Diaspora
References I
The Art Tickling my Fancy
It must be a factor of minimalism and abstract thought dominating my mind at the moment but I’ve been drawn towards certain types of artist of late. Clean lines, laser focusedĀ use of colours, whimsical projections, whatever it is about these following artists, they’ve definitely found themselves seared into my imaginary. I’ll let their work speak for itself.
Issak Ik Emokpae
Oluseye
Victor Ekpuk
Francis Kalu Essoua AKA Enfant Précoce
Neals Niat
Victork Ehikhamenor
Iman Geddy
Adele Supreme
Promise O’nali
Bryant Giles
On moving back: a few things to consider as a returnee
We are finally getting to the age where weĀ have more control over where we decide to root ourselves. I am personally part of those who can see no better option for meĀ but to move back to my continent. This was always going to be the case but I really had to decide for myself why I wanted to move back and what role I would or could have in the society Iād be reintegrating myself into. Returnee dynamics have already been covered on this blog, consider this my own pinch of salt. Recently Iāve gotten myself acquainted with two francophone intellectuals, Fatou Diome and Jean-Paul Pougala, both of whom have raised interesting questions on our function as part of the african diaspora and as returnees. Hereās a brief overview of what I have digested:
Get over returnee superiority
Letās get one thing straight: our āsophisticationā and degrees from abroad don’t make us better than those left behind for lack of a better expression. This is something that the african bourgeoisie really needs to start working on. Canāt be feeling like hot shit because massah has allowed you to play in his court now. We should also remember that we in the diaspora make up a stark minority of our populations. We may have had the chance to be exposed to more but a degree is just certification(by western standards might I add). In all honesty itās not proof that Iām intelligent, skilled or anything ā why are we acting as if people donāt pay or sleep their way to degrees? All Iām saying is that those of us who come from abroad have been “given” the chance to step out of our usual subaltern position ā weĀ can nowĀ operate within the dominant hegemonic system (I do believe our long term goal should be to eradicate said hegemony but that’s a conversation for another day) and we have the opportunityĀ to speak on the behalf of our own, but if we too have been indoctrinated into believing that West is best, we wonāt be able to. We should value the wealth of knowledge that is back home and not look down on our own like our western counterparts.
Killing the image of the El Dorado āabroadā
Thereās this pervasive narrative of abroad as the land of opportunity. The media and television wonāt show the whole story. Some of us have the benefit of coming from families of means so being sent abroad is a relatively simple process. The communities that we are being accepted into look upon us more favourably because our parents’ bank statements say weāll “contribute” to that society. Now no one tells those at home how hard it is to set up with no certification (even the one you have they will make you upgrade āand thatāsĀ another insulting issue on its own), no money, with barely any chance at upwards mobility. Yet somehow boats and planes are filling up and people are risking their lives and pooling obscene amounts of money for a pipe dream (I’m only referring to economic migrants here – war refugees, though migrants, aren’t exactly choosing to leave*little amendment: 2016 me recognizes how short-sighted this statement is*). How will someone whose population is aging and whose birthrate is falling tell you that youāre leaving one struggle for air-conditioned struggle when they need you and your children to sustain their economy? Instead we sell this dream of A Land of Milk and Honey. Kill that shit ASAP. Iām not deluding myself that our countries are perfect but if Iām going to hustle, let it not be somewhere where Iāll be paying for my own oppression.
Formalizing remittance & co-operative investments
Nigeriaās $21bn remmitance may sound impressive but when you consider that the bulk of that money is sent to the uncle Bonifaces’Ā of the continentĀ to be building half a house in the village for 10 years thereās a problem. Just like GDP, that big number means nothing if itās not used to create infrastructure. If you donāt move back at least try to ensure that the money youāre sending back is actually making difference. Consider this scenario (forgive the oversimplification): thereās a strong river that goes across your village. Alone you canāt do much, but bring together a group of like-minded individuals, work with the local government (who hopefully will be ableĀ to finance projects with the help of a pooled remittance fund) to build a dam that will not only supply the villageās electrical needs but where you can sell extra power you generate. Now this isnāt the easiest projectĀ to undertake but when you at least table the first 2 issues raised here, you can start to lay the ground work for such endeavours.
If youāre planning on moving back, make sure that at the back of your mind you intend to translate everything you learn and can apply into the African context vs copy and pasting something you saw in the country in which you furtheredĀ your education. Different environments require different theory application ā the knowledge you gain from your education is not one size fits all. If you come barging in like you have all the answers be sure to meet antagonism. No one is callingĀ your abroadĀ knowledge useless but your advance graspĀ of precipitation in the northern hemisphere doesnāt mean jack shit for someone who has to deal with harmattan.
On a final side note, our value canāt be limited to the commercialization of our culture, how palatable we can make it for others ā we canāt be reducing our rich heritage to Ankara flavoured everything. The main consumer of African goods and services is going to be the African, letās make sure that whatever we bring to the table reflects that.
Originally published on The Naked Convos.