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Growing Up ... in Australia
Growing Up African in Australia
‘I was born in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe.’
‘My dad was a freedom fighter, waging war for an independent state: South Sudan.’
‘We lived in a small country town, in the deep south of Western Australia.’
‘I never knew black people could be Muslim until I met my North African friends.’
‘My mum and my dad courted illegally under the Apartheid regime.’
‘My first impression of Australia was a housing commission in the north of Tasmania.’
‘Somalis use this term, “Dhaqan Celis”. “Dhaqan” means culture and “Celis” means return.’
Learning to kick a football in a suburban schoolyard. Finding your feet as a young black dancer. Discovering your grandfather’s poetry. Meeting Nelson Mandela at your local church. Facing racism from those who should protect you. Dreading a visit to the hairdresser. House- hopping across the suburbs. Being too black. Not being black enough. Singing to find your soul, and then losing yourself again.
Welcome to African Australia.
Compiled by award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke, with curatorial assistance from writers Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan, this anthology brings together voices from the regions of Africa and the African diaspora, including the Caribbean and the Americas. Told with passion, power and poise, these are the stories of African-diaspora Australians.
Contributors include Faustina Agolley, Santilla Chingaipe, Carly Findlay, Khalid Warsame, Nyadol Nyuon, Tariro Mavondo and many, many more.
‘My dad was a freedom fighter, waging war for an independent state: South Sudan.’
‘We lived in a small country town, in the deep south of Western Australia.’
‘I never knew black people could be Muslim until I met my North African friends.’
‘My mum and my dad courted illegally under the Apartheid regime.’
‘My first impression of Australia was a housing commission in the north of Tasmania.’
‘Somalis use this term, “Dhaqan Celis”. “Dhaqan” means culture and “Celis” means return.’
Learning to kick a football in a suburban schoolyard. Finding your feet as a young black dancer. Discovering your grandfather’s poetry. Meeting Nelson Mandela at your local church. Facing racism from those who should protect you. Dreading a visit to the hairdresser. House- hopping across the suburbs. Being too black. Not being black enough. Singing to find your soul, and then losing yourself again.
Welcome to African Australia.
Compiled by award-winning author Maxine Beneba Clarke, with curatorial assistance from writers Ahmed Yussuf and Magan Magan, this anthology brings together voices from the regions of Africa and the African diaspora, including the Caribbean and the Americas. Told with passion, power and poise, these are the stories of African-diaspora Australians.
Contributors include Faustina Agolley, Santilla Chingaipe, Carly Findlay, Khalid Warsame, Nyadol Nyuon, Tariro Mavondo and many, many more.
288 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2019
50 people are currently reading
1218 people want to read
About the author
Maxine Beneba Clarke
27 books398 followersMaxine Beneba Clarke is an Australian writer and slam poetry champion of Afro-Caribbean descent. She is the author of the poetry collections Gil Scott Heron is on Parole (Picaro Press, 2009) and Nothing Here Needs Fixing (Picaro Press, 2013), the title poem of which won the 2013 Ada Cambridge Poetry Prize.
Her debut short story collection, Foreign Soil, won the 2013 Victorian Premier's Award for an Unpublished Manuscript and will be published by Hachette Australia in early 2014.
As a spoken word performer, Maxine's work has been delivered on stages and airways, and in festivals across the country, including at the Melbourne Writers Festival (2008, 2010, 2013), Melbourne International Arts Festival (2012), the Arts Centre (2009) and the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival (2013).
Maxine’s short fiction, essays and poetry have been published in numerous publications, including Overland, the Age, Big Issue, Cordite Poetry Review, Harvest, Voiceworks, Going Down Swinging, Mascara, Meanjin, Unusual Work and Peril.
She has been poetry editor of the academic journal Social Alternatives (2012), and spoken word editor for Overland literary journal (2011-12).
Maxine has conducted poetry classes and workshops for many organisations, including RMIT, The Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE), Writers Victoria, Kensington Neighbourhood House and the Society of Women Writers (Vic).
Her debut short story collection, Foreign Soil, won the 2013 Victorian Premier's Award for an Unpublished Manuscript and will be published by Hachette Australia in early 2014.
As a spoken word performer, Maxine's work has been delivered on stages and airways, and in festivals across the country, including at the Melbourne Writers Festival (2008, 2010, 2013), Melbourne International Arts Festival (2012), the Arts Centre (2009) and the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival (2013).
Maxine’s short fiction, essays and poetry have been published in numerous publications, including Overland, the Age, Big Issue, Cordite Poetry Review, Harvest, Voiceworks, Going Down Swinging, Mascara, Meanjin, Unusual Work and Peril.
She has been poetry editor of the academic journal Social Alternatives (2012), and spoken word editor for Overland literary journal (2011-12).
Maxine has conducted poetry classes and workshops for many organisations, including RMIT, The Victorian Association for the Teaching of English (VATE), Writers Victoria, Kensington Neighbourhood House and the Society of Women Writers (Vic).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 65 reviews
May 6, 2019
Often if I read a book slowly, it is because the book drags. With Growing up African in Australia, however, like Growing Up Aboriginal in Australia before it, I had to slow myself down, ration the contributions one per morning, one per evening, to allow them to marinate individually. The anthology becomes like a friend, challenging, enriching, discomfiting and often just entertaining, for almost a month. I love this series of anthologies from Black Inc, not just because I get to listen to voices rarely given control over their own narratives, but because the format embraces diversity. It moves us towards a collective understanding of the world, that allows us to recognise individuals have common experiences in different ways.
Growing Up African in Australia has a wide variety of literary styles, themes, topics and approaches. Some of the contributors were stunning in their literary skill - like with everything, your mileage may vary, but three hit me especially hard. Khalid Warsame's Idle Thoughts I read without exhaling, I think, suspended in the experience. Adut Wol Akec's poem My Family Abroad sings its experiences in to the reader. Magan Magan's Dhaqan Celis finishes with unforgettable turns of phrase that danced through my head for days.
