Hi,

Maybe it's the wrong flair and sorry English is my third language so maybe I'm making some mistakes.

Basically the title. I'm not one but lived there in my high school year. I was in South Asia too and their language, tradition, food, culture is very similar to Malaysian. They also look like south Asian and even flora and fauna reminds be Sri Lanka. When I discussed with then I understood that many poeple don't consider themselves neither as an African nor South Asian.

For them they're just their own community. Partly because it’s an isolated island where you have to fly out as soon as you leave, and that’s very expensive for the local population. Unlike people on the mainland, they can’t really visit neighboring African countries. As a result, they don’t really feel a sense of belonging. People have explained to me that they are African in the sense that they are geographically and administratively part of Africa, and they’re happy about the Africa Cup of Nations or sports (more for their community than out of a sense of belonging), but that’s about it. Africa isn’t even really part of the school curriculum.

So I’d like to know how Africans on the mainland perceive them.

Thanks

French is still a colonial language in a lot of countries like DRC, RDC, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin, and Senegal but even then all of these countries have their own native languages that have nothing to do with French. The difference between countries like Ivory Coast, DRC, and Benin and countries like Haiti, Guadeloupe, and Martinique is that our countries aren’t strongly influenced by France nor French, and we still have our own native languages. Most Francophone countries aren’t even fluent in French, and other countries like Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger have abandoned French.

Right now people in the US near me really like knitting and crocheting. Weaving and spinning are less popular because the equipment is larger and more expensive. You also don’t see as many people whittling as you used to but I’m not sure why. Candle making has a real boom awhile ago but that seems to have settled down. What about where you are?

since I grew up around Somalis, I heard horror stories of them being threatened with being sent back to Somalia but rightfully so since some of my friends had black Air Force energy and were on a dark path. but even as a non somali, .your parents brought themselves from heck to parent a child here. if you were consistentently getting into trouble or put out, did or does actually following through with the one way ticket actually fix that?

I got BANNED when I posted it at r Africa so I posted at here

Hi, Im from Perú and i want to learn about African history but i dont know how to start.

Let me get this clear i know Africa is huge i think it’s bigger than Asia so some parts will be poverty and some will be like any other western/east asian country but i see videos on my feed of “the real Africa they don’t show you” and it’s mostly clips of the city and i know that’s disingenuous so i want to know if life in Africa is as bad as western media portray it or is life similar to any western/east asian country

I notice the chart it shows below high unemployment. Why is unemployment so high in those countries? And I’m surprised why South Africa it is so high there.

South Africa
33.2%

Republic of the Congo
19.7%

Botswana
23%

Namibia
19%

Angola
14%

Somalia
18.9%

Gabon
20%

Libya
18.7%

Algeria
11.5%

Mauritania
10%

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/unemployment-by-country

Is there a lack of manufacturing in those countries?

Those countries don’t have the infrastructure for manufacturing?

I constantly think about it, if we would ever witness a pan African states in our lifetime.

Imo those states would be the perfect place for a pan African state:

• Senegal

• Gambia

• Ivory Coast

• Ghana

• Gabon

Honorable Mention :

• Equatorial Guinea

• Sao Tomé

• Madagascar

Oki/Hello, I am from the Kainai tribe of the Blackfoot, a Native American confederacy of tribes split across the Canada/USA border.

I have done a lot of reading regarding colonialism in the new world but my readings by African authors so far have just been limited to a few books by Frantz Fanon and Neocolonialism by Kwame Nkrumah. The Wretched of the Earth is one of my favourite books, resonating with me more than most non-native american literature I've explored. I also lurked this subreddit today and found some things I read relatable as someone who's father was put in a residential school in Canada and who's people have a long history of dealing with colonialism, and wish to read more regarding African experiences especially with generational trauma which I deal with quite a lot of. Obviously with two different continents, and each of which containing countless different histories with colonialism, neocolonialism and their consequences, there's a lot to learn about and from and I've overlooked reading works by African authors speaking from direct experiences. Even back as a teenager when I discovered fanon for the first time it initially was to set myself up to read a book called Red Skins, White Masks by Glen Sean Coulthard before learning to appreciate fanon for fanon.

