What became obvious from the responses I got from last week’s column is that I merely scratched the surface of a deep issue. The constrain...
What became obvious from the responses I
got from last week’s column is that I merely scratched the surface of a deep
issue. The constraints of space prevented me from writing more things than I’d
conceived for the article. For instance, as one responder commented below, I
didn’t mention that “jungle bunny” isn’t an exclusively African-American slur
against Africans; it’s rather a white American putdown for all black people. I
also didn’t mention that African immigrants sometimes jocularly call each other
“Akata” to underscore the fact that they’ve been in America for too long.
Additionally, as you will see below,
what I thought was a mere lighthearted piece on the name-calling between two estranged
racial cousins is the subject of research by semioticians. A University of
Ibadan stylistics professor has been investigating the use of intra- and
inter-group ethnic slurs in Nigeria since the late 1990s. I can’t wait to read
his book when it’s finally done.
Ethnic
slurs aren’t always ill-natured. Sometimes they serve humorous purposes. The
English language, for instance, is full of expressions that stereotype other
European ethnic groups. Phrases such as “French kiss,” “excuse my French” (used
when someone says something nasty or obscene), “Dutch courage” (for
alcohol-induced bravery)” “Dutch treat” (for a dinner where everyone pays for
himself), etc. signal intentionally deprecatory but harmless inter-group humor.
Nevertheless, as indicated in last
week’s article, mutual tension isn’t the only feature of the relationship
between African immigrants in America and African Americans. Next week, I will
write a profile of an African-American woman who lived in Nigeria for nearly
four decades and became a Nigerian citizen. She recently returned to America,
along with her Nigerian husband, after retiring from the Nigerian civil
service. Now, she is often mistaken for an African, for an “outsider,” in the
country of her birth. I spoke with her extensively over the last few weeks and
can’t wait to share her story with my readers. See you next week.
Loved
it! I wrote something along the same lines in the past. I'm glad that great
minds are at last thinking alike. The expression, "jungle bunny" is
not an African American invention. This is a blanket term Whites used on anyone
who was Black.
I
have some other ones for you: bubu(s), monkey chasers, and I would like to add
that Eddie Murphy created a HUGE insult against the generic African womanhood
when he invented a character called, “zebra bitch” (he thought if he went to
Africa and found an "innocent" he would be free of losing half of his
wealth via divorce). If we could stop being so mean to each other maybe we
could actually bridge a portion of the chasm between Africans and African
Americans.
Thank
you again,
La Vonda R. Staples, Missouri, USA
Nice
article. Glad to have you as kindred spirit. I have been doing research on
intra- and inter-group derogatory labeling since 1999, approaching the inquiry from
the angle of cultural semiotics, and have found this domain of scholarship
really fascinating. It is also a risky field especially because some would
rather view a researcher in my position as somebody who tries to make a name
through bringing up a subject matter that ought to be suppressed, by so doing
rousing prejudice, advertising it, and deepening divides. Anyway, one way of
catering for the critique that one is trying to make a career at the expense of
co-existence is to intervene and use the analysis of those labels to make
statements about the engineering of inter-group relations and peace-building.
You may consider writing a second installment of your lovely essay to reflect
your critical intervention.
Dr. Obododimma Oha, Department of
English, University of Ibadan
 |
| Beyonce and Jay Z in Nigeria |
It’s
funny, but goes to show how intelligent and curious your daughter is. I am
still laughing trying to imagine what was going on in her innocent mind then.
But, anyway, we`ve learnt a thing or two in case we get over there and someone
tries to use the word on us. I think I will also not take it lightly like your
daughter.
Aisha Nana Mohammed, Minna
Never
heard the expression "The booty scratcher." It is an eye-opener.
Insightful info about the origins of the word "Akata." I used to
belong to a Yahoo group where the term caused a ruckus between members, some of
whom considered it very derogatory to the African American. Even though we may
not all be aware of our slave ancestry, is there a term that is more pejorative
to any black person than the N word? At this point, I do not think that there's
a label anyone can attach to another person which should worry them. As the
English say, a rose will still smell as sweet, no matter what they call it.
Duchess Samira Edi, London
Got
a couple of rap dictionaries at home – da slang is on the move and evolving so
fast - methinks that you've left out a whole lot that you'll probably include
in the follow-up on both the written and the spoken word?
Cornelius Hamelberg, Sweden
The
bane of we Africans/African Americans is hatred, bitterness and disunity among
ourselves.
Sola Aiyetan, Moscow, Russia
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