ST. PETERSBURG, FL–This past week the "black internet" has been set a storm by a blog post. The blog post was titled, "African Americans Stop Appropriating African Clothing and Culture” and was written by Zipporah Gene, an African Continental that lives in the U.K.
This blog post went viral and has been the topic of discussion for the beginning of the month of September.
This struck a nerve with many Africans in the U.S., because during revolutionary times (like the time we are currently in), Africans are throwing out the colonial garbage that was forced upon us, and are returning to our true image while clinging closer to mother Africa.
Many Africans in the United States were very hurt by this article and felt that they did something wrong by becoming their true selves.
I am writing this article to erase any guilt and help us continue on our journey into the future of Africa.
Zipporah writes: "I’m not trying to start a war, but I would just like you all to realize the hypocrisy of seeing someone wearing a Fulani septum ring, rocking a djellaba, painted with Yoruba-like tribal marks, all the while claiming that this is meant to be respectful.
It’s a hodgepodge, a juxtaposition, a right mess of regional, ethnic and cultural customs and it screams ignorance and cultural insensitivity. Yes, that’s right, even when worn by black people."
What I find interesting is Zipporah's consistent denial of what created the African Diaspora.
Why doesn’t she call out the white powers that stole her African siblings away from the continent? She is so upset about mixed African patterns and African tribal marks, but not about the forced breeding that created mixed Africans.
Zipporah is a member of the petty bourgeoisie so she blames the people and turns a blind eye to the system.
This is the photo that drove her to write that stupid blog post. This tweet was written by her on the 1st and her blog was posted on the 3rd. The funny thing about this photo is, everyone in African clothing is African Continental, not "African American.”
Young Paris (Milandou Badila) is a world famous musician from the DR Congo.
Ntangou Badila is a famous artist, also from the DR Congo, and Kwabena Samuel Nana Ofosu-Ware is a world renowned fashion designer from Ghana.
Zipporah saw a picture taken in Brooklyn and assumed everyone there was born and raised in The U.S.
What's "not cool" is her divisive tactics against African people. You see, we are such One People that she couldn't even tell the difference by sight.
Before I go, let me be petty.
I find it funny that she ONLY clings to "her African culture" when she wants to shame other Africans. While her Facebook is filled with pictures of her white boyfriend and her many trips to Asia.
Her food blog is filled with nothing but Asian and British foods that she tries to make for her white boyfriend.
Maybe if she spent less time wishing she was Chinese and serving her white man she would have known who these three famous and very talented Africans were.
Now for my more mature and diplomatic response, lol.
Africans in the United States cannot culturally appropriate African culture, because we are African. It's really that simple.
Wearing African clothes is not a "trend" for us, it’s therapy and revolutionary. To call it a "trend" shows how deeply ignorant you are about our 500 years of torture.
We, unlike other Africans, did not give up our culture willingly to fit in with the ruling class. It was torn from us violently, vigorously, and systematically. All that you are doing is continuing that legacy.
What we need is revolution. A revolution for all African people, a revolution that some petty bourgeoisie African writer should focus their talents on, a revolution that focuses on the real thieves: The Europeans who have been stealing Africa's natural resources for half a millennia – a treacherous act that has kept the continent and it's people devastated and traumatized.
That is a battle that will better the lives of all African people.
What will stopping Africans in the U.S. from wearing African clothing do? Would that free you? Africans all over the world adopt African Diaspora culture.
Our music, style, lingo, personality and customs. You don't see us bitching about that do you? Lets not even get on how many of your Afro-beat rappers like to sound like they are from the East-side Atlanta or Jamaica, lol.
That blog post is divisive and neo-colonialist.
I'm glad the blog post went viral, though. The African Diaspora needed to see that African Continentals can be coons too.
African Diaspora, do not let African continentals like her put a bad taste in your mouth.
She is just an insipid, homogenized, white nationalist idealist like Don Lemon or Steve Harvey. She does not represent the group that she claims to represent.
She represents the class of Africans that have sold out and are mentally gone. Most African Continentals love that we are finally "coming home.”
Have a great day Africans! All Africans! Diaspora and Continental! We are One People!
Touch one, Touch all!
Uhuru!
