This wonderful discussion with Africans in the diaspora, hosted by African American Dorrie Wilson on the Black Speaks Black YouTube channel, has an interesting format: take a few written-out questions out of a hat and discuss those questions. The central theme of the discussion is the authentic, lived experiences of Diaspora Africans in Brussels, but the individual questions are as provocative as the answers are illuminating. The lady in the orange turban is outstanding in her lucidity and in her compassion; though it does seem a tad unfair to pick out a star. So I’ll make the content the star of the show, as it should be.
One question unpacks the term ‘black community’. But is there such a thing? Is the term ‘community’, as Tony Sewell CBE and CEO of the educational charity Generating Genius contends, “an outdated and harmful” term that serves to “lump people together in groups based on their ethnicity, race or sexual orientation?” He also said this, in a 2013 interview with The Times
“… in the case of certain musicians, authors and others, it can bring you money and fame. This is a corruption and a deceit. We need to ditch gay pride and black pride. Both are meaningless.”
He adds…
“The gay rights movement is surely a human struggle for homosexuals to be treated equally. Who said anything about a community?”
More important is a vital question that is considered in the discussion: ‘who decides what it means?’ (Emphasis mine.) It’s the answer to this that provides the substrate for the lived experiences of Africans in the diaspora and fuels most of the discussion you’re about to watch.
So, grab a cup of Abol coffee or savour a Kromanti on the rocks and feed your mind with the insights and perspectives offered here.
P.S. Let us know what you think of the points raised in the comments below.