Other narratives are memorable for what they recount. Lauren Mulling's Winston is one of many that elucidates the complexities of family and legacy, early childhood impressions and adult reconciliation. Shona Kambarami tackles how to be a member of a family and a community in which hate lurks overtly and covertly. The most wrenching narrative to me, that of Tinashe Pwiti's Di Apprentice, touches on elements of closeness and distance, modern youth culture and disempowerment, generational and cultural gaps. Other writers also focus upon transcultural experiences: Vulindlela Mkwananzi's Both is frank and hopeful in tone.
More than one writer challenges the usefulness of African as a label in Australia, and the variety of experiences points to how stereotypes for such an enormous diaspora reduce complexity. The book gives voice to refugee experiences of many shades, but also of the frustration of African experiences being assumed to be wartorn. Tariro Mavondo and Effie Nkrumah challenge this most directly. The complexity of African identities - the wonderful African Mama by Sara El Sayad has the devastating "Not Africa Africa line - is so often lost in this Southern continent. As I read this book, Sudan is possibly undergoing astonishing people-led change. Yet this country, with so many of its people in our continent, barely makes the headlines - largely I suspect because it is not easily reducible to one sentence, not easily dismissible as "Africa Africa".
Then we have diaspora identities, the oft-ignored reality that African diaspora peoples from the Caribbean started arriving in Australia from the First Fleet, and that exile to Australia was used by the British as a threat upon rebelling slaves and freedmen. Australia's strong connection to Britain brings with it connections to African slavery (to add to the enslavement here of Indigenous peoples).
Racism, however, is unsurprisingly omnipresent in the narrative. Some of the most confronting contributions to me include Jafri Katagar Alexander X, and Imam Nur Warsame. I have had the privilege of hearing Imam Warsame speak, and hearing more of his story was engrossing. The anthology asks the reader to contemplate how omnipresent racist violence is in the lives of black men in Australia - including from police. The impact of early, school-facilitated experiences of racism, and especially racist bullying, is devastating. Children interpret and enforce social prejudice in ways less masked than adults, and the theme of this introducing and enforcing white supremacy was noticeable. There is a cutting note from Cath Moore describing this process; "They want me to smile, to be strangely complicit in the humiliation". Safakor Aku Zikpi and Santilla Chingaipe also tackle similar themes with devastating candor.
At the same time, the impact of media, and representation, is also a theme through various contributions. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the Cosby Show, Lucy from Degrassi, even Australian soaps take on new forms of significance. Much to my joy, Goodreads gets a mention, from Inez Trambas of Negro Speaks of Books, as a portal through which black stories can be found. This points to a real truth, despite my long review. As an Anglo person, I am not the most important audience for this book. Part of the role of literature is to allow us to reflect ourselves, and if this not only showcases some great current writing, but inspires more, all to the good.
Growing Up African in Australia has a wide variety of literary styles, themes, topics and approaches. Some of the contributors were stunning in their literary skill - like with everything, your mileage may vary, but three hit me especially hard. Khalid Warsame's Idle Thoughts I read without exhaling, I think, suspended in the experience. Adut Wol Akec's poem My Family Abroad sings its experiences in to the reader. Magan Magan's Dhaqan Celis finishes with unforgettable turns of phrase that danced through my head for days.
Other narratives are memorable for what they recount. Lauren Mulling's Winston is one of many that elucidates the complexities of family and legacy, early childhood impressions and adult reconciliation. Shona Kambarami tackles how to be a member of a family and a community in which hate lurks overtly and covertly. The most wrenching narrative to me, that of Tinashe Pwiti's Di Apprentice, touches on elements of closeness and distance, modern youth culture and disempowerment, generational and cultural gaps. Other writers also focus upon transcultural experiences: Vulindlela Mkwananzi's Both is frank and hopeful in tone.
More than one writer challenges the usefulness of African as a label in Australia, and the variety of experiences points to how stereotypes for such an enormous diaspora reduce complexity. The book gives voice to refugee experiences of many shades, but also of the frustration of African experiences being assumed to be wartorn. Tariro Mavondo and Effie Nkrumah challenge this most directly. The complexity of African identities - the wonderful African Mama by Sara El Sayad has the devastating "Not Africa Africa line - is so often lost in this Southern continent. As I read this book, Sudan is possibly undergoing astonishing people-led change. Yet this country, with so many of its people in our continent, barely makes the headlines - largely I suspect because it is not easily reducible to one sentence, not easily dismissible as "Africa Africa".
Then we have diaspora identities, the oft-ignored reality that African diaspora peoples from the Caribbean started arriving in Australia from the First Fleet, and that exile to Australia was used by the British as a threat upon rebelling slaves and freedmen. Australia's strong connection to Britain brings with it connections to African slavery (to add to the enslavement here of Indigenous peoples).
Racism, however, is unsurprisingly omnipresent in the narrative. Some of the most confronting contributions to me include Jafri Katagar Alexander X, and Imam Nur Warsame. I have had the privilege of hearing Imam Warsame speak, and hearing more of his story was engrossing. The anthology asks the reader to contemplate how omnipresent racist violence is in the lives of black men in Australia - including from police. The impact of early, school-facilitated experiences of racism, and especially racist bullying, is devastating. Children interpret and enforce social prejudice in ways less masked than adults, and the theme of this introducing and enforcing white supremacy was noticeable. There is a cutting note from Cath Moore describing this process; "They want me to smile, to be strangely complicit in the humiliation". Safakor Aku Zikpi and Santilla Chingaipe also tackle similar themes with devastating candor.
