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Who are you denying?
Skin bleaching is reaching a terrifying popularity within the African continent. As nations look to build their economies based on a capitalistic model, it seems the people are chasing beauty based on a European model and the... — **Who are you denying?**
Skin bleaching is reaching a terrifying popularity within the African continent. As nations look to build their economies based on a capitalistic model, it seems the people are chasing beauty based on a European model and the only solution is from a bottle. Young women have begun to use skin bleaching to achieve the fair skin of our western cousins instead of the rich tones of our ancestors.
At the core of this practice is a narrative on the meaning of beauty, worth, and identity. When a woman buys a potion hoping to change her skin tone because she equates fair skin to beauty, it also means that she believes dark skin is less beautiful or cannot be beautiful at all. If she believed otherwise, there would no reason to alter her appearance. It also tells us that having fairer skin is a more beautiful feature, that thought alone elevates an individual with dark skin from invisible to visible after bleaching. In that one act she communicates to others that she does not think she is beautiful, but she also says that her mother is not beautiful, her sister is not beautiful, and all other women of dark complexion are not beautiful by this standard she has accepted. By extension her ancestry cannot be beautiful unless they somehow also have this desired, fair skin.
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Our Skin
I didn’t know what skin bleaching was until I was eleven and I asked my mom why one of my aunties was much lighter than her sister. My mother explained that she lightened her skin using creams and that you can tell by looking at her... — **Our Skin**
I didn’t know what skin bleaching was until I was eleven and I asked my mom why one of my aunties was much lighter than her sister. My mother explained that she lightened her skin using creams and that you can tell by looking at her knuckles. I didn’t quite understand but I surmised that it was the reason why my auntie’s skin looked blemished and uneven and I wondered why someone would choose that over the smooth and even beauty of her sister’s skin and my mother’s skin and all the other women I admired in life.
I’ve always known black to be beautiful and I’ve never despised my lighter brown tones, but there has always been something about the deepness of my mother’s black skin that I find irresistible. Maybe it’s the way the light reflects or the way brightly coloured lace and gele look next to it, I don’t know but I’ve always thought it to be perfection of some sort.
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Talk Africa (Glimpse of Africa): Color of our Hearts
Do you feel Africans care about skin color?
Do you think there is a negative association with being darkness?
If so, why?
Have you ever been told to stay out of the sun?
Have you ever been told to... — **Talk Africa (Glimpse of Africa): Color of our Hearts**
Do you feel Africans care about skin color?
Do you think there is a negative association with being darkness?
If so, why?
Have you ever been told to stay out of the sun?
Have you ever been told to marry someone of lighter complexion?
Where does this desire for lightness come from?
Did we inherit these concerns from somewhere else?
What part does colonialism have to play in the skin politics conversation?
Where does hair fall in the skin politics debate?
Is the issue of skin color worse now, or better in the wake of the natural hair movement?
What can we do to counter the impact of light vs. dark skin debate?
Where do our positive influences on skin politics come from?
How can we heal this divide, if there is one?

