Blue_London
OG
first 2 interchangeable
The wife and I landed in Senegal...
- Thread starter King of GA
- Start date
IP360
Doctorate & Ph.D in Bootyology
That nigga moved to a suburb in Atlanta. That's why he was so impressed at what he was seeing. Nigga never seen a front and backyard wit grass in his life.
Mister B. M. Ed.
The Devil’s Greatest Advocate…..
Good shit. I ain't mad at chu, dude. Going back to the Motherland should give you that euphoric sense of history and longing for the ancestors.
Honestly, I think all Black Americans should have to make one trip to somewhere in Africa at somepoint in their lives, similar to how it's suggested that each person of the Islamic faith makes one pilgrimage trip back to the Mecca.
Be sure to give us some pics in the Picture Thread.
Inori
NAWF
what made you pick Senegal? Did one of yall trace ancestry back there or what?
loud-ninja
Here to point out the illogical
Since you down there, ask a local what's the word on Akon's new city being built.
Trill Armstrong
Member
my wife has been to Africa and said there is a certain feeling you have when you're there, like you feel like you're home and connected to the land somehow. def trying to get there
DOS_patos
Unverified Legion of Trill member
Maybe cuz niggas everywhere…..
but nah. I think it’s more of the fact not many white people on the ground doing fuckery
Trill Armstrong
Member
maybe. she says it as if its the land, the location. a feeling from within that's not connected to interactions with people.
that's how she describes it to me.
Not too long ago i completed " Road of Ash And Dust"...its a memior of a Texas native taking a pilgrimage to Senegal (suburbs of Dakar to be precise) to master the famous Kora instrument (one of the ancestors of the guitar)
Lovely powerful entertaining and educational read. Completed it in one sitting.
Thread made it worthy of a mention...id suggest checking it out!
Edit Kora instrument! Not kola
Lovely powerful entertaining and educational read. Completed it in one sitting.
Thread made it worthy of a mention...id suggest checking it out!
Edit Kora instrument! Not kola
Last edited:
I have been fortunate enough to hit up Morocco and Egypt...
Lol Black(er) Africans tell me that don't really count as a true visit to the real deal Africa lol....i can get what they gettin at to an extent, but when i jumped off that boat (ferry from Spain) i damn near cried...i felt it in my chest
Congratulations to you and your family
Lol Black(er) Africans tell me that don't really count as a true visit to the real deal Africa lol....i can get what they gettin at to an extent, but when i jumped off that boat (ferry from Spain) i damn near cried...i felt it in my chest
Congratulations to you and your family
Vagrant-718
Active Member
I went to morocco too and my coworker felt I didn’t go to the real africa.
King of GA
Active Member
Yo, what an experience that trip was. Senegal was everything that we hoped and so much more. We didn't even touch how wonderful this place and these people are, and that is just in Senegal, there is yet a whole continent to explore. Western Africa means a lot, however, as that is where my roots lie. To that end, as wonderful as it was to be there, it was equally frustrating. I wish so bad that I could say, "I'm Fulani," "Wolof," "Serer," "Igbo," "Yoruba," or some other tribe. I wish I could pinpoint a village that has existed for hundreds, if not thousands of years and say "this village in Senegal, Gambia, Nigeria, Benin...is where my people are from." Instead, I only get best guesses. One man said that I have some Fulani features, another woman said that my wife looks more Fulani because she has a more narrow nose. A few people told me I look Nigerian, one woman said my headshape is like people in her home of Cameroon. You'd be amazed at what they notice. One woman went through an entire list of features that help them identify tribes and countries. There is a sense of pan-Africanism, but they do recognize themselves as distinct people based on their ethnic groups, yet in many countries they exist harmoniously. Unfortunately, that isn't true throughout the continent.
I found myself a bit envious of the kids that I saw running around, wrestling, playing soccer, and just being relatively carefree in Africa. I can't really complain about my childhood. It was not ideal by any means, but it was not bad, and many of those kids would probably have happily traded places with me. However, I envied them and found myself wishing that their experience was my own. I felt like it was just another thing robbed from me, and I'm no USA hater.
