On Blackness

Actress Diana Yekini of Jenifa's Diary(Gene Give-me) said since she came to Nigeria she has been more aware of her skin colour and she was once advised by people in the industry to bleach her. It is worth noting that she has lived in the UK where there are people of many races and obviously a lot of white people which should make you aware of your dark skin, but surprisingly that the one place where basically everybody is black is where dark skinned people are being discriminated against. Like a nation of blacks where some are regraded as too black, what an irony. You might say "discrimination" is over reaching but when as a dark skinned person, every single second comments are being made against your color,not so subtle and sometimes overt prejudice in your face then it should be regarded as discrimination. 

Do we want to talk about movies, billboards, music videos where light-skinned actresses, models and vixens are poster children for beauty. OR where a lot of people regard ''lightness'' as the quintessence of beauty but really who makes these standards of beauty anyway.   

 As a dark skinned girl on an almost daily basis i'm faced with ridiculous comments about my colour and tips on how to lighten my complexion, and weighing the extent of their darkness to mine. Oh and the most annoying ones are those that think that saying "you are pretty for a dark girl" is a compliment. I know some people might regard it as a 'girl thing' or an issue that affects only girls but males also go through it (duhhh, guys bleach too). 

These annoying little comments can go a long way to bite at people's self esteem and then some take to lightening their skin by whatever means possible, I really can't blame them. What do you think the cumulative effect of these prejudices on black kids watching, added to the fact that they when they turn the TV on they barely see people who look like them and end up thinking their skin is not good enough.

However,the one thing that really warms my heart, is the fact that black consciousness is coming alive and a number of people are promoting and celebrating blackness which has really and immensely changed the way I see myself and I believe a number of other people. 

                                                                 

 PS: I DO NOT HATE LIGHT-SKINNED PEOPLE, YOU ALL ARE AMAZING.