At the same time, the impact of media, and representation, is also a theme through various contributions. The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, the Cosby Show, Lucy from Degrassi, even Australian soaps take on new forms of significance. Much to my joy, Goodreads gets a mention, from Inez Trambas of Negro Speaks of Books, as a portal through which black stories can be found. This points to a real truth, despite my long review. As an Anglo person, I am not the most important audience for this book. Part of the role of literature is to allow us to reflect ourselves, and if this not only showcases some great current writing, but inspires more, all to the good.
August 17, 2021
Trigger warnings: war, refugee experiences, death of a parent, death of a grandparent, animal death, racism, racial slurs, homophobia, ableism.
This is the...third? Fourth?? book I've read in this series about growing up in Australia as a minority. This one threw me more than the others did because I didn't realise until I was a chunk of the way through that it included the African diaspora as well, so it includes stories of growing up Jamaican, West Indian, Brazilian as much as it does growing up South African, Nigerian, Egyptian or Sudanese.
All the stories were compelling (and often heartbreaking), and I really enjoyed the mixture of poetry and prose in the collection. Essentially, the takeaway from this book is the prevalence of racism in Australian society and how perpetual it is. Which, like, I knew already? But it still fills me with rage and exhaustion every time I think about it.
This is the...third? Fourth?? book I've read in this series about growing up in Australia as a minority. This one threw me more than the others did because I didn't realise until I was a chunk of the way through that it included the African diaspora as well, so it includes stories of growing up Jamaican, West Indian, Brazilian as much as it does growing up South African, Nigerian, Egyptian or Sudanese.
All the stories were compelling (and often heartbreaking), and I really enjoyed the mixture of poetry and prose in the collection. Essentially, the takeaway from this book is the prevalence of racism in Australian society and how perpetual it is. Which, like, I knew already? But it still fills me with rage and exhaustion every time I think about it.
June 13, 2019
It was humbling to read the CVs of the various talented contributors to this little insight into life in Australia for people who have moved directly from Africa or who have come the longer way through the descendants of slaves sent to the Caribbean. A lot of the writers work in the arts, some have activism experience, some are Muslim, some are LGBTQIA, all have unique stories.
Some of the stories are simple growing up stories dealing with the mundane such as hairstyles. Others are more complex statements on racism, being different, dealing with ignorance and ignoramuses, and different ways of looking at what being Australian means.
I must read the others in this "Growing Up.." series.
Some of the stories are simple growing up stories dealing with the mundane such as hairstyles. Others are more complex statements on racism, being different, dealing with ignorance and ignoramuses, and different ways of looking at what being Australian means.
I must read the others in this "Growing Up.." series.
June 8, 2019
>Growing Up African in Australia (2019) is part of a series: Black Inc also publish Growing Up Queer in Australia (Aug 2019, which you can pre-order here); Growing up Aboriginal in Australia (2018, see here, and read my review); and Growing Up Asian in Australia (2008, see here). These books are revelatory: they share a diversity of experiences from multi-voiced; multi-cultural; multi-origin; and multi-gendered Australians. The stories can be heart-warming, poignant, challenging, confronting and even nakedly hostile, but all of them will change the reader's perceptions and misconceptions about what it's like to be part of a minority.
The minority in this book is the Afro-diaspora. The anthology includes writers with origins in Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, South Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zambia, Uganda, the Central African Republic and Kenya but also (because of the ongoing impact of slavery) those of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Guyanese and Afro-Brazilian descent. Some contibutors came to Australia as middle-class skilled professionals, others as refugees, and many were born and educated here, some with African-Australian origins that go back many decades.
I was intrigued by the composition of the 35 writers featured in Growing Up African. Although there was a diversity of contributors, so many of them worked in the arts: in dance, theatre, spoken word performance, visual arts, and music. I liked this, because we don't often hear directly from people working in the arts... after all, if they wanted to express their ideas in words, they wouldn't be doing it in other art forms, eh? But there were also other contributors in other fields and some CVs are impressive in any context: activists, a journalist, a litigant, a gay Imam who runs a support group for young Muslims questioning their sexuality, and a doctor. Some were writers by profession or ambition, while others were busy doing other things but contributed an essay anyway.
I'm going to focus on two essays because they stood out to me. Other readers will have their own favourites.
'Both' by Vulindlela Mkwananzi writes movingly about the parents he hardly knew. His Australian mother was travelling in Zimbabwe when she met his father, a printer. Both were activists: he was fighting apartheid from Zimbabwe while she was a campaigner for women's liberation. But they were both killed in a car accident when he and his twin brother were three, and they were raised by his birth mother's Australian best friend.
Mkwananzi goes on to say that he can't express in words how thankful [he] is that [the best friend's] family took us in, as they truly are very special people to my brother and me.
Yet, he also says, recounting an example of everyday casual racism, that his stepmother had no idea of the experience of growing up as African-Australian.
And he discovers that he was naïve to think that he would fit in, in Zimbabwe. There, it's his light skin that's pointed out and remarked on, with people asking us why we had African names but were so white.
The title of his essay is explained in a plea that comes from the heart:
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/06/08/g...
The minority in this book is the Afro-diaspora. The anthology includes writers with origins in Ghana, Zimbabwe, South Africa, South Sudan, Somalia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zambia, Uganda, the Central African Republic and Kenya but also (because of the ongoing impact of slavery) those of Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Guyanese and Afro-Brazilian descent. Some contibutors came to Australia as middle-class skilled professionals, others as refugees, and many were born and educated here, some with African-Australian origins that go back many decades.
I was intrigued by the composition of the 35 writers featured in Growing Up African. Although there was a diversity of contributors, so many of them worked in the arts: in dance, theatre, spoken word performance, visual arts, and music. I liked this, because we don't often hear directly from people working in the arts... after all, if they wanted to express their ideas in words, they wouldn't be doing it in other art forms, eh? But there were also other contributors in other fields and some CVs are impressive in any context: activists, a journalist, a litigant, a gay Imam who runs a support group for young Muslims questioning their sexuality, and a doctor. Some were writers by profession or ambition, while others were busy doing other things but contributed an essay anyway.