In Senegal we found people who were often smiling, always willing to help you, would just start walking with you and pointing out different things even though we really couldn't understand each other. We received so many "welcome homes." People knew we were American pretty much on-sight. I got out of a car in Dakar one day and before I shut the door good a man yelled out, "What's up my brother? How you been?" I whipped around and said, "you figured I was American that fast?!?" He laughed and went on to tell us that his brother lives in Philly. On the last day there we were walking through Saly and as we passed a group of guys, one yelled out, "my American brother and sister!" He ran towards us with his hand up for a shake and said, "what's up mah n****?!" I looked at my wife like, "did he say what I think he said? Lol.. he was hella cool though and seemed genuinely excited to have us there.
Seems like the people there were either working or hanging under a shade tree. Seeing groups of dark-skinned people sitting under a tree talking or playing cards reminded me of so many events when I was a kid and my uncles and aunts were doing that same thing. There was so much that reminded me of different things that I saw growing up which caused me to wonder how much of Africa did we keep without knowing what it was? We saw people here that looked like someone back home all of the time. We had multiple "that looks just like..." every single day. It was crazy how similar some of the features are.
We did see a lot of white people, mostly French, walking around or just relaxing. Nobody bothering them. They are just as welcomed. That was one of my issues. I felt they were too welcome to the point that it was hard to find Senegalese food because a lot of the restaurants hadbfrench inspired menus and only served traditional Senegalese food as daily specials. If I wanted French food, I'd go to France. There were a lot of European men with African women and it was always the darkest woman. I'll never be convinced that African women, and black women in general have no value and appeal. All I saw was beauty. Many of the women had an innate appeal and sexiness. They looked so regal when we saw then in traditional african clothes, especially the more dressy stuff. We saw a woman who had just gotten married and she was absolutely stunning in her traditional outfit. Many of the men exuded a natural swagger and cool. My wife told me that she found her next husband. Haha...
Putting the soles of my feet on the soil and in the sand in Western Africa was indescribably satisfying.
Finally, we had a chance to visit Ellis Island when we were in NYC this past March with our daughter. I recall the discussion between my wife and I about whether or not we wanted to get off of the ferry at the Ellis Island stop after leaving the Statue of Liberty and me saying something akin to, "I don't have to see anything at Ellis Island because my ancestors didn't get here through there and none of their names are in any of those pages, at least not the ones that would claim me."
Walking through "the door of no return," however, was something that I needed to do. The house on Goree Island was a very busy port for the slave trade and I'm sure that several people whose blood run in my veins walked through that very door for a one way trip to hell on Earth. Although whatever emotions I felt as I stood there would surely pale in comparison to the abject horror, fear, and helplessness that my ancestors felt, I needed to do it, I needed to walk in their footsteps, to go out as far as I could, and then I needed to turn around and walk back through that door grateful that it is no longer "the door of no return."
I walked through that door, and I came back....I'd like to believe that my ancestors were able to go back, even if just for a moment, through me..
I'd recommend a trip like this to you all and your spouses and families. It will impact all of you, and that would be am awesome journey to share with each other.
I found myself a bit envious of the kids that I saw running around, wrestling, playing soccer, and just being relatively carefree in Africa. I can't really complain about my childhood. It was not ideal by any means, but it was not bad, and many of those kids would probably have happily traded places with me. However, I envied them and found myself wishing that their experience was my own. I felt like it was just another thing robbed from me, and I'm no USA hater.
In Senegal we found people who were often smiling, always willing to help you, would just start walking with you and pointing out different things even though we really couldn't understand each other. We received so many "welcome homes." People knew we were American pretty much on-sight. I got out of a car in Dakar one day and before I shut the door good a man yelled out, "What's up my brother? How you been?" I whipped around and said, "you figured I was American that fast?!?" He laughed and went on to tell us that his brother lives in Philly. On the last day there we were walking through Saly and as we passed a group of guys, one yelled out, "my American brother and sister!" He ran towards us with his hand up for a shake and said, "what's up mah n****?!" I looked at my wife like, "did he say what I think he said? Lol.. he was hella cool though and seemed genuinely excited to have us there.
