Grandiose Parlor

In America, very few Africans have been able to build beneficial relationships with other African immigrants, particularly those of different nationality, tribe or religion. Our social circle hardly extend beyond that those that speak our native languages or share our religious orientation. Several don’t even have a professional network, and for those that do, their interactions within the network follow the same pattern.

Although Africans are not as homogenous as Indians, I can’t help but refer to this BusinessWeek article: Are Indians the Model Immigrant? Though somewhat dated, it highlights the level and extent of mutually beneficial relationships that exist between Indians in America. And they are better for because it. Can the same be said of Africans in America?

That the Indians run some of the most successful small businesses and lead a few of the largest corporations in America is not just because they are smart. They also face the same discrimination and hardship as any immigrant group. But, they’ve learned to thrive in American society by being able to network within their circle and empower each other.

Ousman Ceesay, a Gambian blogger (Home of the Mandinmories) living in Detroit, is irked by the comment of the city mayor to a local newspaper article on the interaction and the disconnect that exist between African immigrants and African Americans in the city. Hat-tip to Ndesanjo Macha for link to the article on Global Voices:

“…Detroit Mayor Kwame M. Kilpatrick questions whether there is enough communication between the traditional African-American community and Africans who have arrived in recent years and decades. Kilpatrick says he has high expectations for unity between the two communities and suggests the present relationship is nowhere near its potential. I don’t know if Detroit is benefiting from African immigration because Detroiters themselves don’t feel like they are benefiting from it,” Kilpatrick says. “The community doesn’t feel it, so we can’t say that we’re benefiting from it yet as a city… It’s great for property taxes and revenue, but currently that’s about it.”

I can understand how the blogger feels. However, I somewhat agree with the Mayor. How can the community ‘benefit’ if the African immigrants themselves are not really integrated?

Here is my personal experience: One of my neighbors in Minnesota is a Sudanese, I thought I did the right thing by visiting and welcoming him and his family to the neighborhood when he moved in several months back. Despite this, the relationship has been “cool chilling”, and we have been making do with the typical “hi” and occasional wave of hands when we bumped into each other. This is hardly a way for two immigrants from Africa to interact, I want to believe. Well, maybe I’m just having a pan-African mind trip.