I'm going to focus on two essays because they stood out to me. Other readers will have their own favourites.
'Both' by Vulindlela Mkwananzi writes movingly about the parents he hardly knew. His Australian mother was travelling in Zimbabwe when she met his father, a printer. Both were activists: he was fighting apartheid from Zimbabwe while she was a campaigner for women's liberation. But they were both killed in a car accident when he and his twin brother were three, and they were raised by his birth mother's Australian best friend.
It wasn't until I grew older that I started to ponder how controversial it was for both my parents' families to have mixed-race grandchildren, for different reasons. [...]
For my family in Zimbabwe, it meant that my brother and I might grow up not knowing our culture — we might not be raised the 'African' way. For my mother's family in New South wales, it was a shock to have 'coloured' children, a point of shame and a source of exclusion from a conservative white community that prided itself on its self of 'Australianness'. (p.101-2)
Mkwananzi goes on to say that he can't express in words how thankful [he] is that [the best friend's] family took us in, as they truly are very special people to my brother and me.
Yet, he also says, recounting an example of everyday casual racism, that his stepmother had no idea of the experience of growing up as African-Australian.
I realise her pain in her powerlessness to protect us from what our physical appearance means in Australia. It also makes me realise that she can have all the compassion in the world, but will still never quite understand what it means, and what it really feels like, to be in our skin here. (p.103)
And he discovers that he was naïve to think that he would fit in, in Zimbabwe. There, it's his light skin that's pointed out and remarked on, with people asking us why we had African names but were so white.
I began to comprehend the strange position of being from two distinctly different cultures — there is literally nowhere on the planet where the majority of people look like you. (p.103).
The title of his essay is explained in a plea that comes from the heart:
I always find strange that people with parents from two different cultural backgrounds are called: half-caste, mixed race, coloured. Why do I have to be half? Why caste? Why mixed? I am both: it is what makes me who I am, and in my romanticised moments, I see my birth as proof that love conquers all. (p.102-3)
To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/06/08/g...
June 9, 2019
A lovely collection of essays that will hopefully open lots of people up to the many different ways that Australians live.
April 14, 2019
I never expected to find this book soothing. Informative, engaging, eye-opening, yes, and it is all those things as well. But dipping in and out of the vignettes, taking time to sit with the ones that needed to breathe and moving more quickly through the stories that didn't was the quiet and contemplative reading experience I didn't know I needed.
March 5, 2021
4.5 stars!!!
Pros:
+ personal Australian immigration stories from members of the African/Black diaspora (Brazil, Central African Republic, Egypt, Ghana, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
+ LGBT+ intersections in some of the stories
+ really taught me a lot about the way Australia treats immigrants (both good and bad)
+ learned so much about different countries, cultures, and immigration experiences through each snapshot story,
Neutral:
+ many stories broke my heart and I had to put the book down for a few days to sit in my feelings then recover
Cons:
- some stories were stronger/stood out more than others, but that's normal with anthologies
TW: genocide (off-page), suicide, fleeing for survival, alienation, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, systematic abuse and/or blatant disregard toward immigrants of color, verbal abuse, physical assault, war atrocities (off-page), racist/xenophobic micro-aggressions
Pros:
+ personal Australian immigration stories from members of the African/Black diaspora (Brazil, Central African Republic, Egypt, Ghana, Guyana, Jamaica, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Uganda, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
+ LGBT+ intersections in some of the stories
+ really taught me a lot about the way Australia treats immigrants (both good and bad)
+ learned so much about different countries, cultures, and immigration experiences through each snapshot story,
Neutral:
+ many stories broke my heart and I had to put the book down for a few days to sit in my feelings then recover
Cons:
- some stories were stronger/stood out more than others, but that's normal with anthologies
TW: genocide (off-page), suicide, fleeing for survival, alienation, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, systematic abuse and/or blatant disregard toward immigrants of color, verbal abuse, physical assault, war atrocities (off-page), racist/xenophobic micro-aggressions
January 15, 2023
From 'Lost in Translation' by Nasra Hersi
'Sudan was family, it was laughter, it was never being alone, it was being blanketed by unconditional love. It was the scent of bakhoor, the taste of sugar cane and guava, the lanterns lighting the street during Ramadan.'
From 'Home ' by Suban Nur Cooley
'To be African in Australia is to be among the drifting diaspora. Nomadic beings who find themselves on an isolated continent through displacement or disconnection from the umbilical thread of the motherland. '
'I miss the nuances that my identity held in Australia. What I don't miss is Australia's denial that racism is a problem, and our inability to accept that we have as much work to do as America does.'
From 'Ravenswood ' by Grace Williams
'I responded by asking him another question. 'Are you trying to ask me why I'm black and in Tasmania?'
'Sudan was family, it was laughter, it was never being alone, it was being blanketed by unconditional love. It was the scent of bakhoor, the taste of sugar cane and guava, the lanterns lighting the street during Ramadan.'
From 'Home ' by Suban Nur Cooley
'To be African in Australia is to be among the drifting diaspora. Nomadic beings who find themselves on an isolated continent through displacement or disconnection from the umbilical thread of the motherland. '
'I miss the nuances that my identity held in Australia. What I don't miss is Australia's denial that racism is a problem, and our inability to accept that we have as much work to do as America does.'
From 'Ravenswood ' by Grace Williams
'I responded by asking him another question. 'Are you trying to ask me why I'm black and in Tasmania?'
June 10, 2019
A great collection showing the different experiences of Growing up African in Australia. This anthology showcases all the different African diaspora living in Australia and the various lived experiences of being African. It is an anthology that needs to be read by all to have a greater understanding of the nuances of migration, racism and growing up Australian in all its multicultural guises. A great addition to the Growing up in Australia collections.
