BEHIND THE COLOUR

As a black woman I do not represent other black women

I want to make it clear, I am not positioning myself as a spokesperson because of the colour of my skin.

I would like you all to do the same!

My person has to match every day the label

That others have in mind

The colour of my skin is a message that from the outside is immediately integrated and interpreted. Who I am, what I do, who I hang out with, what I say

People see me and a story that often does not correspond to me is pinned on me , a speech in which I do not recognise myself is expected in my words

I am a mask that anyone else of my gender and ethnic group could wear, we are interchangeable creatures

I remember history classes at school, the embarrassment and burden of having all eyes on you when the teacher was talking about certain topics

slavery, colonisation, Africa in all its immense grandeur.

I'm the one everyone wants to talk to about racism as if it's my only talking point or I'm sadly an expert on discrimination.

Because I suffer it

my individuality, my truth, my history, seem to interest no one

The complexity of my values, my choices, my family

My real and imagined voice

My passions

Every single aspect of my essence resides in my being a black woman

And I'm proud of it

I am proud of my colour

Of the stories it carries

But it's not all I am

The arrogance of privilege and ethnic prejudice also lies in this.

The disappointment I cause when I refuse to discuss topics that are painful or difficult for me.

No, I don't feel like talking all the time about the discrimination I may face because of my colour, or listening to you try to explain to me what I should feel or how I should behave (yeah, ever heard of whitesplaining?).

The scepticism in the eyes of those who discover that I have a rich and serene professional life in a field that is still very categorised (and here I'm talking about Italy, where having non-white or foreign teachers is still sadly rare compared to other European countries - I have never had any)

Laughing at my ignorance about the culture of African countries that I do not know for the simple fact that Africa is a continent and not a country - and I am not Senegalese by birth and I am not called Wikipedia

And I don't give a damn about the fact that you were in Burundi.

It's another country. On a huge continent. Put that in your head.

Every African country has its own culture, its own history, its own problems and traditions just like every European country. The day it is universally accepted that there is no such thing as a universal African, we will all be a little less ignorant.

On the same subject, I have left many people speechless by saying that I do not speak African (perhaps due to the simple fact that this language does not exist) and that I know only one of the forty languages spoken in Senegal

Arrogance and bad faith!

Which one of you knows all the culture of the European continent by heart?

I want to hear you speak languages of countries you don't know, I'm waiting for you!

I am not my colour.

My colour is not my religion, my job, my education, my family, my beliefs.

My colour is only one aspect of who I am and who I want to be.

I am not all the others.

My voice is one out of many.

I raise it because I want you to hear it and understand: I am myself first and foremost.

You talk so much about not seeing colours, so why does all your language say the opposite?