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> Most probably because many of them haven't seen a white person in their entire life. Any African who is intellectual enough to possibly participate in the in

> Most probably because many of them haven't seen a white person in their entire life. Any African who is intellectual enough to possibly participate in the international debate mentioned above, will almost certainly be part of a cosmopolitan class that has interacted with white people. Also, West African countries have a prominent Lebanese population that runs import–export based businesses like supermarkets, Senegal has a huge community of French retirees, and Zimbabwe and South Africa still have their white populations. So, no, Africans are not as isolated as you suggest.

paganel 6y ago
> intellectual enough to possibly participate in the international debate mentioned above Non-intellectual people can and do question white privilege stuff in the United States, saying that you have to be "intellectual enough" to have that type of conversation sounds very classist to me (am not native English speaker, maybe that's a better word for it). That Lebanese population will most probably not be labeled as "white" in most of the Anglo world, first of all in the United States, while South Africa is only one country among many dozens of African countries (I choose to ignore white presence in Zimbabwe because Mugabe). There is indeed a sizeable French expat community in many African countries but they are afraid of physically getting out of their bubbles, usually located in a posh district in the respective country's capital city. My friend (also French) was not afraid of getting out of that bubble hence his direct interactions with people who had almost never interacted directly with a white person before.
- Mediterraneo10 6y ago
  Being involved in an international debate like the OP mentioned necessarily means having access to written English or French as a medium of communication and to telecommunications. Those Africans who can do so, as I said, are likely to be of a class that has interacted with whites at least occasionally in their lives. Lebanese people are historically considered "white" in the USA, at least the Maronite Christian community. Most of the Lebanese who moved to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th century are long since assimilated to the white mainstream. French retirees in Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire are certainly not limited to a posh neighbourhood in the capital and can be found spread out across the country. Dakar is a dismal place, and certainly retired foreigners find Senegal's small towns and villages more relaxed and peaceful. This is not a subject where mention of "my friend said" is helpful. One needs first-hand experience with Africa (and experience outside the expat bubble that is all that some foreigner workers see).
  - paganel 6y ago
    My friend lived through that, and he showed me photos to prove it, I couldn’t see any other white person in the remote places from which he was sending those photos. Not that Bujumbura was full with white people. Maybe Senegal is the exception that proves the rule reguarding Western Africa, but another friend who lived in Abidjan (still does, lost contact with her) had the same expat in a bubble experience. Again, this was not a matter of “my friend said”, as we were Skyping in late 2010 after some elections there and as bullets were flying around even in the posh area (one of her EU colleagues got killed by a stray bullet as she was staying inside her apartment, by the window). I mantain my opinion about the Lebanese and how they’re viewed in the US, heck, the Italians were not seen as white-white until very recently while the Mexicans or the Argentinians still aren’t.

paganel 6y ago

> intellectual enough to possibly participate in the international debate mentioned above Non-intellectual people can and do question white privilege stuff in the United States, saying that you have to be "intellectual enough" to have that type of conversation sounds very classist to me (am not native English speaker, maybe that's a better word for it). That Lebanese population will most probably not be labeled as "white" in most of the Anglo world, first of all in the United States, while South Africa is only one country among many dozens of African countries (I choose to ignore white presence in Zimbabwe because Mugabe). There is indeed a sizeable French expat community in many African countries but they are afraid of physically getting out of their bubbles, usually located in a posh district in the respective country's capital city. My friend (also French) was not afraid of getting out of that bubble hence his direct interactions with people who had almost never interacted directly with a white person before.

Mediterraneo10 6y ago
Being involved in an international debate like the OP mentioned necessarily means having access to written English or French as a medium of communication and to telecommunications. Those Africans who can do so, as I said, are likely to be of a class that has interacted with whites at least occasionally in their lives. Lebanese people are historically considered "white" in the USA, at least the Maronite Christian community. Most of the Lebanese who moved to the USA in the late 19th and early 20th century are long since assimilated to the white mainstream. French retirees in Senegal and Cote d'Ivoire are certainly not limited to a posh neighbourhood in the capital and can be found spread out across the country. Dakar is a dismal place, and certainly retired foreigners find Senegal's small towns and villages more relaxed and peaceful. This is not a subject where mention of "my friend said" is helpful. One needs first-hand experience with Africa (and experience outside the expat bubble that is all that some foreigner workers see).
- paganel 6y ago
  My friend lived through that, and he showed me photos to prove it, I couldn’t see any other white person in the remote places from which he was sending those photos. Not that Bujumbura was full with white people. Maybe Senegal is the exception that proves the rule reguarding Western Africa, but another friend who lived in Abidjan (still does, lost contact with her) had the same expat in a bubble experience. Again, this was not a matter of “my friend said”, as we were Skyping in late 2010 after some elections there and as bullets were flying around even in the posh area (one of her EU colleagues got killed by a stray bullet as she was staying inside her apartment, by the window). I mantain my opinion about the Lebanese and how they’re viewed in the US, heck, the Italians were not seen as white-white until very recently while the Mexicans or the Argentinians still aren’t.