October 30, 2022
4.5!
Everything you could ask for. Very diverse experiences. After reading two books about the African American experience, I was craving the Australian African experience.
Everything you could ask for. Very diverse experiences. After reading two books about the African American experience, I was craving the Australian African experience.
October 17, 2019
Like the other instalments in Black Inc's "Growing Up _____ in Australia" series, this novel is both enlightening and enjoyable.
A collection of short pieces by various people are divided into six sections focusing on certain themes including The Playground and Dhaqan Celis. There are relatable moments for every one, even those not of African descent, bullying, desperation to fit in, and also moments that might only be relatable to some, loss of family, loss of language, trauma from escaped war.
A worthy and beautiful book. Like the other books in this collection.
A collection of short pieces by various people are divided into six sections focusing on certain themes including The Playground and Dhaqan Celis. There are relatable moments for every one, even those not of African descent, bullying, desperation to fit in, and also moments that might only be relatable to some, loss of family, loss of language, trauma from escaped war.
A worthy and beautiful book. Like the other books in this collection.
May 14, 2022
April: Out of Africa
A thought provoking and inspiring collection of short personal essays written by people from the African diaspora who have lived and grown up in some way in Australian.
As an Anglo-Australian, reading works like this help me to develop empathy and understanding for Australians who are different from me, to be reminded of our shared humanity and take time to listen to minority voices. The key learning I took from reading this was the reminder that Africa is not a country or a monoculture but varies greatly.
These Growing Up... collections are gold-- precious and highly valuable for all.
A thought provoking and inspiring collection of short personal essays written by people from the African diaspora who have lived and grown up in some way in Australian.
As an Anglo-Australian, reading works like this help me to develop empathy and understanding for Australians who are different from me, to be reminded of our shared humanity and take time to listen to minority voices. The key learning I took from reading this was the reminder that Africa is not a country or a monoculture but varies greatly.
These Growing Up... collections are gold-- precious and highly valuable for all.
Read
April 15, 2021This was a great anthology. Australian society (especially the 'media') often describe the African community as a cultural monolith, so was nice to be able to get some insight to just how diverse the backgrounds and experiences actually are. A lot of the entries in this collection were very entertaining, and they managed to tie together quite nicely.
March 5, 2020
Interesting listening to these stories. The things should me people escaped from is horrendous, but through an inner strength they have survived to help make Australia a better country
April 23, 2020
I cannot stress how important these stories are.
April 24, 2020
These kinds of books are in some ways a little hard to critique - there's so many contributors, so many different styles and stories. Not all of them are going to hit as hard and as meaningfully as each other. It's hard even to pick favourites, because there are so many to choose from - and because I read them in order, the later pieces are the ones I remember best - closing with Rafeif Ismail is a masterstroke.
But also, this book very much lives up to its title - it is indeed all about the experiences of African diaspora people, particularly their experiences growing up in Australia. And that very topic means these stories are acts of emotional labour - deliberate, thoughtful, and sometimes confronting.
All in all, this book provides a great variety of important perspectives, and I'm glad it exists.
But also, this book very much lives up to its title - it is indeed all about the experiences of African diaspora people, particularly their experiences growing up in Australia. And that very topic means these stories are acts of emotional labour - deliberate, thoughtful, and sometimes confronting.
All in all, this book provides a great variety of important perspectives, and I'm glad it exists.
November 1, 2024
as with the rest of this series, i loved this - definitely one of my favourites from the series
- Africans have been in Australia a lot longer than i realised!
- some common themes - navigating multiple identities and the loss/gaining of these, the impact of war, africa being seen as one country/homogenous, lack of representation and of being the minority
- Her Mothers Daughter - Nyadol Nyuon: complexities of mother-daughter relationships (“i just wanted someone to look after me - not someone who came with her now load in life, a load that required understanding, which i was too immature to have, and sometimes too selfish to give. it would not be until i had a child of my own that i would realise that mothers are not just mothers, they remain their own persons”), “the chance to live in safety… allowed us the luxury to not merely survive but to live in the full complexity of being a human being”
- “Men must release power, and women must seize it, and throw it to the winds - its rightful place” (Both - Vulindlela Mkwananzi)
- Ashy Knees - Manal Younus: the whole poem but especially “still threatened by our faces / so we get pulled apart / and they take what they feel like taking / black lips black curves black hair skin language culture land / but all these parts make a whole soul that knows no notion of giving in”
- Trauma is a Time Traveller - Ahmed Yussuf: “You are an unruly fat body… you learn through these lessons that they are more black than you. Whatever ‘black’ is supposed to be. You are edited out of your own story.”
- Dear Australia, I Love You But… - Candy Bowers: the whole poem but especially “I grew up feeling like my body was wrong and the pants were right, no matter how sweet or soft”
- Negro Speaks of Books - Inez Trambas: this whole story!!! the importance and power of books <3 being exposed to people like her in the books she read, her mum writing poems around the house as decoration, langston hughes’ poems, the power of the library (“me, i was chilling, cos i had my city library card and i knew that i could go and check out whatever i wanted”), the significance of sister outsider (but when I read Sister Outsider, that was when i thought, this is reading. this is capital-R reading!”, the love of goodreads and bookstagram and booktube and finding community in these spaces, the frustration of not relating to what everyone is reading and that they aren’t seeking out more diverse literature, how its so valid to read for fun and pleasure but also its still important to challenge yourself with what you read, “I read for enjoyment and fun, and i read to find out about people’s lives, to imagine how my life could be: it’s not for any grander reason that that: but we do ourselves a great disservice, whoever we are, when we don’t read wisely”
- several stories about being a queer muslim which i appreciated
- The Horse in the Room - Keenan MacWilliam: the actor who played Carole in The Saddle Club!!! hearing about some of her experiences and how race influenced her time on the show was quite confronting and sad
- Diasporan Processing - Effie Nkrumah: “I didn’t grow up ‘African’ in Australia. I grew up Ghanian… I did not become African until there were too many of us for society to respect our differences and diversity… ‘African’ connotes homogeneity.”
