Edited by Azizi Powell
This is Part I of a two part pancocojams series that showcases the YouTube vlog [video blog] by Ghcurls entitled "Being Black in Italy| My Experience".
Part I presents my partial, unofficial transcription of this vlog episode with a focus on the numbered points that Ghcurls made.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/12/ghcurls-vlog-being-black-in-italy-my.html for Part II of this pancocojams series. Part II presents that vlog along with selected comments from that vlog.
The content of this post is presented for socio-cultural purposes.
All copyrights remain with their owner.
Thanks to Ghcurls for this vlog.
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Part II of this pancocojams series will be published ASAP and its link will be added to this post.
Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2019/12/2017-article-excerpt-leaning-away-from.html for a closely related pancocojams post entitled "2017 Article Excerpt - "Leaning Away From Racial Evaporations in Italy- Reflections on Whiteness, African Americanness and Privilege in Italy" by Candice Whitney"
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SHOWCASE VIDEO: Being Black in Italy| My Experience
Ghcurls, Jan 31, 2018
Hello guys i thought i should do a little talk video and so here you are. These are just some general things you might face as a black person living in Italy. It actually varies. In some cities you might even go unnoticed and in others you will just be one of the many black people.
If you want me to do more of such videos comment in the comment section and i will be glad to make such videos for you
#beingblackinitaly #livinginitalyasablackperson
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"Ghcurls" is a woman who was born in Ghana, West Africa. From a comment she made in this vlog, she came to Italy when she was in high school.
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PARTIAL TRANSCRIPTION OF THIS VLOG
by Azizi Powell
[Additions and corrections are welcome.]
1...."one of the first thing to expect when you are Black in Italy is the stares. People are going to stare at you right left center. Wherever you go, whoever you are with- you are going to get the stares.
Now the stares are quite different. People are going to stare at you with curiosity. People are going to stare at you with disgust. People are going to stare at you with-like-in a sexual way. Whatever it is, you are going to get stares....
2. If you are Black in Italy, you have... I mean you probably are going to be regarded as a quote on quote regarded as a "prostitute". And that is automatic. Like, every Black person in Italy is supposed to be a prostitute. That is-that actually kinda of annoys me. It it it just kills my soul that I-because of the color of my skin I am going to be associated with a prostitute. Now when I was in the North, I never really got those kind of-It wasn't direct, you understand. In Rome [pause] it is terrible....
3. You are never going to get any products for you. When I say "any products" what I mean is you are never going to walk in a store and get something that is tailored for your hair, for your face, for your skin, for anything. There is- I mean it is assumed that we are in the minority, which we are, and apparently we don't need any makeup. Apparently, we don't take out our hair. Apparently, we don't exist. So basically you walk in any makeup store and their foundation range is going to stop at [pause] a mulatto's like um skin tone. You're never-it's never going to go down....
If you are coming from outside the country and you're thinking you are going to get everything here-I'm sorry. You're not. So just bring everything with you when you're coming to Italy. Face, makeup products, hair products-whatever it is you need, bring them with you because I can take you you are not going to get any of that.
4. Another thing to expect is being associated with a Black American. So the funny thing is if you are in Italy, and you dress well and you walk well and you speak well and you do whatever it is well- if you have a good appearance, you know, you know, you're not African. And that is terrible. I mean that is terribly painful because you can see me and say "Oh, you are- You don't look African. You look American." Ah, what does that mean? I don't understand. What makes me look like a Black American? What makes me not look like an African? Is it because we are always portrayed as as poor people or as something of that sort and so we are not worthy to be, to be able to dress well, to be able to speak well, to be able to be gentle like-Yeah there's something about this which actually irks me....Yeah, if you dress well, if you have an iphone, if you have whatever, you're an African American, or you're from the UK- somewhere but not in Africa.
5. Yes, another thing to expect if you are Black in Italy is to be asked a lot of questions. Ah, people do ask you lots of questions, and you say, okay, this is genuinely because they want to know, they genuinely want to know more about you, more about your culture, they want to know more about where you come from. And you're going to get questions that insult you and questions that are just, you you wonder if the person asking the question is actually a human being or if the person asking the question is, is educated in any kind of way. Now I don't blame them because that's what they see on tv. Africans are portrayed as having I don't know, flies on their nose, flies on their mouth, asking for aid, no water to drink, no clothes to wear. So you will be asked these silly questions. It baffles me and annoys me. I mean I have been asked if I see elephants and tigers when I open my door....And I said "Excuse me, I don't live in a jungle". Lately, I was asked a question like "Why do you have white teeth when you are black?" Like, that is one of those crazy questions that people ask you. And you're like "Are you even serious? I mean, are teeth supposed to be black because I'm Black? Like, are you even serious?" That is just one of the normal, the absurd questions that people ask you"...
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This concludes Part I of this pancocojams series.
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