As a Diasporan African I know that some of us are quite in order to deal with Africa from the perspective of the entire continent. However, often this trivializes the concerns of Continental Africans who live with the day-to-day effects of ethnic divisions and conflicts.

Before dismissing the concerns of Continental Africans, you should examine the cause of internal conflicts and the details of the arguments put forward.

It is pointless to tell an Oromo that he has to somehow dismiss centuries of oppression to embrace the Diasporan concept of a unified Africa. That would be akin to the White response to Slavery in the United States of 'just get over it.' The Diasporan perspectives and the Continental perspectives allow for dealing with a more dynamic Africa.

Continental Africans should also appreciate that Diasporan Africana may not feel the impact of day-to-day dealings and ethnic divisions in Africa. However, the ethnic divisions do not invalidate the generalized appreciation and desires for Africa.

Selassielive said:
"If you think that it is productive to sit and quarrel everyday, then that is fine. I think InI have to start looking at similarities instead of differences. Otherwise, InI will continue to remain in the same situation."

* People expressing differences in opinion on anything can be considered quarreling. Certainly we should look at similarities, but not at the expense of dismissing the differences, especially those that have to be worked out. I feel we should acknowledge our similarities AND differences and work towards resolving differences that can lead to conflicts. There are quite harmless differences that can serve us all.

Selassielive said:
"This is the willie lynchism that I am talking about. Bickering about differences. Light skin vs. darkskin...plantation vs plantation, etc."

* Since you claim to be 'kinda light-skinned', this could be considered an expected response when called to examine Colorism. Instead of examining the differences and improving conduct towards creating a more equitable playing field, you are being quite dismissive and offensive to people who may be systematically experiencing more of the negative impact in the system than you. Remember that you, in your own way, repeated something that I have always expressed, when you said, “Everyone is not at the same stage of overstanding. Everyone has not had the same life experience.”

Selassielive said:
"It is sad when ones feel so much self hatred that ones have to quantify and qualify blackness by the shade of another black person's skin."
And,
"Where does the mental and ones work for the liberation of other Afrikans come into play? Isnt that most important?"

* Who will deny that the information shared on this thread highlights the real issues. How do you measure the hatred that you accuse other Black Africans of having? Blackness is already qualified and quantified because of racism and Colorism. To a Continental African the ethnic differences are real; what may appear to be trivial class and color differences amounts to life and death for many. It amounts to the reason Northern and Southern Sudanese people could easily kill each other; why Rwanda in 1994 shocked the world; why embracing Ethiopia and even migrating there one finds so many more levels of racial and ethnic discriminations. It is not self-hatred to put these issues on the table for discussion. It is disrespectful to trivialize the issues or to distort the positions expressed thus making it more difficult for others to follow.

As is demonstrated on this board, one’s mentality is condition by how issues impact on them. Certainly if someone gets a measure of privilege in the white system for looking a particular way, they are less likely to want to see that challenged. Those who are negatively impacted the most by attitudes in relation to beauty and worthiness would find these issues to be quite relevant, unless they just want to 'get along' while accepting abuses.

P.S.

You applied "willie lynchism" to Bantu Kelani’s views as well as my views on Colorism. Would you now give us your definition of "willie lynchism", or is it a defensive term to be used in regards to anyone who draws attention to Colorism?

and,

It appears that you were NOT serious on the thread, "Question about Colorism: Self Hatred: Negroism", when you said, "I do agree that it should be disscused because it exists."

http://www.rastafarispeaks.com/cgi-bin/forum/config.pl?noframes;read=612 91

Now you say:
"This is the willie lynchism that I am talking about. Bickering about differences. Light skin vs. darkskin...plantation vs plantation, etc."

Well that certainly looks like an attempt to close the door on discussions on Colorism, instead of encouraging those discussions.