Last weekend, my Twitter feed was bustling with conversation surrounding the interactions between Black Americans and Africans in the United States. The conversation was inevitable considering the the people I follow, but the content of this conversation proved to be distinct from the previous ones that I have observed surrounding this topic. They seemed more empathetic and more unifying as I read and retweeted through the various gems of truth dropped in the goldmine my feed had become. Something must have incited this, I thought to myself. But I did not know what that was.The very next day, I came across this article called Black America, Please Stop Appropriating African Clothing and Tribal Marks (Yes That Means Everyone At Afropunk Too) and my mind quickly made the connection. This was the article that made the talk on my timeline come to life. And as I read, it became clear to me why this article had garnered so much attention. Zipporah Gene, the author, answered this question that she used as the foundation of her article:

Can Black people culturally appropriate one other?

Or in this specific case, can Black Americans appropriate African cultures? As I read her piece and began to think, I realized that there are certain conditions that have to be met in order for Black Americans to successfully appropriate African Cultures.

1. Black Americans must have no substantial ties to Africa.

The alternative label for “Black American” is African American. That’s quite a substantial tie to Africa if you ask me.

2. People who observe Black Americans wearing clothing from Africa must be omniscient.

But they aren’t. None of us are. Assuming that Black Americans are wearing certain outfits, accessories, or body paints because of their trendiness dismisses those who wear them as a means of expressing their African identity. Zipporah rightfully observed in her article that high fashion and mainstream fashion industries are incorporating African prints into their clothing. However, there are plenty of Black Americans who wear African clothing and accessories in order to pay respects to their roots. Afropunk exists as a space to celebrate unapologetic blackness so finding people using African elements in their outfits in this setting makes complete sense.

3. Black Americans must fully benefit from American privilege.



This is something that I have wrestled with in my mind as an African-born person who has spent most of her life in North America. More than one non-American black person from Africa, the Caribbean, Afro-Latin America, the UK, and other places throughout the Diaspora have noticed how the Black American narratives tends to dominate the global black narrative. I saw the hypervisibility of Black America as indicative of their privilege. But then Nnenna, an intelligent Nigerian American that I follow on Twitter, posited a question that made me change my perspective:

@kcheersbye how does visibility = privilege if there is no tangible benefit from the visibility . I would argue visibility is harmful — Chisaraokwu (@theAfroLegalise) July 8, 2015

The truth is that this hypervisibility that Black Americans have puts them in a position to be easy targets for violence and injustice. It is an all too common thing here in The States. Sure, their hypervisibility in the Diaspora can be attributed to their Americanness. But since that Americanness is being lived through black bodies in the context of this country’s history, a history that fails to afford them the idealistic freedom America continues to sell, American privilege does not fully manifest itself among Black American people.

4. Black Americans wearing African clothing must be the same as white people wearing African clothing.

In Zipporah’s article she equates the two. And sure, if Black Americans wearing African clothing was the same as white people wearing African clothing, then it would be a case of cultural appropriation committed by black people. However, she fails to realize that power dynamics in both scenarios are astronomically different.

In the event that a white person was not invited by an African to wear a certain cultural piece, for them to wear an African piece simply because it’s cute/trendy/cool/etc. would be an act of cultural appropriation. Why? Because actions do not happen in a vacuum; historically, Europeans have colonized African countries which have contributed to many of the issues that are still present within the continent. Despite the serious problems that are of concern for the plethora of cultures represented on that large continent, there is an air of celebration and jubilation that rings throughout Africa. And its vibrancy can be seen in the eye-catching colors that resonate within the African paints and fabrics.