African American's Guide to Understanding African Immigrants

Is it really true that African immigrants are full of themselves? Do they think they are better than African-Americans? Yes, most African immigrants think they are better than African-Americans. They erroneously feel African-Americans have no culture. And that they seem lazy and do not obey constituted authority. Interestingly, this mindset is influenced by what they see on the daily news and personal experiences. And sadly, most in-house discussions about African-Americans constantly revolve around these negative perceptions. When most African immigrants are around whites, they are very comfortable in expressing their dislike for African-Americans. A rather funny but foolish thing to do, because them white folks may not even like the African immigrants like that. Some whites would still treat the African immigrant as badly as they would treat an African-American, if the situation arises. An average African immigrant truly believes that he/she is viewed differently from African-America...

Denying that there is poverty in some parts of Africa will be disingenuous. Yes, there are poor folks in Africa. But not everyone is poor. But unfortunately, it is kind of amazing and sometimes really sad that most Americans actually believe that Africa is one vast land filled with hunger and poor people. There are people of all social and economic strata in the motherland. The super wealthy with generational wealth, rich folks who made it by dint of hard work and smartness, the 9 to 5 crowd, and the poor. And people move from one economic or social level to another, either up or down, depending on their circumstance(s). So, it’s never like Africa is a place of total and abject poverty. The poverty narrative has been overplayed. And one very knotty issue that African immigrants have with African-Americans, is that African-Americans sometimes randomly ask them some of the silliest and disrespectful questions about the seeming poverty and disease in Africa. This can be very annoying to t...

  Majority of African-Americans believe Africans played a major role in selling their fellow Africans. Although there is some truth to this, it’s not entirely true. Yes, there were some Africans who sold other Africans into slavery. But this actually started and escalated when Europeans via warfare, and with superior weaponry, began installing renegade kings and rulers who did their bidding of kidnapping and selling fellow Africans. In very many occasions, the deposed African kings were vehemently opposed to the evil intentions of the Europeans, and actively engaged them in battle. All the African kings that violently opposed the kidnappings and sale of human beings, met very terrible ends. There is rarely any kingdom in Africa that did not engage the Europeans in war at some point in history, primarily because of their stance on the issue of the slave trade. And let’s bear in mind that books and movies on the subject of slavery always highlight Africa’s complicity in the slav...

A typical African immigrant does not have any kind of victim mentality or inferiority complex. The mere fact of making it to the US gives him or her a sense of equality to the citizens. They are bold and very expressive. Older African immigrants make it clear to the newer arrivals that they need to be twice as resolute, hardworking and smart to succeed in the US. “It is tough out here for us”, is what you are told. “Nothing is handed to you on a platter. No room for excuses as a foreigner here.” And this indoctrination prepares them for success. And with the pressure from your family back home, you have no choice but to better yourself, and make that money, because there are mouths to feed. So, failing is not an option. And again, this is another source of resentment from African-Americans, who may view this attitude as being overly ambitious. How dare an African immigrant come to America and reap where he or she didn’t sow? African-American ancestors did the heavy lifting, and then...

  Africans are very communal, just like African-Americans. Extended family relationships mean a lot to Africans. You refer to anyone bloodily related to you as brother or sister, and you treat them as such. “Blood is thicker than water” is a proverb that is rooted in every African culture. It is your duty to always be there for your blood relations, whether in a good or a bad situation. When you get married, you are not just married to your spouse, but also married to every member of his or her family. You have an obligation to be cordial and supportive of your in-laws, just as your spouse should be to your own family. Family issues are rarely brought before the court of law. They are to be handled by the extended family. Even in cases where family matters are in court, pressure is always mounted on the parties involved to withdraw the case, and the matter is resolved amongst family members. When African immigrants don’t have their immediate families with them in the US, the...

  Just like African-Americans, Africans are generally conservative, in fact very conservative. To a typical African, being liberal basically means you’ve abandoned your African culture. An African believes in traditional family values. Marriage is between a man and a woman. Same sex relationship or marriage is frowned upon. Bringing home, a same sex partner or fiancé to your parents is a recipe for chaos. Divorce is discouraged. Feminism is not encouraged. The man is the head of the house, the woman is there to assist him, and the kids will always abide by mom’s and dad’s rules and regulations, even after they’ve left the house. Religion plays a very prominent role in the life of an African. Atheism is largely seen as a culture of the white man. Abortion to an African is murder, period! Elders are the custodians of our culture and tradition, and should be revered and respected. There is really no total independence from your parents. You are always reminded of the need to u...