- Africans have been in Australia a lot longer than i realised!
- some common themes - navigating multiple identities and the loss/gaining of these, the impact of war, africa being seen as one country/homogenous, lack of representation and of being the minority
- Her Mothers Daughter - Nyadol Nyuon: complexities of mother-daughter relationships (“i just wanted someone to look after me - not someone who came with her now load in life, a load that required understanding, which i was too immature to have, and sometimes too selfish to give. it would not be until i had a child of my own that i would realise that mothers are not just mothers, they remain their own persons”), “the chance to live in safety… allowed us the luxury to not merely survive but to live in the full complexity of being a human being”
- “Men must release power, and women must seize it, and throw it to the winds - its rightful place” (Both - Vulindlela Mkwananzi)
- Ashy Knees - Manal Younus: the whole poem but especially “still threatened by our faces / so we get pulled apart / and they take what they feel like taking / black lips black curves black hair skin language culture land / but all these parts make a whole soul that knows no notion of giving in”
- Trauma is a Time Traveller - Ahmed Yussuf: “You are an unruly fat body… you learn through these lessons that they are more black than you. Whatever ‘black’ is supposed to be. You are edited out of your own story.”
- Dear Australia, I Love You But… - Candy Bowers: the whole poem but especially “I grew up feeling like my body was wrong and the pants were right, no matter how sweet or soft”
- Negro Speaks of Books - Inez Trambas: this whole story!!! the importance and power of books <3 being exposed to people like her in the books she read, her mum writing poems around the house as decoration, langston hughes’ poems, the power of the library (“me, i was chilling, cos i had my city library card and i knew that i could go and check out whatever i wanted”), the significance of sister outsider (but when I read Sister Outsider, that was when i thought, this is reading. this is capital-R reading!”, the love of goodreads and bookstagram and booktube and finding community in these spaces, the frustration of not relating to what everyone is reading and that they aren’t seeking out more diverse literature, how its so valid to read for fun and pleasure but also its still important to challenge yourself with what you read, “I read for enjoyment and fun, and i read to find out about people’s lives, to imagine how my life could be: it’s not for any grander reason that that: but we do ourselves a great disservice, whoever we are, when we don’t read wisely”
- several stories about being a queer muslim which i appreciated
- The Horse in the Room - Keenan MacWilliam: the actor who played Carole in The Saddle Club!!! hearing about some of her experiences and how race influenced her time on the show was quite confronting and sad
- Diasporan Processing - Effie Nkrumah: “I didn’t grow up ‘African’ in Australia. I grew up Ghanian… I did not become African until there were too many of us for society to respect our differences and diversity… ‘African’ connotes homogeneity.”
October 9, 2022
Such an interesting and diverse range of experiences from so many different people across the African diaspora; from a range of different countries and religious backgrounds - although surprisingly, I don't recall any of them from Nigeria which I find interesting, given the wide span of Nigerians in various different areas of the world these days. Some of the people telling their tales in this book are biracial of various different ethnicities, some Australian born, some lived in truly diverse neighbourhoods with friends of many different cultural and racial backgrounds, and some of whom work/have worked in various corners of the showbiz world.
It isn't too often we hear about the experiences of POCs from down under, and much like has happened here in the UK, there is a lot of history that has been utterly whitewashed. It boggles my mind that waaaay back when I was watching Neighbours and Home and Awayn after I got home from school, there were communities of different Asian and African diasporas as well as the European ones, or even mixed comunities, in various pockets of Australia and there was never any sign of that at all in the media we were presented with. And back then, Aussie TV (mostly soap operas) was all the rage in the UK. And not that I watch much TV now, but I don't think that apart from a few exceptions, that much has changed now.
I'm not generally a fan of audio and it's rare for me to read fiction in that format, but non-fic is often more interesting for me that way. However, this is an anomaly as the narration felt... off to me. Not so bad I couldn't do it, but not quite right either. I did say that I'm not a big fan though, and I'm very sensitive to voices, so take that with a pinch of salt. But I have to be honest with my rating hence 3 stars (which is still pretty good as far as I'm concerned) stars because of the experience of listening to it, as interesting as I found it to be.
There is a whole series of these books from marginalised people of various identities in Australia including of course those Aboriginal peoples native to the stolen lands, so I'm going to add more to my mountainous (well digital mountain!)
It isn't too often we hear about the experiences of POCs from down under, and much like has happened here in the UK, there is a lot of history that has been utterly whitewashed. It boggles my mind that waaaay back when I was watching Neighbours and Home and Awayn after I got home from school, there were communities of different Asian and African diasporas as well as the European ones, or even mixed comunities, in various pockets of Australia and there was never any sign of that at all in the media we were presented with. And back then, Aussie TV (mostly soap operas) was all the rage in the UK. And not that I watch much TV now, but I don't think that apart from a few exceptions, that much has changed now.
I'm not generally a fan of audio and it's rare for me to read fiction in that format, but non-fic is often more interesting for me that way. However, this is an anomaly as the narration felt... off to me. Not so bad I couldn't do it, but not quite right either. I did say that I'm not a big fan though, and I'm very sensitive to voices, so take that with a pinch of salt. But I have to be honest with my rating hence 3 stars (which is still pretty good as far as I'm concerned) stars because of the experience of listening to it, as interesting as I found it to be.
There is a whole series of these books from marginalised people of various identities in Australia including of course those Aboriginal peoples native to the stolen lands, so I'm going to add more to my mountainous (well digital mountain!)
