African ≠ Black

What being African speaks to is ancestry—your parents and perhaps even your grandparents. This consequently also references the shade of your skin or how curly your hair is.

What being Black speaks to is a social construct, because being Black is an experience. It is the experience of systems and the world treating you a particular way for having a darker shade of skin and curlier hair. Before colonialism and the need to justify it, race simply did not exist as it does now. 

Now you might say that being African is also a social construct, similarly, based on where you're from and what you look like. Pre-colonial Africa, at times, was scant on individual freedom too. You could be born into a tribe and refuse to conform to their traditions or be oppressed by a larger tribe with more resources. Comparatively, however, African identity was internally constructed. Even though at various points it was not chosen and similarly imposed onto people, it blossomed not out of malicious and dehumanizing intent but rather as a reflection of the blends of people, places, and experiences. These cultures, expectations, and identities changed and continually became more tailored to the needs of the people who subscribed to them. 

What this sounds like is the Black experience because being Black is not just something that is done to you; it’s your response. It's the creation of things like jazz and rap music in the face of oppressive structures. It reflects the blends of people, places, and experiences. These cultures, expectations, and identities change and continually become more tailored to the needs of the people who subscribe to them. You can decide what you want to be or which box you want to tick because the subscription to the Black experience is not just to the identity pushed onto you but also to the ways in which you respond. Perhaps someday we’ll all be free; maybe one day you'll be African and not Black.