AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS LIVE A COMMUNAL LIFE

 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, they are encouraged to associate with their tribal groups in the US. Virtually every tribe in Africa has a registered association or organization in America. And these groups serve as their family in place of their real family.

Just about any type of family or communal engagements like marriage, baby naming ceremonies, thanksgivings etc, are handled by the organization, according to their customs and traditions. A typical tribal association plays a very pivotal role in maintaining balance and stability for members. They act quite literarily like a mini-government for its members.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

SOME SALIENT REASONS FOR MARRYING AN AMERICAN

 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...
Read more

AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS ARE CONSERVATIVE

  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...
Read more

AFRICANS ARE MAJORLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SLAVE TRADE?

  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...
Read more