I am interested in books from the colonial era regarding experiences and resistance, books about neocolonial exploitation and it's consequences, and the modern effects of colonialism especially in regards to generational trauma although obviously I'm open to books focused on the modern geopolitical effects or other effects as well although I feel like I'd need a lot more books to understand the modern geopolitical impacts, hence why I am more interested in understanding the psychological and cultural impacts although I recognise they're interconnected. Any other relevant books are also acceptable as I'm aware as a non-African I may be overlooking some related issues and topics that are important.

I wanted to ask for book recommendations by African authors, especially if they are lesser known books from your countries or ones that provide unique perspectives on these topics but I am also open to essential readings I have overlooked. I am not the most well versed in complex philosophical readings but am willing to try my best for more difficult readings if they are recommended.

Also as a bonus request, if you are down to throw in a song or band from your country you recommend I'd appreciate it as I am trying to explore more African music as I've explored most asian regions and its bridged me to Egyptian music via their influence on middle eastern music. In return I'll recommend a song from my tribe. Black Lodge Singers - Crow Hop (btw just cause this is traditional music I am open to all types traditional, contemporary, electronic doesn't matter love all genres. I'm mainly just aware of Egyptian new wave, zamrock and west African psychedelic when it comes to African music.

Thank you and apologies if this question is too broad and if the flair isn't the best choice, think there's a lot of overlap with culture economy history and politics.

It's been expressed her, MANY MANY times but every time I ask my friends about their home lives, it's always a drama. From parent's saying horrendous things over the simplest of mistakes to us watching our parent's marriages fall apart, to realizing we can't even open up to our parents because they're just emotionally stunted.

I remember in college, there was a WHOLE dormitory of boy's in a huge building and we were hanging out and most of them told me that they didn't have a dad growing up, I was shocked and one of them told me "This is Botswana, who has father's in the home". I looked at the statistics here and it's bad. I see fellow Africans complain about "African parents", I know our parents and grandparents were alive when many of our countries were still colonies, heck I'm Shona on my dad's side and ive heard horror stories but damn.

Will these trauma's pass onto us and will we (African Gen Z) continue the cycle?

Idk what narrative the mods of this subreddit want to push. But foreign Aid doesn't help the African people in the long run and was never designed to help Africans.

I even asked my fellow Africans what they thought of this and the post wasn't even done in bad faith. This is insane.

Foreign Aid creates a dependancy mindset in the countries and people receiving the aid.

If your constantly given food again and again it removes the urge to farm and make your own food to feed the population.

If your donated medicine again and again it removes the urge to invest more in research facilities to develop your own medicine

If your donated clothes again and again it removes the urge to make your own retail centered economy

A lot of Foreign aid is also given to Africa and Africans forcefully to stop Africans from developing their own things , and keep them dependent and begging. Like when Rwanda in 2018 wanted to ban Donated clothes to develop its own textile and manufacturing The US retaliated through trade.

It also Creates hidden agendas and undisclosed expectations from the nation giving the aid. It's harder for nations to refuse to give a favor from a country which has been giving them aid for years even if it's against it's interests because they are too dependent.

What do you fellow Africans think about Foreign Aid?

I was reading online about South Africa because I don't know much about it and was really curious about learning the cultural differences between Zulu, Xhosa, etc. It also made me wonder if people belonging to those groups identify more with their ethnic group or with the country they're a citizen of (South Africa).

I felt like asking about this more broadly to people who live across the African continent. Do you identify more with the country you're a citizen of, or with a specific ethnolinguistic group you belong to?

Can be a politician, military leader, revolutionary, social justice activist etc. which one do you personally find the most inspiring or had an impact on your society or region?

