IDENTITY- MULTI-DIMENSIONAL AND COMPLEX

Firstly i would like to declare that I am African, I am Nigerian and I am also British. This to some might seem like an ambiguous comment but i am making a statement that identity is multi-dimensional and complex. I do not stop being African because I have lived in England for 20 years and I (like the British immigration system has made abundantly clear) does not automatically become British because I have lived in England for 20 years. I refuse to accept that my identity can be defined along these terms. Is this opinion a product of the western education i have received? No because my story or stories from the proverbial "black" experience does not feature within the British education system, i have not been indoctrinated with this view by the Brit system. This particular position stems from my recent experience, having travelled to Africa recently the people I met perceived me as an outsider, a foreigner and I was offended. The experience however made me realise that no one can define me but me. I think you should take offense when anyone regardless of their racial or cultural background tries to define you. For instance I often get frustrated when African American theorists, writers, speakers etc. especially, talk about 'black identity and history' as though it is a generic experience. Often these theorists without naming names emalgamate the "African" experience with the "African American" experience (notice I have intentionally placed those speech marks because I acknowledge that to use these terms without them would be doing the same things that past theorists have done and reinforce the idea that the African experience can be defined), particularly making reference to slavery. I find this damaging to my identity as an African woman, I am not negating the importance of discussing slavery and dealing with the repercussions of the slave trade but I am merely asserting that slavery should not be our focus particularly when it comes to reshaping African identities post independence. I don't think it is good for African individuals to play the blame game and say it is the past colonisers who have taken away our culture, our language our expressions, and have made us lose sight of who we truly are but i think when we make slavery our focus we also become perpetrators of creating narrowed perceptions of African identities and experiences, and by doing so it makes African experiences unimportant, uninteresting and not worth documenting. Subsequently we lose sight of who we are and where we come from. African history or histories goes beyond slavery, although it is a part of some African identities but it isn't a part of all, it certainly isn't a part of my history. We should focus on sharing our individual experiences whether it is through this blog or through another medium, to help reshape perceptions of African identities post colonization.

Elaye Augusta Moses