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Brown on Brown on Brown
When color doesn’t matter, or did it?
Growing up in my family was interesting. I was the lightest one; surrounded every day by rich dark brown hues made me uncomfortable. My parents never said anything to me really, no one was... — **Brown on Brown on Brown**
When color doesn’t matter, or did it?
Growing up in my family was interesting. I was the lightest one; surrounded every day by rich dark brown hues made me uncomfortable. My parents never said anything to me really, no one was more or less beautiful than anyone else, but I still felt weird.
When I looked into my mother’s smooth mocha face, all I saw was beauty. There were no blemishes, no scars, her rounded shining face was flawless and marked only by her twinkling eyes and bright smile. Everywhere we went, everyone would comment on how happy my mother was, or how amazing her smile was.
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Talk Africa: “BRCK House”
There was a time in our history when looking to the future meant connecting technologically to the world. Smartphones were not sold, and blogs were websites where people either complained about their lives, or put up... — **Talk Africa: “BRCK House”**
There was a time in our history when looking to the future meant connecting technologically to the world. Smartphones were not sold, and blogs were websites where people either complained about their lives, or put up recipes. Technology is no longer a wish for the future, but a tangible part of our present.
Countries like Ghana and South Africa are slowly developing not only for their people a fruitful and sustainable infrastructure, but also for international tourism; they’re not just setting up safaris. Social movements are no longer random reactive events, but part of our progress, part of our moving forward. Not only is our music heard around the world, but so are our written words. One generation ago, these might have been indicia of a future Africa, a continent with global recognition, and presence. While there has been immense progress, there is still conflict, and there is still work to be done.
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Talk Africa (Glimpses of Africa)
When you see this what does the message mean to you?
What place do members of the Diaspora, Black Americans, Afro-Latinos, Caribbeans, etc… play in this future?
Do you believe this? Why?
What future are we talking... — **Talk Africa (Glimpses of Africa)**
When you see this what does the message mean to you?
What place do members of the Diaspora, Black Americans, Afro-Latinos, Caribbeans, etc… play in this future?
Do you believe this? Why?
What future are we talking about?
What kinds of things do you expect from the continent?
Do you expect the kind of rise we have seen erupting in the east?
What signs are we seeing now that the continent is indeed rising?
Do feel more strongly about younger generations making an impact or do you think this generation can make a change?
What change have you made that pushes the continent forward towards change?
What changes have you seen around you pushing the continent towards the future?

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Colorism
Colorism, Racism’s evil cousin that lurks around in the shadows and causes havoc subconsciously in the black community. Colorism has caused an interesting social division especially in the African American community whereby lighter skinned... — **Colorism**
Colorism, Racism’s evil cousin that lurks around in the shadows and causes havoc subconsciously in the black community. Colorism has caused an interesting social division especially in the African American community whereby lighter skinned Black people tend to be seen as relatively superior to their darker skinned brothers and sisters. Unlike her cousin racism that attacks from the outside, colorism has found a way to work her way into our communities and eat at us from the inside. In America the divide began during slavery whereby the Lighter house negro who often tended to be mixed children of their master, were treated better than the darker field negroes.
Scholars even argue that catastrophic events like the Rwandan genocide was caused by colorism whereby the more negroid looking darker hutus were taking revenge on the Tutsis who had been favored and been in control for the longest time during colonial rule simply because they were lighter and more Caucasian looking.
Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder they say, and logically there should be different ways of seeing beauty. In Mauritania for example thicker women are considered more beautiful, which goes contrary to the mainstream western convention that the skinnier you are, the more pretty. However unfortunately some 500 years ago a group of people decided that anything that doesn’t look like them is inferior and must be oppressed and this has carried on though not as blatant today. In the mainstream media light -skinned is celebrated as the ideal black person or at least inferred as so. Rarely do you find Dark skin being glorified as something of beauty in the mainstream media. For example recently Zoe Saldana a light-skinned black woman was cast to play Nina Simone, a Dark skinned black woman in a Biographical film about her. Zoe had to wear blackface makeup and an Afro wig in order to look like Nina. Why didn’t they just simply cast a dark skinned woman to play the role? I will let you decide.
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The Concept of Colorism
“ “We’ve all heard of black on black crime, but there’s more. We hate each other because of our complexions. This is colorism, the form of discrimination that involves favoring lighter skin over darker skin.” –Yasmine... — **The Concept of Colorism**
“We’ve all heard of black on black crime, but there’s more. We hate each other because of our complexions. This is colorism, the form of discrimination that involves favoring lighter skin over darker skin.” –Yasmine Saibou
With Black History Month concluding just last month, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss colorism and the effects of the Willie Lynch syndrome on our people, in America and abroad. For starters, Willie Lynch was a British slave owner who delivered an infamous speech on the bank of the James River colony of Virginia in 1712. The speech titled “The Making of A Slave,” was intended to teach his fellow owners how to remedy the problems that were occurring on their plantations; problems of disobedience and fear of rebellion. On the topic of colorism he states, “You must use the DARK skin slaves vs. the LIGHT skin slaves, and the LIGHT skin slaves vs. the DARK skin slaves.” As we know, this is still a phenomenon seen in cultures around the world. Although we are no longer in bondage, we still see the separation due to complexion. The issue is seemingly more pronounced in those of African descent, we’ve all probably observed and witnessed accounts of those amongst us who are of a lighter shade being deemed more beautiful or being welcomed more graciously by White people.
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RE: Talk Africa "The Things We Cling To"

