Africa is more than the “Motherland” – Vetiwe Mamba

“In time, we shall be in a position to bestow on South Africa the greatest possible gift – a more human face.” – Steven Biko

Deemed as the continent of mystique for centuries from its diverse cultures that exist to its eccentric traditional dress codes and customs, I believe Africa has always stood out from the global crowd. Despite its bursting personality – our continent has gone through its fair share of hardships that have left it scarred in more ways than one and what I want to explore is our cultural identity as children of Africa.

Western media and propaganda have infiltrated its way into our African society and altered the way we view other Africans, in and out of Africa, and tends to cloud our judgement at times. So, what makes a person African? As told by Africans themselves, I surveyed thirty people between the ages of 17-22 from various backgrounds in hopes of providing a seasoned assessment. The complexities of this question are obvious however, I only wish to spark a small fire in the minds of the reader, and let it grow as it may.

People naturally assume that the best way to determine your nationality is to name your place of birth, however, only 18% of participants believe that to be true. One responder says that if a person is born in Africa but is raised in America, they are still African; just raised in a different culture but conversely, the majority feels that the country in which a person is raised in – is what truly makes them belong to that country. Kwame Nkrumah once said, “I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me.” which reinforces the idea that people are shaped by whom they are constantly surrounded with, terms such as ‘morals’ ‘values’ and ‘ancestry’ are associated with the connection one has to their upbringing and thus refutes the aforementioned response. It appears culture is the very crux of what makes an individual African and we must value that.

Historically, Africa was referred to as the Dark Continent (Jarosz, 1992 ) not only because it was technologically wayward but also because its inhabitants were of a far darker complexion and undoubtedly, this stereotype has prevailed throughout the ages. Poet Gabriel Ramirez writes “I am black and full of stars, I am not the absence of light…” so, inspired, I put it to my participants to tell me whether the pigmentation of a person’s skin makes them ‘more African’ and 86 percent responded ‘No’ – testifying that being African is more than skin deep, in fact, the colour of one’s skin doesn’t change who they are and where their ancestry lies. With this understanding, I moved on to query their thoughts about black Americans and Europeans claiming Africa as the “Motherland”.

  Pan-Africanist movements originated in America but were strongly supported by Africans during the ‘60s and ‘70s. The belief was that African people, both on the African continent and in the Diaspora “share not merely a common history but a common destiny.” (Ackah, 2011) Hence such movements call for the unification of all ‘African’ people yet the respondents seem largely opposed to the notion. Many can accept that black Nationals have a claim to Africa because their ancestors were definitely African and that they do experience their own forms of prejudice and difficulty in their respective geographical locations but the argument that seems to prevail is the fact that they have not borne the ‘African Experience.’

In a poem titled ‘Black’- Thuli Zama personifies the colour by saying “Everything I know about love is held in the hues of earth and night and dirt and soil and blood and black because I am the dream.” Can African Americans and Afro-Europeans say the same? Maybe not. They have not been raised with the culture and tradition that all of us share – one could say – they

lack that African outlook. Furthermore, not a lot of them concern themselves with the political and social issues within Africa; with so much missing it seems their only ‘claim to fame’ is the colour of their skin, yet we have already concluded that race plays no role in classifying someone’s nationality. So I feel that while we can fully acknowledge that they are descendants of Africans, they no longer identify with the African vision we all hold.

The concept of Ubuntu is widely thought to be an African ideal but it must be noted that this ideology does exist elsewhere in the world. Its meaning: “a person is a person through other people” resonates to many cultures within our continent and promotes a culture of inclusivity and family – to treat everyone around you with love and respect because we are all results of what someone else has accomplished. Respondents who say it’s relative to Africa believe that it is an African-bred ideal and Africans epitomise it best in sayings such as “It takes a village to raise a child.” Whereas the West generally has a utilitarian approach and its every man for himself. However, it is true that the concept is practised by other ethnic groups around the world who believe that harmony within the community maintains peace and can only result in success.

At this point, you might be thinking there is no solution and truthfully; this topic is far too complex and dynamic to ever have a concrete solution but from the responses I received and from my own personal view, I believe the silver thread that binds us all is pride in our culture and heritage.

Cultural theorist Stuart Hill suggests that 3 concepts of identity exist in a person and one of them is the Sociological Subject which is formed in relation to ‘significant others’ who impact our lives. (Hall, 1992) Essentially our identity is formed in the interaction between ourselves and society. When asked about whether they identify as Africans, the respondents asserted with the utmost pride that they are indeed Africans – the love for their language, the pride in their anthem, their admiration for the awe-inspiring landscapes and the abundance of culture and tradition in this continent will always make Africa home irrespective of where they are in the world. They are living the African dream and loving it and intend to share this truth with honour wherever they may go in the future. Not because they call Africa as the motherland, but because they call it home.