Why some African Americans are moving to Africa
Muhammida El Muhajir with parents Nisa Ra and Marvin X
www.aljazeera.com
Why some African Americans
are moving to Africa
18 Jan 2018
SOURCE: AL JAZEERAAccra, Ghana - They have come from the big cities of
San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Thousands of them. And many
refuse to return.
A new wave of African Americans is escaping the incessant racism and
communities are emerging in defiance of conventional wisdom that Africa
is a continent everyone is trying to leave.
It is estimated that between 3,000 and 5,000 African Americans live in
Accra, the Ghanaian capital. They are teachers in small towns in the west
or entrepreneurs in the capital and say they that even though living in
Ghana is not always easy, they feel free and safe.
Take Muhammida el-Muhajir, a digital marketer from New York City, who
left her job to move to Accra.
She says she moved, because despite her education and experience,
she was always made to feel like a second-class citizen. Moving was an
opportunity to fulfil her potential and avoid being targeted by racial violence.
She told Al Jazeera her story:
On life as a second-class citizen in the US...
"I grew up in Philadelphia and then New York. I went to Howard, which
is a historically black university. I tell people that Ghana is like Howard
in real life. It felt like a microcosm of the world. At university, they tell
us the world isn't black, but there are places where this is the real world.
Howard prepares you for a world where black people are in charge, which
is a completely different experience compared to people who have gone
to predominantly white universities."
I can't say what's happening in America today is
any worse than what's been happening at
any other time.
--MUHAMMIDA EL-MUHAJIR
On her first trip to Africa...
"The first country I went to was Kenya. I was 15 and travelled with a group
of kids. I was one of two black kids. I saw early that I could fit in and wasn't
an outsider. Suddenly it switched, I came from America where I was an
outsider, but in Africa, I no longer felt like that. I did graduate school in
Ghana in 2003 and went back to New York and then moved to Ghana in
2014.
"I have no connection to Ghana. Some people in my family did tests, and
we found ties to Senegal and The Gambia, but I don't think you can ever
figure it out. No matter where you were sold or left the port, Senegal or
Ghana, no one can be certain where you came from."
No matter where you were sold or left the port,
Senegal or Ghana, no one can be certain where
you came from.
MUHAMMIDA EL-MUHAJIR
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Market in Agbogbloshie, a district in Accra, Ghana's capital [Thomas Imo/Photothek via Getty
Images]
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On leaving New York for Accra...
"Even when you live in a place like New York as a black person, you're
always an outsider.
"You hear stories about the richest black people, like Oprah Winfrey,
getting shut out of a store or Jay-Z not being allowed to buy [an
apartment]. Those things happen. It doesn't matter if you're a celebrity,
you're a second-class citizen. This was the biggest issue for me.
"In America, you're always trying to prove yourself; I don't need to prove
myself to anyone else's standards here. I'm a champion, I ran track and
went to university, and I like to win, so I refuse to be in a situation where
I will never win."
You might not have electricity,
but you won't get killed by the
police either.
MUHAMMIDA EL-MUHAJIR
On moving to Ghana...
"There are amenities that I am used to at home in New York - like parties,
open bars and fashion, so when I realised I could do the same things in
here, and that was the difference from when I came [as a student]. I saw the
things that I love at home here, so I decided that now is the time."
On Ghanaian reactions...
"When Ghanaians find out that I live here, they're usually confused
about why I chose to live here as an American. There is definitely certain
access and privilege being American here, but it's great to finally cash
in on that because it doesn't mean anything in America.
"There are also plenty of privileged Ghanaians; if you take away race
there's a class system."
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Modern architecture in Ghana's capital [Thomas Imo/Photothek via Getty Images]
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On the 'Blaxit' documentary...
"In my documentary, I chose five people that I've met since I've been
here and every one of them went to a black college in the US. It's
something that prepares you mentally to realise you aren't a second-class
citizen. Something like that can help you make a transition to live in Africa.
"I made Blaxit because of this wave of African-Americans moving to Africa.
This trend started to happen around independence of African countries,
but the new wave [comprises] people who come to places like this.
This new group has certain access in America and comes here to have
that lifestyle in Africa.
"Unknown to us, we're living out the vision that [Ghanaian politician and
revolutionary] Kwame Nkrumah set out for us, of this country being the
gateway to Africa for the black diaspora.
"I don't want people to think that Africa is this magic utopia where all
your issues will go away. It's just that some of the things you might face
in America as a black person - you won't have to suffer with those things
here.
"You might not have electricity, but you won't get killed by the police either.
"I want people to understand that they have options and alternatives. Most
black people in America don't know that these options exist; they think they
have to suffer because there's nowhere else to go. But no, there are other
places."
On the prospect of more African-Americans
moving...
"I think more will come when they begin to see it as a viable alternative.
But it's not easy and it's not cheap. I can't say what's happening in America
today is any worse than what's been happening at any other time. I think
now is the time that people are starting to see they can live somewhere
else."
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Azad Essa is a journalist at Al Jazeera, covering Sub-Saharan Africa.
Muhammida El Muhajir is Pan African Editor of The Movement Newspaper