September 13, 2020
What a powerful collection of stories of fleeing, finding home, family and connection, memory, the experience of racism and racial profiling, and the themes of refugee experience (and)or of being from a mixed race parentage.
As Maxine Beneba Clarke discusses in the Introduction, and through Prue Axam's contribution, Africans have lived in Australia since the First Fleet, although there is evidence of trade well before that. I think many white Australians from Western Sydney would have to check themselves and their racism, after Prue's discovery of African roots.
So many of these personal stories were around working through the many identities of being African-Australian. Also the erasure of that term, to a very diverse mix of identities, home country, and ethnic groups within these countries - indeed the world's 20 most diverse countries are all African. A form of cultural genocide to those who have already fled genocide.
The most stirring of threads are the experiences of being singled out by the police because of the colour of the writers' skin, and perceived ethnicity. Such are the times right now, but have been happening here for too long.
This collection is divided into sections, my most loved is Changemakers - stories of hope and action. Of experiencing a racial attack, and turning it around to help other young people by standing up, fighting back, and nurturing. Of working on changing the colour of the representation on our Aussie television screens. Of accepting queer identity, and creating a safe space for other African-Australian LGBTIQA teens.
Many migrants and refugees, mostly diaspora working through their own identity and family history, these stories also provide a lens into recent and present day Australia for us all to consider.
Another excellent Growing Up anthology from this series, which is a must read for all who call, or have called, Australia home.
As Maxine Beneba Clarke discusses in the Introduction, and through Prue Axam's contribution, Africans have lived in Australia since the First Fleet, although there is evidence of trade well before that. I think many white Australians from Western Sydney would have to check themselves and their racism, after Prue's discovery of African roots.
So many of these personal stories were around working through the many identities of being African-Australian. Also the erasure of that term, to a very diverse mix of identities, home country, and ethnic groups within these countries - indeed the world's 20 most diverse countries are all African. A form of cultural genocide to those who have already fled genocide.
The most stirring of threads are the experiences of being singled out by the police because of the colour of the writers' skin, and perceived ethnicity. Such are the times right now, but have been happening here for too long.
This collection is divided into sections, my most loved is Changemakers - stories of hope and action. Of experiencing a racial attack, and turning it around to help other young people by standing up, fighting back, and nurturing. Of working on changing the colour of the representation on our Aussie television screens. Of accepting queer identity, and creating a safe space for other African-Australian LGBTIQA teens.
Many migrants and refugees, mostly diaspora working through their own identity and family history, these stories also provide a lens into recent and present day Australia for us all to consider.
Another excellent Growing Up anthology from this series, which is a must read for all who call, or have called, Australia home.
March 7, 2020
This book lived up to my expectations and surprised me too. I heard the authors Maxine Beneba Clarke and Ahmad Yussef talk at at an amphitheater at the Perth Writers Festival, February 2020.
The surprise was the variety of views and experiences of the contributors to the book about their lives growing up in Australia as Africans, usually as children or teenagers and young adults.
Another surprise, but probably to be expected, was how different their experiences were from mine. I am a black American who moved to Australia in 1980 at the age of 30. I chose to move to Australia precisely because Australia was the country on earth most like my home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, other than Canada. Of course I was not so silly as to try to convince Australians or Americans of this, but with my previous visits to all continents except Antarctica, it was a point of view I quietly accepted and had virtually no problems in immediately adjusting to the move from Minneapolis to Melbourne in 1980. My subsequent 40 years in Australia have also been enjoyable.
Another point of difference is that I never thought of myself, like most black Americans, as anything but an American. Yes, there is a conflicted history as a minority, facing the problems left by slavery, discrimination, etc. But the connection to Africa was long gone centuries ago, only to be slightly revived from time to time on the fringes.
The surprise was the variety of views and experiences of the contributors to the book about their lives growing up in Australia as Africans, usually as children or teenagers and young adults.
Another surprise, but probably to be expected, was how different their experiences were from mine. I am a black American who moved to Australia in 1980 at the age of 30. I chose to move to Australia precisely because Australia was the country on earth most like my home in Minneapolis, Minnesota, other than Canada. Of course I was not so silly as to try to convince Australians or Americans of this, but with my previous visits to all continents except Antarctica, it was a point of view I quietly accepted and had virtually no problems in immediately adjusting to the move from Minneapolis to Melbourne in 1980. My subsequent 40 years in Australia have also been enjoyable.
Another point of difference is that I never thought of myself, like most black Americans, as anything but an American. Yes, there is a conflicted history as a minority, facing the problems left by slavery, discrimination, etc. But the connection to Africa was long gone centuries ago, only to be slightly revived from time to time on the fringes.
September 30, 2020
‘Growing Up African in Australia’ is a book that does what it says on the tin: it’s a collection of essays/poems from individuals of African descent who have grown up in Australia.
So many different individuals and their stories are explored here. Some are ecstatically happy; others are soul crushing. No two are really the same, though they share a common theme: their experience in Australia has been marked in some way by their race.
There’s not much to say about the stories themselves other than each is unique and valuable and has a lesson for the reader, but I will say that the scope and intersectionality of the lives explored is vast. Some of these stories belong to an average Australian, some of these stories belong to celebrities. Some authors proudly showcase their African heritage, while others share their stories of how they learned they had African heritage at all. Every story stands on its own and is important and has a message.
This book gives so much perspective on what it’s like to feel like such an outsider at times in a place that is meant to be your home. As a white Australian I will never fully understand the experience, but I can use books like this to educate myself and change my behaviour and encourage others to change for the better as well. It’s important to hear these voices and act on their advice on our journey to true equality.
It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway: I recommend to everyone and everyone.
So many different individuals and their stories are explored here. Some are ecstatically happy; others are soul crushing. No two are really the same, though they share a common theme: their experience in Australia has been marked in some way by their race.
