Friday, March 29, 2024

Former New Yorker On Why She Left ‘Racist’ America for Africa

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Muhammida el-Muhajir
Muhammida el-Muhajir

*According to aljazeera.com, “a new wave of African-Americans are escaping the prejudice in the United States,” and heading to various countries in Africa.

The outlet reports that there’s an “estimated 3,000 and 5,000 African Americans living in Accra, the Ghanaian capital.” Some are teachers in the small towns in the west or entrepreneurs in the capital, and they say that even though living in Ghana is not always easy, they feel free and safe.

Muhammida el-Muhajir, a digital marketer from New York City, who left her job to move to Accra, told Al Jazeera her story:

On life as a second-class citizen in the US…

“I grew up in Philadelphia and then New York. I went to Howard, which is a historically black university. I tell people that Ghana is like Howard in real life. It felt like a microcosm of the world. At university, they tell us the world isn’t black but there are places where this is the real world. Howard prepares you for a world where black people are in charge, which is a completely different experience compared to people who have gone to predominantly white universities.”

On her first trip to Africa…

“The first country I went to was Kenya. I was 15 and traveled with a group of kids. I was one of two black kids. I saw early that I could fit in and wasn’t an outsider. Suddenly it switched, I came from America where I was an outsider, but in Africa, I no longer felt like that. I did graduate school in Ghana in 2003 and went back to New York and then moved to Ghana in 2014.

“I have no connection to Ghana. Some people in my family did tests and we found ties to Senegal and The Gambia, but I don’t think you can ever figure it out. No matter where you were sold or left the port, Senegal or Ghana, no one can be certain where you came from.”

 

Photo Credit: Twitter.com

On leaving New York for Accra…

“Even when you live in a place like New York as a black person, you’re always an outsider.

“You hear stories about the richest black people, like Oprah Winfrey getting shut out of a store or Jay-Z not being allowed to buy [an apartment]. Those things happen. It doesn’t matter if you’re a celebrity, you’re a second-class citizen. If you have the option to not live that way, in a cushy society with wonderful streets and electricity 24/7 but you’re a second-class citizen. This was the biggest issue for me.

“In America, you’re always trying to prove yourself; I don’t need to prove myself to anyone else’s standards here. I’m a champion, I ran track and went to university and I like to win, so I refuse to be in a situation where I will never win.”

You might not have electricity, but you won’t get killed by the police either.

On moving to Ghana…

“There are amenities that I am used to at home in New York – like parties, open bars and fashion, so when I realized I could do the same things in Africa as I could back in the US, I was sold. There is also a big street art festival here, and that was the difference from when I came [as a student]. I saw the things that I love at home here, so I decided that now is the time.”

On Ghanaian reactions…

“When Ghanaians find out that I live here, they’re usually confused about why I chose to live here as an American. There is definitely certain access and privilege being American here, but it’s great to finally cash in on that because it doesn’t mean anything in America.

“There are also plenty of privileged Ghanaians, if you take away race there’s a class system.”

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