Saturday, June 16, 2012

Why I Keep "Africa" in my American


I spent last week in DC consumed with all things Africa. From the USAID Frontiers in Development Forum to my very own “Afripolitan” cocktail hour my days and nights were filled with conversations about the continent. From development experts to farmers, from young professionals to sitting Presidents everyone has an opinion on what’s happening in Africa and who has a stake in it. It was in this movement  that I read Shahida Mohammed’s piece in Ebony http://www.ebony.com/news-views/im-not-african-american-im-black shunning the use of what she deems a “pc” term in favor of being a color (or the absence of it depending who you ask).

One of my favorite quotes of all time is "I am an African, not because I was born in Africa but because Africa is born in me" from the Hon. Kwame Nkrumah, first president of Ghana. With his statement Dr. Nkrumah qualified what I’d always felt. My connection to Africa had nothing to do with a superficial need to be connected to somewhere but everything to do with my understanding that if I looked at my culture, mannerisms, heart, and soul I am every bit the African. I’d love to take Ms. Mohammed to Sierra Leone, a place that literally brought me to my knees with emotion when I stepped off the plane for my maiden visit to the continent and whose people and traditions reminded me of my aunts, uncles, parents and grandparents even in simple ways like they way they told jokes or the fact that the women kicked all people out of the kitchen as dinner was prepared. It reminded me of my grandma’s house at thanksgiving. When I see even the smallest child jump out of their chair as soon as "Nwa Baby" or another tune comes on it reminds me of how I jumped to my feet at age 2 to sing “How Will I Know” by the late Whitney Houston for my grandmother and her friends. For me, this isn’t happenstance. Nor is the fact that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was one of the few that systematically severed the connection of a people to their homeland.

Beyond a nostalgic relation, I also understand that the plight of African people worldwide is pertinent to me. Whether it’s Surinamese living in the ghetto of Amsterdam or Afro-Mexicans in rural Costa Chica, the idea that globally, descendants of the continent are consistently pushed to marginal ends of society yet find a way to be brilliant through it all is a unifying factor like no other. In urban centers across the world, the African Diaspora whether they be slave descendant or newly arrived immigrants – Africans have impact, it’s in our blood. The global phenomenon of Hip-Hop or the reggae bumping through London’s streets make me smile at the ability of a people to turn its hardship into such beautiful power. It is this power that has been twisted, subverted, and maligned for hundreds of years both from external forces like colonialists and extractionary corporations as well as from leaders who have let the idea of riches for one trump opportunity for all.

Just like its Diaspora, Africa is Rising. The technology boom in Kenya, the energy booms in the West, and a new look at infrastructure and systems brought in by a populace swelling with youth and pushing for change mean that the nations of Africa will remain at the bottom no more. We should all pay attention, whether it’s to inspire young people in the urban slums of the US or Brazil, or to invest in agriculture or real estate to create generational wealth, this is not the time to separate ourselves from the continent.

The term “African-Americans” is as inclusive as we want it to be and while others can make it a point to differentiate between our “direct vs. historic” links to the continent, we as a people cannot afford to do so. It is only by sharing, understanding, and building that this power can be harnessed not just for Africans but for the betterment of our turbulent world. Below you'll find a few of my fave shots of the second continent I call home.

Ciao,

Sasyrae 
















Sunday, June 3, 2012

Niggas in Paris: Hip-Hop still inspires

"If you escaped what I escaped you'd be in Paris getting f***ed up too!" - Jay-Z

From the first time I heard that line, I adopted NIP as my anthem. Beyond the hard beat and Kanye's amazing wordplay (that ish cray), this song captures the energy I feel everytime I begin a journey or touch down in a new country. After experiencing the epic-ness of Watch The Throne in Paris I realize I am def not alone.

From the moment I touched down I met countless African-Americans who had never traveled before but were so inspired by that one song that they wanted to be "Niggas In Paris" but not in the way you think. It wasn't about living out bad stereotypes of black folks while being in Paris. It was about celebrating us in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

We could've easily gone to see the show in London or Berlin but I wanted to embrace everything in that song from the city that inspired it. I tend to shy away from the term nigga, preferring the more "colloquial" term *ninja* lol. However, something about the movement in Paris made me finally get the idea that using the term could be a way of turning it on its head. I still dont support that as the best way forward but I get it.

Yeezy and Hov performed NIP for a record breaking 11 times and I promise between the crowd surfing of the producer, the mosh pits orchestrated by Jay from the stage, and me and my girl Tiffany giving the crowd near us everything they needed by reaching level 10 everytime the song came on this was by far THEE BEST concert experience I've ever had.

Paris itself was fantastic. Of course the monuments and museum's we've all mastered from the DaVinci code were great but I also checked out the black history of the city making sure to stop by the Left Bank, Latin Quarter, and Montparnasse to see where Langston, Josephine, and Paul got inspiration during the Harlem Renaissance. I even walked past the Sarbonne where Paros supported Martin Luther King Jr. With a civil rights march of its own. I attempted to see the monument to the end of slavery in Luxemborg Gardens but learned that it was blown down by a storm the week before *side eye*.

On my Emirates flight out I caught the Visionaries feature on will.i.am who coincidentally recorded the guitar acoustics for his song "Mona Lisa Smile" at the Louvre in front of the Mona Lisa!!!! Throughout the doc he kept saying "I'm a black kid from LA, is this a dream?!" I FEEL YOU WILL! I say the same thing.

It's not a dream though, it's about making your real life the vision you dream of. We may not have Jay-Z, Kanye West, or will.i.am money but we can have their work ethic and fearlessness to shape our experience on this earth into what we want it to be.

Check a few shots from Paris and follow me on instagram for even more.



Ciao! I've got a flight to catch:)