There’s not much to say about the stories themselves other than each is unique and valuable and has a lesson for the reader, but I will say that the scope and intersectionality of the lives explored is vast. Some of these stories belong to an average Australian, some of these stories belong to celebrities. Some authors proudly showcase their African heritage, while others share their stories of how they learned they had African heritage at all. Every story stands on its own and is important and has a message.
This book gives so much perspective on what it’s like to feel like such an outsider at times in a place that is meant to be your home. As a white Australian I will never fully understand the experience, but I can use books like this to educate myself and change my behaviour and encourage others to change for the better as well. It’s important to hear these voices and act on their advice on our journey to true equality.
It goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway: I recommend to everyone and everyone.
December 14, 2022
This was pretty entertaining overall, some of the authors were better than others but you get that in an anthology. It was cool to see the different perspectives of those who had come from the different parts of Africa and the Caribbean and settled in Australia, and how many of the themes of isolation and alienation were shared between people of many different cultures and backgrounds.
I would recommend this title to those who are interested in the subject matter but don't go looking for great writing or in-depth recounts of the harrowing struggles of the authors; this is very much a surface-level overview. I would definitely like to hear more from a couple of the authors though, the Brazilian guy was in particular an excellent storyteller.
I would recommend this title to those who are interested in the subject matter but don't go looking for great writing or in-depth recounts of the harrowing struggles of the authors; this is very much a surface-level overview. I would definitely like to hear more from a couple of the authors though, the Brazilian guy was in particular an excellent storyteller.
March 5, 2025
I've always loved hearing about my husband's experiences of living in various African countries during his childhood. He moved to Australia with his family when he was 11 and some of the stories resonated with his story (even though he is European-Canadian). This collection of short memoires is wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I had to laugh at the mention of Springvale, because that is where I grew up. The migrant hostel was a block behind our house and in the 70s and early 80s, it was the Yugoslavians, Vietnamese and Cambodians who were fleeing war and finding sanctuary. I had no idea about all this at the time though. Australia was and still is a very racist country - I wish this to change but the political environment has these attitudes entrenched.
May 5, 2019
When we think of African migrants in Australia, due to the media, most probably think of Sudanese and South Sudanese. Yet there are many here from many different countries from Africa. divided into themed sections and with a short chapter of memoir from different people telling of their experiences either in coming out to Australia, or in living in Australia, this book is based on the idea of previous books.
Definitely I recommend this book to all Australians to read so they know more of the background of migration to Australia from South Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana.......
Definitely I recommend this book to all Australians to read so they know more of the background of migration to Australia from South Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Uganda, Botswana.......
May 20, 2019
Growing up African in Australia was an insightful read. With authors sharing their short stories of their experiences of what life has been for them pre immigration, born in Australia or post immigration it opens your eyes to how the African community in Australia move through the world on a daily basis.
We can never get enough of listening to people’s stories. It broadens our minds and makes us realise that underneath it all we are the same. We are all trying to do our best, we all want to be safe, to be included, to love and be loved.
We can never get enough of listening to people’s stories. It broadens our minds and makes us realise that underneath it all we are the same. We are all trying to do our best, we all want to be safe, to be included, to love and be loved.
June 4, 2019
This book is magical, just beautiful. Each story at once unique and universal, some of the words seemed to have been lifted out of my own life.
There are themes of embracing a new country and its freedoms ,whilst simultaneously being acutely aware of its limitations. Themes of sadness and grief for people, places and past lives, coupled with expressions of hope, renewal and pride. And an acceptance that it is possible to feel all these emotions simultaneously, the reality of being human.
Overall I am struck by the honesty of these voices, their complexity, and their generosity in sharing their stories. This book is personal for me, I can't be objective in my review. Will be reading this again. Thank you to all the contributors for creating this amazing experience.
There are themes of embracing a new country and its freedoms ,whilst simultaneously being acutely aware of its limitations. Themes of sadness and grief for people, places and past lives, coupled with expressions of hope, renewal and pride. And an acceptance that it is possible to feel all these emotions simultaneously, the reality of being human.
Overall I am struck by the honesty of these voices, their complexity, and their generosity in sharing their stories. This book is personal for me, I can't be objective in my review. Will be reading this again. Thank you to all the contributors for creating this amazing experience.
February 12, 2020
This was a really well designed book of fascinating people and their stories. Out of the whole series so far from BlackInc, this might be my favourite. The editing was really superb, all the stories really varied in experience and the themes of the book were well chosen and organised. Really hit home how our white Australian society can negatively affect those who aren't caucasian. I hope and pray for more love, acceptance, strength, a sense of belonging and admiration in the future for all races who make Australia their home.
May 19, 2019
Reading wide and the benefits of are palpable especially with the advent of this book of stories by African Australians. A bedtime read for me, sometimes stretching into the early hours. I was inspired by the adaption of most into white Australian life, the vulnerability of all as they underwent racism. But the upstanding and can-do approach as they settle in a land down under. “I am as Australian as anyone whose family has come to the island from across the seas.” 5 stars
September 8, 2019
This is the first Black Inc book I’ve read and I can see what the hype is about. I love short stories and this has 29 of them, broken in five chapters, so it’s very easy to pick up and quickly read a story or two. I deliberately read it slowly so I could appreciate the unique insight of each story. It made me laugh a lot, and it frequently made me angry, and sometimes it made me sad; overall it moved me and helped me to understand my country better.
October 13, 2019
Hmmm... I found it hard to read this book as one book. It felt to me, more like a collection of different short stories by various people ...all with a (some) connection to Africa... some stories had nothing to do with growing up AFRICAN in Australia, but just growing up in Australia like any other person ... Anyhow, I enjoyed the last 2 or 3 stories, the most. They seemed to fit in with the title of the book.
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