Why Pánsá Pánsá Forum?
By Kemi Seriki
In the Yoruba language, the word Pánsá is usually injected into poetry to express an uncomfortable, uncensored, and inconvenient truth. According to Yoruba saying “ Pánsá o fura, Pánsá ja! Aja o fura, Aja jin! onile ti oba fura, ole ni o ko”. In English translation, “The dried calabash was careless hence it was plucked! Rafters were careless hence it caved in! The head of the household that is not careful, will be cleaned out by thieves.” Pánsá in Yoruba dictionary is a dry calabash uncut, with seeds in it.
In the early 1980s, when I left Nigeria for the United States to further my education, my goal, as many other African immigrants, was to return home after graduation and contribute to the growth of my beloved nation. At that time, the economic outlook in Nigeria was promising and prosperous. The Nigerian currency (Naira) was high in value compared to the US dollar, and our most valuable natural commodity, “petroleum oil,” the source of our nation’s wealth, seems promising. Since the focus was to obtain education and relocate back to the home country, many of us were not engaged or involved in our adopted home social, political, and economic barriers or obstacles. Whatever discrimination and racism one experiences in the United States, one endures knowing that it is a temporary situation. At that time, many immigrant students may put off getting married and having children until when they relocate to the country of origin because the challenges of combining nuclear family, schooling, social and economic difficulties may be a daunting task. In the 1960s, the 1970s, and 1980’s primary purpose for most African immigrant students after completing their education was to go back home to their families and our native land with eagerness to contribute to our various countries’ development.
By the time many of us who came to the United States in the 1980s were ready to go back home, Nigeria’s economic situation and some African countries have taken a downturn to austerity. Many people who went back to their respective countries of origin in the 1970s, 1980, and 1990s returned to the United States as lack of opportunities depreciated, and the poverty rate was rising. The economic imbalance in many African nations means more African immigrants seek refuge in America, and many who are already in the United States no longer have the plan on relocation back home.
In the early part of African relocations, most African immigrants in America were from English colonized countries in Africa, such as Nigeria, Ghana, and Ethiopia. In later years, the French colonized Africans, such as Senegalese, Cameroonians, Guineans, Ivorians, started migrating to American. These create a more diverse community of African immigrants with many opportunities and barriers.
Since the idea of relocating back to the original country has become a distant dream, many African immigrants have no choice but to face the reality that America would be home for a long time. As the truth sets in, we cannot put our lives on hold but move on with life. As we dive into American society’s mainstream society, we seek reputable employment, got married, have children, buy a home in the suburbs, and continue on achieving the American dream. Making these dreams come true does not come easily without facing challenges that are utterly foreign to us. For example, many immigrants do not understand the complexities of race relations in America. Our identity is impressed upon ethnicity, religion, and not of skin color. Even with higher education achievements, we began to experience discrimination, racism, and biases based on our skin color, country of origin, and religious affiliation. This experience is not only limited to us adults but extend to our children. How is it possible to help our children navigate these unknown territories when it is not part of our experience?
In 2017, I launched Irinkerindo-Africans in America-First Generation-Centered to start a conversation within the African community. In 2019, Pansa Pansa Forum became the official name for this forum. The focus group target for the discussion is the children of African immigrants born in America or those who came to America at a very young age. The vision of the forum is to include African children from various diverse backgrounds in the conversation. The African community is often divided along the line country of origin, religion, and ethnic background. The purpose of the conferences is to emphasize the challenges these focus groups face as they try to balance between the two worlds of having American identity and maintaining their African heritage. The panelists would discuss different stages of experience from Middle school to high school to college and those in the workforce. The panelists talk openly to the audience of parents and fellow first-generation about their struggles and challenges of balancing the demand of both heritages (Africa and America). So far, many forums have been conducted since its inception in 2017 in New York.
The Pansa Pansa forum is candid conversations about African immigrants’ lives in America as it relates to our adaptation to our new home. While some of us may find it easy to integrate and balance between retaining the original African culture while accepting our new home’s culture, many continue to struggle to find a balance between both worlds. Some African immigrants continue to maintain the original lifestyle while discarding the new culture in their new home. In Pánsá Pánsá forum, the correlation between assimilation and adaptation would be the focus of conversation ranges of topics on African culture, family value, religion, education, professional achievements, marriage life, child nurturing, emotional challenges, racism, classism, sexual orientation. Many of these conversations may be difficult to discuss for fear of being stigmatized or rejected. Still, we cannot continue to sweep these matters under the rug and pretend that these issues do not exist within our community. The compassion to have an uncomfortable conversation is not only vital to sustaining a healthy community. It can also improve relationships and building trust and respect.
Let us keep the conversation going, and please go on the contact page and sign up for notifications for our future events or speaking engagements if you like to host a forum within your community or be a guest on the podcast.