Would I know a Nigger when I see one?

Well I suppose it depends on where I am in the world. Not just where I am in the United States but where I am in the WORLD. The last time I lived in Africa, after the third time of being referenced as a Nigger, I took the risk of being viewed as an arrogant American and demanded not to refer to African Americans as Niggers. I explained that we do not use that term to reflect our census group. African Americans are not Niggers and that is not how we define ourselves. This gentleman’s understanding and use of the term was directly linked to the mass media’s targeted dissemination of rap/hip-hop music and videos.

This of course was after my friend and fellow TFA and I had been confronted by another person who proceeded to explain his understanding of why we were Niggers; We had no direct link to our tribe(s) or a specific African country, we did not know where we were from-our African History, hence we decided to define ourselves as Niggers. Certainly, I was baffled angry and all kinds of things were running through my head but it was my safety that prevailed over this encounter as we were visiting his homestead far from transport and were relying on his brother for our hike there and back. I will say his brother, unlike him, is an educated man who has traveled internationally; his view and perspective is not the same.

Upon my return home I mostly shared my story about the second encounter-the hip-hop infused definition but after encountering yet another definition this past week, I’m not so sure I would know a Nigger when I see one. Here are reasons why.

While here I have to tell you Snoop Dogg and Dog Pound are representing for the “West Side” There are combies (mini vans that serve as taxis) labeled “Dog Pound” and “Niggaz for Life” I haven’t ventured onto public transportation and if I do I don’t know whether I can step foot on either of these taxis. These names on these combies are not born out of urban living, gang affiliations, abject poverty, racial encounters with police, violence, drugs, or strife as we know it to be or as these artist may have experienced at home, rather these combies are a shout out to the “brothers and sisters” on the other side of the Atlantic that they are down with us. There are expressions of admiration.

I’ve met another South African who is working on becoming a stand-up comedian African American style. He has spent years studying the Black American comedians who’ve mainstreamed a la Def Comedy Jam and HBO. He is funny and he’ll probably do well. One day while visitors from home were visiting, we encouraged him to tell us some jokes vs. talking about how good he is. The N word comes out with the jokes. Our response was “hey that isn’t necessary.” He references Earthquake, Chris Rock and a few others who’ve used the term liberally in their stand-up acts. We explain there is a debate at home over the use, but those of us who are here prefer not to use it…He appreciated the additional information and explanation then provided us with his own understanding.

Ready for the definition? A Nigger is a black American who has survived the middle passage, slavery, the historical and prevailing challenges of racism in America demonstrating a level of resiliency and success many black and colored South Africans aspire to reach.

So far, I have encountered at least three different definitions/explanations exclusive of those from home, which usually come after someone has asked “Do you mean with er or gah?” The last definition is much more palatable but the word attached to it still causes me to bristle. Would you know a Nigger when you see one?

In South Africa where the norm is fluency in 3-4 languages with alternative vowel sounds, an intellectual debate over which pronunciation, is buried under accents. Regardless of the spelling when spoken Nigger/niggah sounds like kneegur. On the other hand, Kafir is a zero tolerance word in South Africa; use of this word can get you a ticket straight to jail.

I doubt I’d know a Nigger if I were to see one because beyond the multiplicity of presented definitions, that’s not a word of choice for me in day-to-day conversation. I confess out of anger, in privacy it becomes a curse word used to express anger and hurl and insult-indirectly-towards a particular individual I am pissed off at, not a term used to define a census group or voting block.

Black Americans are purposefully packaged in a particular format and shipped off globally to represent the African American norm. Are the images we see on MTV and HBO the norm for all African Americans? The package is pretty powerful. Is this the ONLY image you would like the world to see?

Which leads me to my last statement for this entry that will inevitably become a longer blog. If African Americans recognized, valued, acknowledged and used the power within ourselves, we would be in another galaxy by now.