Cultural Appropriation
Is it possible for Blacks/African-Americans to connect to their African ancestry, or is it cultural appropriation? 
Photo credit: Afropunk
A few years ago, I ran into a video on YouTube where a woman was asked: "Is it cultural appropriation if Black people take on certain African traditions, looks, etc?". This question took me back and had me examine my own ways of embracing my blackness. I had looked back to my time as a high school freshman: I had just finished a summer at Eddie Conway Liberation Institute, a debate camp organized by a group of Black activist. After this experience, I came to learn so much more about my blackness and what it means to be black in America. So, I began to embrace my natural hair more, support more black-owned businesses, getting excited about buying dashikis and other African trinkets, and so on.
I never stopped and wondered if my actions were disrespecting African cultures and people. And looking back at it now, some would flag me for cultural appropriation. Back in 2015, Blogger and self-identified Nigerian Zipporah Gene had commented, " Black America, please stop appropriating African clothing and tribal marks". This comment was made in regards to the popular event Afro-punk, in which thousands of Black folks come together for a futuristic festival. The comment left many Black people, including myself, annoyed and hurt. It was as if we were stabbed in the back by our distant family, denied the ability to gain any linkage to our lost history. Huffington Post Journalist, Julla Craven, had written:
"Nothing beneficial comes from this conversation if people ignore how African enslavement, colonialism and white supremacy have shaped the lives and identities of black people in the Western hemisphere. This history of erasure and oppression is why black Americans seek cultural knowledge of various places on the African continent since we do not know where, exactly, to begin".
Nowadays, it is extremely important for us Black people in America to become more aware of our identity and unite as one. There is so much happening within our communities that comments made by people like Zipporah do nothing more than divide us. Hopefully. we can continue this conversation, as it is deep and intricate as our existence.
Photo credit: AfropunkA few years ago, I ran into a video on YouTube where a woman was asked: "Is it cultural appropriation if Black people take on certain African traditions, looks, etc?". This question took me back and had me examine my own ways of embracing my blackness. I had looked back to my time as a high school freshman: I had just finished a summer at Eddie Conway Liberation Institute, a debate camp organized by a group of Black activist. After this experience, I came to learn so much more about my blackness and what it means to be black in America. So, I began to embrace my natural hair more, support more black-owned businesses, getting excited about buying dashikis and other African trinkets, and so on.
I never stopped and wondered if my actions were disrespecting African cultures and people. And looking back at it now, some would flag me for cultural appropriation. Back in 2015, Blogger and self-identified Nigerian Zipporah Gene had commented, " Black America, please stop appropriating African clothing and tribal marks". This comment was made in regards to the popular event Afro-punk, in which thousands of Black folks come together for a futuristic festival. The comment left many Black people, including myself, annoyed and hurt. It was as if we were stabbed in the back by our distant family, denied the ability to gain any linkage to our lost history. Huffington Post Journalist, Julla Craven, had written:
"Nothing beneficial comes from this conversation if people ignore how African enslavement, colonialism and white supremacy have shaped the lives and identities of black people in the Western hemisphere. This history of erasure and oppression is why black Americans seek cultural knowledge of various places on the African continent since we do not know where, exactly, to begin".
Nowadays, it is extremely important for us Black people in America to become more aware of our identity and unite as one. There is so much happening within our communities that comments made by people like Zipporah do nothing more than divide us. Hopefully. we can continue this conversation, as it is deep and intricate as our existence.
Craven, Julia. “Why It Isn't Possible For Black Americans To Appropriate African Culture.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 30 Sept. 2015, www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-it-cultural-appropriation-when-africans-wear-jordans_us_56099b3be4b0768126fea24d.
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