my school have good grades along with changing hairstyles, doing hair in school and having it natural and not to mention they actually graduate even though they go to a mixed school. Yeah, I know it's hard to believe.( Another topic, that deserves another article).
But anyways, the colonial influence is most likely more noticeable in Liberia-the topic most black Americans shy away from. Liberia is a weird mix of American and West African culture, to the point I couldn't believe we were on the same continent( don't worry though, their past of civil war and high HIV rates quickly made me a believer). They have a weird Afro-American accent, yellow school buses and praise Tupac and Biggie like we praise Nelson Mandela. But Liberia did open my eyes to the fact that what I see as African, really isn't.
Of-course I cannot deny that Africa has it's own way of life and nowhere else can compare to living here. We have our dynamic and efficient matatus (minibuses) as they are called in Kenya which are fun- with a hint of fear death, our open-air markets, reliabilty on second-hand clothing all constitute to the way of life that is found nowhere else on the planet. Personally the most I feel connected to my "Africanness" is at ushago or in Nollywood movie terms "the Village". Even though it is the most promoted image of Africa, and even though I despise the 10 hour drive with a passion, I understand why they choose to live like that. The African way of life from what I see there is -for lack of a better word, CHILL. They speak in the traditional Luhya language, they follow luhya traditions( seriously, my grandmother would have a fit everytime I ate the gizzard or whistled at night). They don't live exactly like ancestors did,but they try to keep it alive. Being in the Village may seem like nonstop work on the field or with the cattle, but I can definetely see the appeal. I mean I can definitely imagine myself as a grandma sitting next to her hut house in the African sun looking at my grandchildren play as I clean my maize.
But even rural Africa isn't traditional Africa. Going into the town it is definitely more modern and more westernised. It amazes me that just like India, our rural and urban parts live together simultaneously. Even so both Africas have no concrete identity and as the new generation is coming into play, I see the good and the bad. The new generation actually cares about the continent. The bad: they most probably will turn Africa into Europe. Don't get me wrong Africa NEEDS change, but the Africa that we have now is as African as colonisation has allowed. So with that comes the conundrom: how do we develop Africa without westernising it? How do we keep our so called"Africanicity?
I believe this is an issue that is not talked about. Africans believe and love their identity but all we praise the most are Western aspects of it. So as we move forward as the continent's youth, let us not forget who we are and if we can revive our "Africanicity".
Song
Sauti Sol - Live and Die in Afrika
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