There is hardly ever any thought to reach out, to collaborate, to ask, or to share ideas with Africans in the Bay Area. There is a huge disconnect between Americans working in Africa, and Africans working in America – though they are often in the same building. Why? . . .a university professor will spend 20 years teaching Congolese history, but never know about the Congolese dance parties and film festivals in town. Students will fly to Dakar, learn Wolof, and write dissertations on Senghor, without ever hanging out in the huge Senegalese community down the street. Therefore, in both the development and academic worlds of the Bay Area, local Africans are sidelined. But it makes sense. It’s hard to speak for somebody when they are standing right next to you. Nobody wants to admit that the student from Liberia working at the Best Buy in San Jose is more qualified to work in your NGO than you are. And it’s awkward when you have to explain to an Angolan chemistry student why you spent four years studying their country. You’ve crafted your comparative advantage, and you want to keep it. So you conveniently forget about them. They aren’t the African you prefer. They complicate things – and we all know how much Silicon Valley loves clean and simple solutions. . .
Posted on: Sat, 26 Oct 2013 23:12:56 +0000
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