Mondaoko replied:

I stand by my tradition & reject anything that has nothing to do with me, because the culture of a people = their Language, their History, their Art, their Traditions, their Education & their Spirituality for Africa (religion for other). I think some western go to Africa to do documentaries with that western mentality to make Africa like the West in order for them to feel at home, and settle nicely with all their ways in Africa, that type of behavior portrays the African population as being a backward people meanwhile they have a different behavior when traveling to Japan or China . Africa have more than a thousand tradition, and we can’t change all in order to be seen as intelligent people by the west. In Senegal for example they didn’t need the west to come, & tell them to abolish young girl genital mutilation. There are laws being put in place or in place & program that goes to meet the people, & warn them about the danger of those practice. Regarding the law passed in Nigeria, I believe the Nigerian government is dealing with Nigerians issues & make decisions for Nigerians and not Western or Chinese. The West never disappointed me by their ability to be extremely loud when it’s about Africa & silent when it’s about Asian or anywhere in OPEC countries.

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Talk Africa: “My Rock"
I spent so many years as the smelly African kid. I was brown-noser, whose hand was always raised, with a book glued to my hands. My glasses always slipped off my wide nose during P.E. and the new food I ate settled comfortably... — **Talk Africa: “My Rock"**
I spent so many years as the smelly African kid. I was brown-noser, whose hand was always raised, with a book glued to my hands. My glasses always slipped off my wide nose during P.E. and the new food I ate settled comfortably on my round mid-tire—a perfect target for dodgeball.
Being brown, round, and foreign was the equivalent of being a nerd with a pocket protector. My name gave classmates a chance to rhyme with bodily discharge and we-we was an early nickname.
My torment at the hand of young children in my new home was the first reason I learned to love my heritage. The idealized image of a country where everyone shared foundation in brown, where noses were variations of round, and there was a love for every size gave me hope when I had no more tears to cry, and my throat hoarse from my sobs.
This nostalgia continued throughout my education. Whenever I was asked why I worked so hard, I would respond that all Nigerians work hard. When someone commented on my excellent command of language, I would credit the imaginative way in which my countrymen speak English. When asked where my imagination came from, I would point to the generation of storytellers from which I descend.
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Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked | Kimani Okearah
Media is a language we’ve developed to communicate on a wide scale. From hieroglyphics to books to television to this sentence you’re reading right now, it’s all a process based on... — **Everything Changed When The Fire Nation Attacked** | Kimani Okearah
Media is a language we’ve developed to communicate on a wide scale. From hieroglyphics to books to television to this sentence you’re reading right now, it’s all a process based on combining our linguistic resources -patterns of movement, symbols, and sounds- to connect to each other. Sometimes this communication is direct, like a live viewing or a VoIP (voice-over internet protocol - think Facetime) conversation. Sometimes it’s passive, like reading an ancient text, swimming in the knowledge of our ancestors. We’re going to use this understanding of media as a language to explore how its misuse can maintain ideological divisions. We’re gonna get down with messaging techniques using the first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender. It gave me life. Maybe I can give it back.
Racism exists as an ideological system of power in Western society. We classify individuals and their communities based on impressions of a global minority - in our reality, it’s various groups of Europeans insisting on an imperial legacy based on their claim to the fabricated concept of “whiteness.” If this system is negative, then it must have a counter, a positive system in which these individuals are exempt from these racial classifications. Unfortunately, no such system exists. If you don’t fit the social perception ascribed to your visual appearance, you’re considered an anomaly. Many of us have lived this, and it doesn’t feel good. This ‘racism, or lack thereof’ approach that we in creative media embrace is a result of exceptionalism (also called Chauvinism for hilarious French reasons). Exceptionalism is the social agreement that the ideology of the dominant group is exceptional, and therefore anything that does not coincide with this ideology is an unwelcome departure. The first season of Avatar: The Last Airbender uses exceptionalism in a reverse binary as a code to both enable and challenge the dominant social ideology. Flameo, hotman!
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RE: Talk Africa "The Things We Cling To"