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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 25, 1993)
Sharing ideas strengthen ties Spirituality unites Africans worldwide Most African students who come to study in the United States leave their homes with the idea that they will quickly adapt to the American culture, because there are many blacks in America. When they ar rive, they find out that the brother hood they hoped and expected is not automatically established. More over, we Africans tend to blame our failure to make relationships with African-Americans on them. We often show our frustration and dis appointment with lines such as: “They are so condescending, and they do not know anything about Africa — Like all other Americans, they think we live on trees and run around naked beside snakes, el ephants and giraffes." Somehow the African student expects the African-American to have an innate knowledge of our history, geography, society, and even our great politicians. After all, in high school, we learned about African-American history and we memorized Martin Luther King’s, “I Have a Dream" speech. On the other hand, many Afri can-Americans are very disap pointed when they f rst meet people from Africa; they, like us, expect and hope for a natural bond to be established, and are very disap pointed when they see tnat Afri cans do not automatically rush to embrace their lost brothers and sisters. They get the feeling that we do not like them, and that we prefer to establish relationships with whites. And they also may feel frustrated that Africans often do not identify with their struggle in America. The fact is, there are differences. No one can expect two groups living in different ecological, politi cal, and economical environments to remain the same, because they were once one people in the past. These differences are translated in behavioral differences that are highly visible and the cause of the initial frustration seen in both sides, a frustration heightened by the fact that expectations were so great on each side to begin with. Often each group stops there and we buy into stereotypes. But the ties between the two groups are emotional and spiritual. In “Black Writers in French," Lilyan Kesteloot shows how what she calls the Harlem Renaissance, influenced the African poets which started the decolonization move ment in Paris. The American writers of the Harlem Renaissance “made a very deep impression on French Negro writers Dy claiming to repre sent an entire race, launching a crv with which all blacks identified.” They are Langston Hughes, Claude SIGMA CHI FIGHrNIGHT Friday, April 23,1993 Coliseum State Fairgrounds Anyone interested in boxing should contact Bob Meyer at the SIGMA CHI HOUSE or at 436-7051 McKay, Jean Toomer, and Countee Cullen on one side, and Leopold Sedar, Senghor, AimeCesaire, Leon Damas on die other side. The Ameri can writers insisted that they were African by essence and made a point to acknowledge their heri tage. Last weekend, when I attended the Big Eight Conference on Black Student Government, I realizedhow these ties between Africans and African-Americans are still present. Most of the speakers at the confer ence made references to their Afri can heritage and insisted that it be remembered, because the values' which helped the blacks in America su rvi ve thesla very experience, were deeply rooted in African traditions. Marcia Gillepsie reminded her audience that tne strength of the African family, as well as the spiri tuality of their ancestors, helped sustain them. Beyond the speeches, it was fascinating to me to see the black fraternity and sororities’ step shows. I sat there and was veiy su rprised to see these young women and men execute steps and dances that took me right back home, because they undeniably had Afri can roots. Being in an environment where virtually everyone was black also took me back to my first year in the United States, when I attended a black university. And with no sur prise, those were the times that I experienced less culture-shock. My transfer to UNL was the time when I really started living the life of a foreign student. The first semester was not easy. I remember that I had a hard time having relationships with the women that I lived witn, and slowly, I pulled myself away from the group. For Christmas in 1986, one of the women who had been nice to me, Damon Lee/DN KedkJia Mossi, a native of Niger, talks about ways that African-American students and native African students can unite to represent their cultures. gave me a little plaque that said, contacts with people who had simi lar backgrounds as me. Now I think that I have a full experience of “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." Being in an all black community, one may not experience this. My father, of course, understood that part of the experi ence being in a foreign country was to be with people who were differ ent, and he encouraged me to chal lenge myself by not limiting my America, and I feel comfortable ' MARCH 8 • 7:30 PM PERSHING AUDITORIUM intermingling with the different eth nic groups living here. I believe, though, that African nationals studying in the United States should make an effort to develop a special relationship with African-Americans, because of the many things shared by the two groups. The future leaders of the decolonization movements in Af rica and the leaders of the black liberation movements in the 1920s and 1930s in America, have kept close contact andshared t^eir ideas to strengthen each other in their struggle. Today, also, the leaders of tomorrow's Africa must not neglect what we can draw from the experi ence of a people who are looking for ways to improve their commu nities. It is also significant to notice that the Civil Rights movements in the 1960s in America, and the inde pendence movements in Africa, were going on at the same time. Conferences such as the Big Eight Conference on Black Student Gov ernment, which target African Americans. and the All African Stu dent Conference, which targets African nationals, should find a way to join their audiences. Also, African-American students should participate actively in exchange programs with African universities ana institutions and lake a keen interest in development issues in Africa. It will be an enriching and spiri tually rewarding experience, and will also strengthen ties between the young generation of Africans all over the world — a tie which was promotedby the African-Ameri can writers in the 1920s and 1930s. KedidiaMoMi U • graduate Ktudcnt study ing French literature, and a Diversion* contributor.
