From post-racial America to racially divided Africa

Much is made of Barack Obama’s mixed-race, Kenyan origins, but the ‘coloureds’ of Africa won’t claim the president-elect as their own

FIRST POSTED NOVEMBER 7, 2008

The acclamation of Barack Obama as America's first black president ignores one salient fact: Obama is not black. His father was indeed black, but his mother was white. Ergo, he is as much white as black.

In fact, there's scarcely a 'black' person in the US who is not actually an ad-mixture of black, white, Chinese and a not inconsiderable amount of Native American blood, due to runaway slaves finding shelter among hospitable 'Red Indians'. Who were not red, either.

For many years, just how dark your colour was had a direct effect on how easy your life in America would be. Blues singer Big Bill Broonzy Black, Brown and White summed it up:

They says if you was white, should be all right/ If you was brown, stick around/ But as you's black, m-mm brother, git back git back git back.

African coloureds regard themselves as being the descendant of a European man who 'married' a local African girl

Which raises the interesting question - would Obama be President-elect if he looked less like Tom Hanks and more like Louis Armstrong?

Many people, long before Barack, have fought the stigma of mixed race and won. Reggae star Bob Marley had a white father, one Norval, and his white blood led to the end of his first love affair, when his girl's brother broke them up on the grounds that Bob was not sufficiently black. Bob did OK after that setback.

But in at least one part of the world those of mixed race (also known, usually derogatively, as half-breeds, half-castes, chi-chis, mulattos, etc) have solved the problem by forming their own society, with its own culture, its own morals and mores, its own exclusivity.

They call themselves, with no sense of shame or irony, the 'coloureds'. And while similar groups exist in India and elsewhere, perhaps the most significant can be found in Africa, which is where Obama's black father came from. (And, when you think about it, where all black people come from.)

I lived in and among the coloured community of Zambia for three

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I had a very interesting experience several decades ago in England. I am a Trinidadian of predominatly African descent and a close friend of mine, 3/4 Portugese and 1/4 African was getting married to a very dark skinned Sierra Leonean. At the time, he had almost completed his studies for a degree in accountancy, she was a nurse. A close friend of hers, a Zambian who was the same complexion as myself, but who proclaimed herself as 'colored', refused to attend the wedding and actually cried with grief over it. She would have been a good marriage candidate for any 'white man' of whatever class. These people are mentally disturbed and should be pitied. I am sure that as fiercely proud as PE. Obama is of both sides of his roots, he would consider it an insult to be 'claimed ' by them. Yolande M. Agble Queens NY

Posted by Yolande Agble at 6:28pm on January 18, 2009

First of all I would like to say that every one is allowed their own say, however I find it hard to believe that you would judge an entire group of people own one group/person you know. As a South African COLOURED(we spell ours in english not american) I have come to realize that all coloured people throughout southern africa see things differently just like other racial groups.But in its simplist meaning COLOURED DEFINES A PERSON WHO HAS A MULTIRACIAL HERITAGE, SO IF YOUR MOTHER IS INDIAN AND YOUR FATHER CHINESE YOU ARE A COLOURED REGARDLESS OF SKIN COLOUR OR HAIR TEXTURE. Dear Yolande M. Agble we do not need pity , besides with your PREDOMINATLY african heritage you are actually one of us a COLOURED so think twice before passing judgement would it be right to say all blacks have an INFERIORITY COMPLEX because of SOME black peoples behaviour and attitudes. As for Zambian coloureds cherishing their white blood, AT LEAST THEY ACKNOWLEDGE AND ARE PROUD OF THEIR MIXED RACIAL HERITAGE UNLIKE THOSE WHO CHERISH THEIR BLACK BLOOD AND CALL THEMSELVES BLACKS WHEN THEY HAVE WHITE OR OYHER NON-BLACK ANCESTORS.

Posted by Marcus Poole at 11:00am on February 7, 2009