Is Gemma Griffiths African?

[Sekuru Dhorofiya]

Do y'all oans and daiges consider Gemma Griffiths to be African?

Otherwise, she seems proud to be Zimbabwean as far as I can tell.

 

[Nolwazi Kwayedza]

Is she African? No.

Is she Zimbabwean? Yes or No (this depends on her status quo).

 

[Comrade Chibage]

Is she African? No.

Is she Zimbabwean? Yes or No. (this depends on her status quo).

Would you mind explaining why?

 

[Nolwazi Kwayedza]

Would you mind explaining why?

It's because of social constructs.

Just look at her and you will see why.

 

[Comrade Chibage]

It's because of social constructs.

Just look at her and you will see why.

Chirungu chino vhexa what are social constructs?

 

[Nolwazi Kwayedza]

Chirungu chino vhexa what are social constructs?

Social constructs are things that do not exist objectively, however they are a result of human interaction. In layman's terms, they are "make-believe things," and why is this? Well, because years ago and out of thin air some deceased human beings thought it was important that certain "things" should exist for segregation purposes e.g., race, tribalism, etc.

Other examples of social constructs​
Gender​
Laws​
Marriage​
Money​
Countries​
Race​
Ethnicity​
Nationality​
Culture​
Etiquette​
etc.​

You also have to know that race as a social construct depends on where you are, for example, in the United States of America if you are mixed ("biracial") i.e., half black and half white you are considered black because of the one-drop rule.

On the other hand, that is, in the Republic of Zimbabwe if you are half black and half white you are considered colored (or mukaradhi) therefore technically you are not black nor are you considered African (unongonzi nevanhu uri mukedha). If people want to be rude in Zimbabwe they will explicitly say uri musanganiswa meaning "you are a product of racial mixing" obviously that phrase it's derogatory.

M'kay, umm, back to the lecture at hand, Gemma Griffith is white ("in terms of race") and European ("in terms of ancestral heritage"), as for nationality this comes down to her current citizenship at the moment ("status quo"). Just because someone was born in Zimbabwe doesn't mean they will remain a Zimbabwean citizen because through the process of naturalization they can change that to something else wherever they go.

So nationality isn't just about where you are born and this is something that confuses a lot of people. But bear in mind that nationality and ethnicity can overlap in some cases. Don't forget that dual citizenship may come into play.

For example, a person with African or Asian parents born in the Republic of Ireland is Irish in terms of nationality but is not Irish if we are talking about ethnicity or heritage, whereas a person whose both parents are of Irish descent is likewise Irish both in terms of nationality and ethnicity.

P.S. It's extremely racist to say that one can only be a certain nationality if one belongs to a particular ethnicity. That's why for instance, all people born in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland are British but that doesn't mean to say that if you are British you are English in terms of ethnicity. I think I have explained enough, haven't I?

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

If Gemma Griffiths is African then Njabulo Mayibongwe Nkomo and Tatelicious Karigambe-Sandberg are Europeans. Skweeeeeeya! Don't quote me on that it's not my handwriting, abeg ooo.

@Nolwazi Kwayedza another interesting fact is that Irish Immigrants were considered non-white in the United States back in the day. Today Irish Immigrants are now considered white people. It's funny how things change if you ask me.

 

[Munyaradzi Mafaro]

The fact that a white person born in Africa or who changes his/her nationality can be considered African whilst any person of color born or who changes his/her nationality in Europe is not a European is puzzling. It sure sounds to me like a classic case of cultural hegemony or institutionalized racism, as it were.

There should be consistency otherwise Gemma Griffiths is not African. It is what it is!

 

[Tanonoka]

@Munyaradzi Mafaro @Nolwazi Kwayedza social constructs such as race have always been used in divide and conquer strategies. It's much easier to engage in brutal capitalistic endeavors such as slavery, colonialism, etc when you divide the sheeple so that you create a mindset of "us versus them" within sheeple.

And before pillaging and colonial wars, there was no such thing as German South-West Africa, Royal Niger, Nyasaland, Bechuanaland, Rhodesia nor was there Zimbabwe as we know it now; the borders were just made up and agreed on. For this reason, countries are often labeled as social constructs. The same can be said about the formation of Canada, the U.S.A., Australia, etc.

 

[Nunurai]

What about Olinda Chapel-Nkomo, Ammara Brown, Kim Jayde, Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe? BTW, Nadia Nakai Dlamini considers herself to be South African but her father is from Zimbabwe what do you guys think about that?

 

[Borrowdale Barron]

What about Olinda Chapel-Nkomo, Ammara Brown, Kim Jayde, Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe?

What exactly is your question?

 

[Tanonoka]

What exactly is your question?

I am confused too.

 

[Chidinma]

What about Olinda Chapel-Nkomo, Ammara Brown, Kim Jayde, Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe. BTW, Nadia Nakai Dlamini considers herself to be South African but her father is from Zimbabwe what do you guys think about that?

There is nothing wrong with Nadia Nakai Dlamini claiming to be South African because she will be discussing nationality rather than ethnicity or her heritage. The same can be said about Olinda Chapel-Nkomo she is British if we are talking about nationality; she is 'arguably' not Zimbabwean (unless she has dual citizenship) but she isn't English -- @Nolwazi Kwayedza has already explained that.

