I am White

I certainly feel a link between myself and Africans that I do not feel in my connection to my fellow White Americans. Why do I feel this connection? Could it be my skin, my hair, or the remnants of African influence which sprinkle – okay douse -the African-American culture? I must say that it is liberating to know that if you have a problem with someone that it is not because you are black! 99% of everyone you see here is black. That’s not to say that I do not run in to problems here or that I am not treated differently sometimes due to my “status” as an American, due to the fact that I am female, due to my age, etc.

I feel like “them”- many have said I look like them - although I know that the feeling is not always mutual. They, as in Ivoirians, when it boils down to it, clearly see me as une blanche (in French the meaning literally means white lady but what Ivoirians really are trying to express with this term is that I am a Westerner). One day a guy told me that it was obvious I wasn’t Ivoirian, when he looked at me he said he knew. I asked, “And my skin?” He said even that looks different. This type of comment, however, is quite rare. Based on my physical appearance, people cannot tell that I am not African. On another day, on my way to work, I crossed a field where many young girls were playing. I heard one of them say, “There goes the “White lady”.”I couldn’t help it. I turned around and asked, “Excuse me but do you see anything white here?” while pointing at my skin. They all giggled because they understood what I was posing with my question.

What I find really interesting is that Ivoirians do not make a distinction between me, as an African American, and a White American. Yes, they realize that I am a by-product of Africa and that I am black, unlike European descended Americans. But for them, generally speaking, we, all Americans, are all the same – precisely our way of thinking. Our occidental mentalities are the same. We are all from the Western world; we are all “white”. This is another reason why, in general*, they do not perceive interracial relationships in the same racist manner that some of us, Americans, do. While I’ve been asked many times, “Is your boyfriend a white American or a black American?” – the curiosity is certainly there - I still think that their perception is different, as if interracial friendships/relationships aren’t as a “loaded” topic as it is or can be in the US. I find that quite fascinating. This says to me that race in America has a different spin than it does in Africa. This is no secret but it just reinforces how racialized the United States is. We judge everything by race. As humans, we categorize. We make boxes; it’s natural. But isn’t it a bit weird that many of us -before considering one’s level of education, age, sex, sexual orientation, nationality, religion -we start with the color of one’s skin? But then again, my experience in Africa has taught me that if race was not the weapon used to assume power and self-legitimacy, it would, most definitely, be something else. For example, here in Côte d’Ivoire, there are at least 60 ethnicities. Yes, all of these people are black but they belong to different ethnic groups with different languages, cultures, and customs. And nowadays, people intermarry between ethnic groups but still I cannot tell you how many times I have heard comments like, “You know, those {fill in any ethnic group} can’t be trusted.” Or “Those folks from the north/south are all lazy.” Even in terms of immigration, I have heard people use all sorts of derogatory comments against the blacks that come from other neighboring (often poorer) African countries to live in Côte d’Ivoire. So, yes, while we have seemingly huge race issues in the United States, the roots of our race problems are less about skin color and more about the natural tendency in man to divide and categorize so that one group can benefit over another. In the States, given our history of slavery and our heterogeneity, racism has been and continues to be one of the easiest tactics to apply in exploiting privilege.

*I use the phase in general often to express my observations because I do not strive to characterize an entire country based on my mere limited experiences. Keep in mind that generalities often ignore someone or something. What I am essentially saying is that there are always exceptions to the rule and my opinions are based on my personal perception. Point: digest everything that is preceded by “in general”, with a grain of salt. And if the “in general” disclaimer is missing, proceed cautiously ;)