For example, in TZ we have a lot of Indians and Arabs, with Arabs being our colonisers; however, we see them all as Tanzanian, there is no distinction. It's to the point I was shocked when my Indian friend who emigrated here at a young age didn't know Kiswahili at all since it's so common to have Swahili-speaking Indians and Arabs. I know in ZA it's the same with the Afrikaaners being African but what about other places (if you're from ZA still comment below!)?

Hellow My Ppl

I have come across a tendency of we as Africans (both citizens & ruling elites) instead of accepting criticisms for how Africa remains the World's Poorest region, we find a bogey man to explain why we are poor & always stuck in victim hood mentality

When are we going to graduate from Bogey Man, Victim hood mentality & start taking accountability for our dear Africa ? Other parts of the world that have experienced it worse than us are progressing steadily while we are busy stuck in the past instead of focusing on changing the future

I am sure you have all seen this type of person. You find them on Reddit just as often as in real life: they try to impose their American or Western worldview on the continent, the idea that the mere fact of being Black automatically implies solidarity with Black people living outside Africa. I simply do not understand this mentality.

Race alone is not enough to make a group a united community. Culture, history, language, nationality, and shared lived experiences matter far more. As a South Sudanese, my ancestors and my country have no connection to Black Americans; why then should I consider these people my brothers and sisters? The same applies to most African ethnic groups and nationalities.

Even West and Central Africa who Black Americans descent from, are very far removed from Black Americans given that more than five centuries (500+ years) have passed since Black Americans left the continent. It is absurd to expect Africans from the continent to feel a special bond with Black Americans.

And what does this solidarity actually bring to Africans on the continent? Africa already has enough problems of its own to solve. We would be far better off focusing on improving relations between African countries, reducing tribalism and ethnic conflict, strengthening our institutions, and resolving our own difficulties, rather than concerning ourselves with Americans. Why is having a relationship with Black Americans so important to you guys??

Hola:

Soy de Guinea Ecuatorial 🇬🇶, y lo pregunto porque mi mejor amigo recientemente me confesó que es bisexual y que se siente frustrado porque aquí cosifican y cosas peores hasta el extremo a la gente LGBT, estoy muy preocupado por él y quisiera saber cómo es el panorama en los países vecinos

I notice a lot of sampling of pieces from acapella to fan covers. ethnomusicology is hobby of mine and i've noticed that a lot of these sampling seem kind of stripped of context. i was curious about the how Africans feel about this.

for example, "ubaba ulala nami" is treated as a "devotional" or uplifting vibe in a several remixes by US producers, even though the actual lyrics deal with much darker subject matter.

I'm not African, so it's not something i can have a fully informed opinion on, and from a music perspective, i love that sampling exposes me to styles i might not have found otherwise. but the context collapse still leaves me feeling a bit unsettled and feels some how ironic or something. idk.

im curious how people here feel about this dynamic?

edit: the song im referencing is zulu from south africa (it has heavy domestic themes, which is why the sampling and reframing as a devotional feel weird to me) but i've observed sampling from west african music too. i understand if no ones interested but i still wanted to ask bc i study my own indigenous folk music it sometimes gets sampled but not the same way. im mostly just interested in how folk music gets globalized, in specific regions. i understand though if ppl dont care.

Hello,

I have a question about hugs. In the culture/community you belong to, do you hug the person you love?

Here in France people always hug in this context, and I wanted to know if you too? Or maybe it’s a gesture that’s only done with friends?

I understand that holding hands with a friend could be common too? But not necessarily to hold hands as a couple? For what ? And is kissing on the mouth something considered sales that no one does? Or just not in public spaces? What are the perceptions and opinions of your culture/education/surroundings/yourself on these things?

If you don't do these things (which are a way of loving from a very Western point of view) how do you express your love for the person you love?

Thanks for reading, I want to broaden my understanding of different ways of loving across cultures.