For example, Tendai Mtawarira played for South Africa as a professional rugby player because he was a citizen even though he was born in Zimbabwe. Was there a need for him to be ethnically Zulu, Xhosa, or the requirement to be born in Mzansi to be South African? No, there wasn't any need. The thing is people nowadays are slow and dense that's the issue -- blame it on delusional suoshal miidia group think.

From a general perspective, nationality is about your current citizenship (even if it's dual or triple citizenship), but not necessarily where your father, mother, or grandparents were born albeit in some countries you may be entitled to citizenship if you return home e.g. countries like Israel if you a Jew.

Lastly, I don't know much about Ammara Brown in terms of her current citizenship but she is mixed because her late father Andy Brown was as well. In fact, Olinda, Ammara, Kim Jayde, and Tinashe are all biracial/multiracial women (makaradhi vese).

 

[Numero Uno]

To my understanding:

Race is defined by physical appearance e.g., Asian, Black, Caucasian, Indian, etc.

Ethnicity/heritage is defined by culture e.g., Zulu, Ndebele, Zezuru, Karanga, Igbo, Hausa, Mandingo, etc.

Nationality is defined by your association with a particular sovereign state regardless of race or ethnicity e.g., Zimbabwean, South African, British, Brazilian, etc.

 

[Shamiso]

The irony is that, after everything is said and done, we all descended from Adam and Eve, didn't we?

 

[Nolwazi Kwayedza]

The irony is that, after everything is said and done, we all descended from Adam and Eve, didn't we?

That's true assuming all the offspring of the Nephilim died when Noah went into the Ark and never returned. I am a bit curious though if your statement will remain true wherein the Antichrist 666 is born.

 

[Mupedzanhamo Magaba]

Race, in my opinion, is a rudimentary socially constructed model of the human genetic landscape that is more concerned with convenience than accuracy but is nonetheless founded on genetics.

It's comparable to how we divide geographical maps into regions; they usually cover an area with some common qualities but can be arbitrary in other instances.

 

[Sibahle]

In terms of Race no she is not, white people are not African by race - and this is going on for all races and ethnicities native to Africa blacks and their variations, Nilotics, Nubians, Bantu, Berber, Maghreb, Arabs (Afro Arabs), etc. Europeans exist in Africa simply by colonization and invasion, and so do the White Arabs. Now modernly, as a result of said colonization and invasion, as well as settlement (a small portion could have been peaceful settlers), white people, Asians, Indians, and Arabs are now part of Africa's people.

Gemma is a result of said colonization and settling and hence is now considered African due to this, an African of outsider-descent of course but African nonetheless. It's like Africa's Indians, it is in the name, "Indians", meaning they are of Indian descent but now live in Africa. This is the same for Gemma and people like Gemma, they are European Africans. Some have removed the "European" out completely, but people still know white people are not an African phenomenon maybe when the human race first started. For example in the country where I am people still ask me "where r u from originally", in white countries black people are not seen as natives even if you are 7 generations deep (I'm not 7 generations deep btw), so I suppose I can understand people's feelings in questioning it.

Gemma would be African by being born in the continent, not because of any real deep meaning full or bloodline type of thing, she is an African simply because she was born there and lives there, her citizenship (presumably) is that of an African country - Zimbabwe. So to answer your question, yes, Gemma is "African".

What we need to tackle is the reason why Vazungu can say "I am African" if they are born in Africa but Africans cannot say "I am European" if they are born in Europe. "European" is limited to one race, but African has become a variation, why is Africa the one that always has to expand (I know we are nice and good people, and God clearly favors us lol, that's just my thinking, God loves us), but why can Europe not do the same. Especially when Black people have a much more extensive and deeper claim on Europe than Europeans have on Africa. For example, there were ACTUAL black people, like black monarchies who ruled Europe, (the most talked about are places like Spain and Portugal)), particularly the moors. To the point where Spaniards even partake in a festival of Black Face to look like the original rulers. Like, make it make sense. Benjamin Franklin even stated this himself in 1751, “Which leads me to add one Remark: That the Number of purely white People in the World is proportionably very small. All Africa is black or tawny. Asia chiefly tawny. America (exclusive of the new Comers) wholly so. And in Europe, the Spaniards, Italians, French, Russians, and Swedes, are generally of what we call a swarthy Complexion; as are the Germans also, the Saxons only excepted, who with the English, make the principal Body of White People on the Face of the Earth. “

There are other books that speak of Black rulers, however, due to a lot of whitewashing including what's being done in Egypt and what almost happened in Zimbabwe in regards to Rusvingo. White people are quick to denounce everything that shows Black people as intelligent, including Jesus' blackness. Like, even the Remba are Hebrews from Yemen, and still, people ignore black Jews like they don't exist.

 

[Congo Dust]

I agree with @Nolwazi Kwayedza.

The term "Zimbabwean" has nothing to do with ethnicity.

There are people of different ethnic backgrounds in Zimbabwe.

Another term that people get confused with is "Shona."

There are different Shona-speaking tribes too in Zimbabwe.

In summary, people should learn to be specific.

 

[Boss Mboma]

African or not I'd still smash though.