between two worlds: identity and misrepresentation.
what right does the diaspora have to an identity?
Like my recommendations series ‘in-between’ and my travel series 'roads travelled’, I’m starting another series called ‘between two worlds’ which will be newsletters specifically focused on identity. I hope you enjoy this first edition!
Before we get into today’s newsletter, I want to say thank you to everyone who signed up for my first ever event. I can’t wait to see you!
P.S. If you’re no longer able to attend, please let me know so I can offer a ticket to someone else on the waiting list. Thank you!
Who gets to claim an identity? I recently re-downloaded twitter after almost a year of inactivity and came across yet another debate on nationality. Normally, I’d roll my eyes and ignore but this time I couldn’t help but ask myself who gets to claim an identity?
Personally, I believe members of the diaspora have a right to claim the identity of their country of origin especially when we see a growing number of diaspora citizens (especially those who were born and raised out of the country) making intentional efforts to deepen their connections through travelling to their country more frequently, learning their language, learning about the history and society, and more.
The discussion that I witnessed (which is not a new one) argues that the diaspora misrepresent a country’s identity and therefore shouldn’t be claiming it. I can admit that some in the diaspora can be guilty of flattening identity and/or cultural markers of a country but I also think identity is so vast and, particularly as Black people who have been marked by the effects of colonialism and capitalism, it feels strange to me that there can ever be a ‘right’ way to present an identity. However, it was brought to my attention that as part of the Nigerian diaspora, I’m from a country that would never hesitate to claim me and that may impact my perspective of this discussion. I’ve never really considered that there are countries that wouldn’t want their diaspora to claim the identity. Truthfully, I still find it hard to believe and wonder if those that oppose the diaspora claim are a small minority with loud voices.
Specifically, the charge about misrepresentation is founded on the belief that the diaspora has no lived experience of the country which had me thinking of the following:
For countries like Nigeria where ‘japa’, in terms of emigrating is a growing phenomenon, at what point would these citizens now living in the diaspora no longer be able to claim this identity for themselves as they become further and further removed from the day to day experiences of living in the country?
Is this simply restricted to diaspora citizens that are born and raised outside of the country? If so, is this not also a very limited view of the diaspora identity? I’d posit that sometimes being in the diaspora makes us work harder to stay connected to the country in any and every way that we can.
What about citizens who have schooled abroad for longer than they have lived in the country?
Is identity and connection to a country only formed because a person lives there? And if so, how long is long enough to feel that an identity is no longer misrepresented?
Again, my understanding of identity has always been quite expansive as I believe identity is always shifting depending on the context in which you find yourself. Looking at identity through such a restrictive lens makes less and less sense in an increasingly globalised world. Then again, this may be easy for me to say as someone of the Nigerian diaspora who is also from a country with a large population both in and out of country, and where our identity is arguably marked more by our ethnic group than the country itself.
Nonetheless, I’ll go further and ask does it even matter? What is the danger of diaspora citizens claiming identity to the country of origin? Is the impact - positive or negative - tangible? Don’t mistake this for dismissal. Concerns about misrepresentation should not be ignored but my question is what misrepresentation? And as diaspora citizens, to what extent must we have approval from those in the country of origin? My personal belief is that as diaspora, particularly those born and raised out of country, is that there may never be complete approval or acceptance and that is simply a fact of life that we must accept. This doesn’t mean we don’t have these discussions, after all I’m writing a whole newsletter on this topic, but I think we need to embrace the complexity of the diaspora identity.
Lastly, I’d leave all of us with this - whose opinion do we actually care about? Is it family and friends? Is it acceptance via government policies? Is it everyone? Who is the ultimate authority? I find these questions interesting because it highlights so much of why I find the diaspora identity complex and nuanced. I don’t have all the answers but the reason this platform exists is to create space for us to explore answers to these questions together.
Until the next time!