Africans Are Infusing Southern Black Culture, Part 2 of the “People Who Get Stuff Done” Series
While many of us encounter the people of Africa through some kind of Internet scam or the braid shop, they infuse Black culture more than what we know.
The lady in this picture is a miracle worker. Honestly. Her name is Mariama Sow, she is a Fulani from one of the Guineas of the West Coast of Africa (I don’t mean any disrespect. My American brain is too simple for the sometimes complicated political pictures of West Africa), and she has been braiding my hair for almost ten years now.
I have been attending this particular braid shop since it was called, “Diena Simply Natural.” I’m so comfortable there, that these ladies, immigrants to our country, sarcastically joke about the size of my head, the fullness of my hair, and how grooming hair is just not my talent. We ask about one another’s children, share pictures on our cell phones, and talk about the moral ilks of the day.
Though these ladies are from the West Coast of Africa (they speak Fulani as their first language, French as their second, and English as a distant third) and their English is accented, I can say that my life has been made richer because I have met them. And I’m not talking about how they make my lion’s mane behave, either. I am also talking about more substantive things such as religion, art, and literature.
Outside of the braid shops or the occasional phishing email from an African prince in Nigeria, many of us do not know how Africans are infusing African American and American culture at large with new ideas. Right now, Africans are not the face of immigration and immigration policy. Often, people of African descent are left out of the conversation altogether and not given the benefits that other immigrants to this country receive. For example, there was a time when Caribbean people could freely enter the country…unless they were Haitian. Haitian people were turned around in international waters. Many of them met their deaths.
Once, the population of Africans in America was mainly clustered in industrial cities. Thanks to the efforts of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the South, the South is now blooming with African people from various countries. Guinea, Gambia, Ghana, and Nigeria are just a few of the countries where this African Diaspora arrive.
With the arrival of Africans in the South, we have received a wave of new restaurants. On occasion, we cook for one another. My African friends and acquaintances tickle me in that when I serve them jambalaya, they tell me that is just jollof. Or if I serve them our version of okra and tomato stew, they tell me that it is just like fish stew. I even almost had an international, food incident on my hands. I do like Gambian cuisine, but one of my colleagues is from Ghana. He declared that their cuisine was far superior and that his sister is an excellent cook (she is). That was the spark that blew the powder keg. Either way, I received great food and good conversation, so I let the argument stew for a while.
This is one of my favorite restaurants in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It boasts Gambian cuisine mixed with a little Ghana. I love this place! In addition to restaurants, there are markets and food trucks dedicated to the various African cuisines of the West Coast. Imagine my surprise when an older African colleague of mine chastised me for putting too much sugar in our yams. I’m not going to stop putting sugar in my candy yams, but we did have an hour-long, funny conversation about all of the foods that we have in common.
In addition to the braid shops and restaurants, there are many clothing shops available, too. Most African Americans reserve African attire to Black history month. We donned them to see Black Panther, and that was about it. With the many African clothing shops, African clothing is no longer something that we wear for a month or for a movie. It is now being incorporated into everyday dress.
Nationally, another product of Africa has become the stuff of everyday life: shea butter. Look at any of the higher end hair products and they are infused with shea butter. For those of us with unprocessed hair, it is a Godsend:
We use it in our hair and on our skin. And it is pretty good as a sunscreen to boot! I first “discovered” this product through one of the ladies from Ghana who populate my circle. Unrefined, it is thick, yellow and sometimes hard to manipulate. However, it is far superior to cocoa butter and takes only a little heat to make it pliable.
In addition to products, the cultural exchanges between Africans and African Americans has also led to increased viewing of basketball and soccer. Though it is difficult to convince our African friends that football is a magical game, most of our friends do love basketball and are painstakingly getting us into soccer. My son has already begged my friend for a pair of soccer shoes. While looking at me with a victorious smirk, she complied and bought them! I guess this is a win for the nonviolent football? Many HBCUs now have soccer teams thanks to African team members and coaches.
Many professors of STEM and civic-related fields such as government are of African descent. And though I am not a Muslim, I am from South Mississippi, where the largest private landholders are the Nation of Islam. Having been exposed to Islam, the Qu’ran, and the mosques all of my life (though NOI varies vastly from the Islam practiced elsewhere), I do not consider all Islamic people terrorists, and I most certainly respect the religion of the African Muslims who are in my circle. This is something that often surprises them. It even seems odd until I show them my copy of the Qu’ran.
Though I realize that exposure to the various nations of Africa is a new thing for much of the South, I am proud of the cultural exchanges that I see and engage in. We are learning from one another that the things that bring us together outnumber the things that separate us!
This is coming directly from my personal experience as a professor and not my class diary.
