Homegoing: A Novel | Yaa Gyasi | Talks at Google

Award winning, Ghanaian-American Author, Yaa Gyasi, discusses her New York Times best seller Homegoing. And how the legacy of slavery affects relationships between Africans, African-americans and the rest of the African diaspora.
Get the book here: goo.gl/prqhUy
Event moderated by Segun Bash & Kanika Raney

[@kwadjan]

I got this book as a gift from a student and I can't put it down. WOW!!!!!

[@sbaglioscherzo]

Nice conversation. Truthfully speaking, us Africans here in America are just like any other group that is marginalized - we try to set ourselves apart from other groups on the periphery. Survival of the fittest comes to mind. We look like African-Americans, who have a tortured history in this country, so we separate ourselves and our aspirations. In addition, though, our motivations ARE often different. Most of us who have grown up in Africa have not had to contend with institutionalized racism to the same extent, so we don't have the same fire in the belly, which can cause conflict with African-Americans who sometimes feel we don't empathize with their struggle. Problem is - racists don't care about your origins. We are all just black to them.

[@amonduul2154]

African immigrants have less to do with african americans than immigrants to europe from india or pakistan with the romani people, Both groups speak a similar language with roots in sanskrit and very often they look the same. But indians or pakistanis in Europe would never think of having anything in common with the romani.people, also nobody expects them to do so. Why the difference in america,

[@paschalkyoore2661]

I appreciate the discussions that Yaa's novel have inspired. Two comments. We need to remember that African immigrants and African Americans have not had the same experiences. We grew up in different environments, with mostly different expectations. Africans in our continent have to contend with problems of ethnicity (generally known as "tribalism"). It can be ugly at times, and we are finding it hard to deal with it sometimes. Race is not the issue for us, until we come to the USA. African Americans have had to deal with racism in their county since the time of slavery. So, let us be realistic in how we perceive one another, and be more understanding of differences that sometimes arise in our discourses. My second point. In Ghana, they do teach about the history of slave trade and slavery. That was my experience in the secondary school in Ghana. Outsiders might have an unrealistic expectation in terms of how much of it should be in the national curriculum, but this is the reality. I do agree, though, that the level of this education should be higher than it is. Finally, I don't think there is any better way for Africans and African Americans to know one another better and to bond in the manner we expect than through education. Education wipes out potential stereotypes that can stifle that pan-African bond between the two peoples. And for this education to happen, people must be prepared to have an open mind. Otherwise we will waste our time in theories couched in beautiful language that does not have any pragmatic outcomes.

[@ANicoleTeacher]

She is inspiring wow