Well he tried

The Story of Keith Richburg

The Gate of No Return 


The 1960s and 1970s was a pivotal era for Black people. Not only was the civil rights movement happening, but a good amount of people had joined the "Return-to-Africa" movement and felt that Amerikkka didn't deserve their presence. However, with the publishing of Keith Richburg 1994 book, "Out of America: A Black man confronts Africa", people came to learn about the hardships that faced those who went back to live in Africa. Richburg went as far to say, "I have been there, I have lived there and seen Africa in all its horror. I know that I am a stranger (t)here. I am an American, a black American, and I feel no connection to . . . (that) strange and violent place."


It's disheartening to further learn that Richburg had also thanked his"nameless ancestor . . . across the ocean in chains and leg irons" for being brought to America. I couldn't understand why somebody would feel so extreme towards Africa. It wasn't until I read F. Wafula Okumu's article, "The Challenges Facing Diaspora Africans Who Return To Africa", and mentioned that there are several levels to this discomfort of returning home. To begin with, many African-Americans realize that as soon as they disembark from the plane, the only commonality they share with those around is skin color. Which then leads to this grey area of either learning and embracing the local culture, or being fixated on maintaining their American values/culture. However, Okumu did mention that one can live peacefully and survive in Africa. It's just a matter of educating yourself and putting in the effort to live this new life.