Seems like the people there were either working or hanging under a shade tree. Seeing groups of dark-skinned people sitting under a tree talking or playing cards reminded me of so many events when I was a kid and my uncles and aunts were doing that same thing. There was so much that reminded me of different things that I saw growing up which caused me to wonder how much of Africa did we keep without knowing what it was? We saw people here that looked like someone back home all of the time. We had multiple "that looks just like..." every single day. It was crazy how similar some of the features are.
We did see a lot of white people, mostly French, walking around or just relaxing. Nobody bothering them. They are just as welcomed. That was one of my issues. I felt they were too welcome to the point that it was hard to find Senegalese food because a lot of the restaurants hadbfrench inspired menus and only served traditional Senegalese food as daily specials. If I wanted French food, I'd go to France. There were a lot of European men with African women and it was always the darkest woman. I'll never be convinced that African women, and black women in general have no value and appeal. All I saw was beauty. Many of the women had an innate appeal and sexiness. They looked so regal when we saw then in traditional african clothes, especially the more dressy stuff. We saw a woman who had just gotten married and she was absolutely stunning in her traditional outfit. Many of the men exuded a natural swagger and cool. My wife told me that she found her next husband. Haha...
Putting the soles of my feet on the soil and in the sand in Western Africa was indescribably satisfying.
Finally, we had a chance to visit Ellis Island when we were in NYC this past March with our daughter. I recall the discussion between my wife and I about whether or not we wanted to get off of the ferry at the Ellis Island stop after leaving the Statue of Liberty and me saying something akin to, "I don't have to see anything at Ellis Island because my ancestors didn't get here through there and none of their names are in any of those pages, at least not the ones that would claim me."
Walking through "the door of no return," however, was something that I needed to do. The house on Goree Island was a very busy port for the slave trade and I'm sure that several people whose blood run in my veins walked through that very door for a one way trip to hell on Earth. Although whatever emotions I felt as I stood there would surely pale in comparison to the abject horror, fear, and helplessness that my ancestors felt, I needed to do it, I needed to walk in their footsteps, to go out as far as I could, and then I needed to turn around and walk back through that door grateful that it is no longer "the door of no return."
I walked through that door, and I came back....I'd like to believe that my ancestors were able to go back, even if just for a moment, through me..
I'd recommend a trip like this to you all and your spouses and families. It will impact all of you, and that would be am awesome journey to share with each other.
King of GA
Active Member
Senegal is the third highest in my list. It's Nigeria, Cameroon/Congo, then Senegal.
But we chose Senegal because we were looking for something outside of the US to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We were checking the extra options with our timeshare program looking for something in the Mediterranean and while scanning I saw a "resort" in Senegal. As soon as we saw it, we decided that we wanted to go to Africa. There were only places in Tunisia, Morocco, and Senegal. Of the three, Senegal made the most sense.
King of GA
Active Member
Lol!
We caught a Lyft in NYC with a Nigerian cat back in March. We told him we were going to Africa and he asked, "what part?" I told him "Senegal,) and he said, "Good. That's real Africa. Some other countries are a little creamy." Lololol!
King of GA
Active Member
About to grab this now!
King of GA
Active Member
I agree with your wife. It didn't really have much to do with the lack of white people (there were still plenty enough anyway) but it was really something more from within that came just from being there and feeling some type of connection to the land, the sun, the vegetation, and even to the people. It just felt good. It was even physical. My wife told me after a couple of days that she felt like her skin was glowing and softer and that she had stopped doing some of the stuff that she did regularly here in the US to support her body and she felt better for it. It was like it just wasn't necessary there. I have pretty dry skin myself and can lotion up multiple times per day. Over there I never lotioned up more than once, though that could have been sweat, which I did plenty of. LOL.
Trill Armstrong
Member
that's dope bro. visiting Africa is definitely high up on my bucket list