 Just like immigrants of other races, Africans immigrants marry Americans primarily to get their papers (Green cards) or citizenship. That’s a fact, even though most immigrants would deny this. Although some are genuinely in love with the American citizen they intend to marry, they see the opportunity of acquiring a green card via marriage as an added advantage.   Unfortunately, some African men set out to marry an American women purely for the green card, with the clear intention of breaking up at some point and then going for his preferred woman of choice; an African woman. If an African immigrant man shows interest in an American woman who’s a single mother, chances are that he’s interested in her purely for green card purposes. It’s nearly impossible for a single African immigrant man with no kid(s), to settle down long-term with a single mom. Don’t be deceived. It’s very rare to find an African man that is willing to play the step-father role.  The intent of mar...

 Any African immigrant woman who is well grounded in her culture, would be a suitable mate for an African-American man. The chances of them being compatible is very high. With the kind of upbringing Africans are exposed to, she’ll be a good wife material for him. She’s most likely going to be a traditional wife, because he wouldn’t have to worry about her taking care of the home.  She’s already been trained to accept her responsibility as a homemaker. Cooking, cleaning, and paying extra attention to raising and disciplining the kids, will be well taken care of with no complaints. Even as a career woman, she also knows that managing her home is primarily her responsibility, and she’ll take pride in being a good home manager. And even with the wave of feminism sweeping all across the world, and especially having a strong hold in America, it’s kind of refreshing to meet African women that still believe in being traditional women. 

The stereotypes about African-American women have greatly influenced the way an African immigrant men would relate with them. It’s rare for an African immigrant male to marry an African-American woman. He is typically alpha and feels he should be in control of the relationship, but an average African-American woman wouldn’t accept that from her man.  He is not comfortable with his woman talking back or challenging his authority in the home. He feels he has to take the lead. This is how he was raised; men take the lead.  So, him living in America and seeing first-hand, the amount of legal advantages a woman has over a man, he tends to steer clear of any serious relationship with an American woman. He’ll rather ‘go back home’ to find a wife, or look for a fellow African immigrant woman to marry. He believes she will have similar cultural orientation as him, and that it would be easier for them to raise a family. Although in recent times, there are some African men who are in ser...

 Any African immigrant that can make it to America, has an above average intelligence. Especially those that initially come as students. It takes a smart person to pass the entry exams for admission into an undergraduate or graduate program. Usually it’s the best students, that aspire to come to the US for an education.  Africans believe that the American educational system is the best in the world, and it’s highly sort after in Africa. So, making it to an American college or university is truly a dream come true, and you wouldn’t want to flunk out of school due to bad grades. You don’t want to face the backlash that comes with being a school dropout. Just thinking about it, would frighten any international student from Africa, and have no other option than to study hard and make good grades. This is why you would find more African students in the STEM majors, and other professional majors, as it is believed that STEM careers are pretty tasking but lucrative, and a lot of hard...

 Every African immigrant in America is there for one purpose; to partake in the AMERICAN DREAM. That’s it. They are there to succeed against all odds. That’s exactly why they don’t mind starting at the very bottom. Jobs Americans may see as menial or beneath them, the African immigrant is willing to do. He or she knows this job is temporary, and a means to an end. Achieving the AMERICAN DREAM is a quest that has to be accomplished. If you don’t achieve it, then your offspring will. It’s like a religious quest that must be accomplished. There’s no going back to Africa empty-handed anywhere in the plan. This mindset is what has made the success rate of African immigrants in America pretty high. But unfortunately, this is also a source of resentment of African-Americans against African immigrants. African-Americans seem to believe that opportunities to succeed are availed more to non-Americans. But is it true? Who is more qualified for business loans or student loans/grants/scholarshi...

 African immigrants take family ties very seriously. Their lives basically revolve around their families, both nuclear and extended. Family is everything. You are educated from an early age to respect your elders. You don’t talk back to anyone old enough to be your parents, or your uncles and aunties. It can result in some ass whooping. It’s mandatory for kids to do house chores. And it is actually a daily routine in most African homes. You really have no excuse for not doing yours. Kids who avoid chores are viewed as spoilt kids. Teenagers are expected to have personal discipline, and must engage in duties like cleaning their rooms, doing their laundry, cooking, and going grocery shopping. Especially the female child, she is taught from an early age on how to be a woman. Whatever a woman does as a wife and a mother, she’s supposed to teach that to her daughter(s). And fathers are to do same with to their son(s).  One very easy way to embarrass or annoy your African parent is ...

 It is very common for comedians, especially African-American comedians to make jokes about Africans in their stand-up routines. They make fun of the way Africans talk, the way they dress, their skin tone, economic status, etcetera. And most times there is contempt or disdain in their delivery, or so do African immigrants perceive it. Most African immigrants see these routines as more of mockery than mere jokes, and also very disrespectful and insulting sometimes.  Interestingly though, their physical audience, who are mostly African-Americans enjoy these bits, and they seem to enjoy hearing those rather derogatory jokes from African-American comedians. But why is that the case?  And it seems like these jokes influence, whether rightly or wrongly, the way African-Americans view African immigrants, as some African immigrants complain about how they are taunted with these comedy bits. Most if not all the greats have done several bits about Africa and Africans. It’s all over...