The most iniquitous thing among humanity is self destruction and self hatred. Being your own enemy sounds impossible but it is wilfully in existence among human beings.
When we talk about being your own enemy, it encompasses hating your own kind and this is very widespread among black people. Most black people, either from different nations or same nation do not get on at all.
Let us look at our immediate social surroundings, work places, schools and universities as well as our communities, the very people actively pulling black people down the ladder of success is our own people. (I call this inner racial hatred).
Have you not had an experience where you came to an office and the only black person out there whom you thought would be helpful turns out to be the monster?
What about entering a restaurant where your own kind (black sister or brother) disregards you and worse of all, offers a warming welcome and help to another person of different colour?
Even in our neighbourhoods, have you not come across the next black neighbour who you thought shares your skin colour and as such you should get on well, act so mean and unfriendly to you, your children or friends?
How many times have you heard another person or your friend saying, I will never rent or buy from a Ghanaian or another black person because they always want to cheat and their services or products come with issues and problems?
At university and work place, I have seen Asians and Eastern Europeans team up and offer wonderful help and support to each other, whiles the few black people out there are living and working like cat and mouse ( On each other’s neck). I pity anyone who has a black or Ghanaian manager or supervisor at work, mostly they will kill you instead of build you…
If you go for a job interview and you are unfortunate to have your interviewer as a same country/ethnic background person (black), then you better go home and continue with your job search…
Back home in Africa, we cut each other with blades and push ourselves down the gutters whiles offering the best of things, services and opportunities to different colour people when they come around us.
I remember when a ticket assistant at the STC yard in Accra told me there are no tickets for the next bus, yet was magically able to find 2 tickets for some white couples who came to ask few minutes after me…
This week’s discussion is about us, our ethnicity and our own people. Why do most black people love to see the downfall of their own people? Why are black people their own enemies? Why don’t we support each other and pave way for one another
i think one of the reasons why blacks hate on other blacks is that to some extent they believe the negative stereotypical image that the media portray black people. And i believe the remedy lies in the positive portrayal of black people in the media.
Another reason is that a lot africans are selfish and self-seeking. instead of being happy that our fellow blackperson is doing well, they hate on them. i’ve lost count of the number of times i’ve heard ghanaians hating on others just because they’re doin well in life.
If we try to help each other instead of seeing our fellow brother or sister as competition or the enemy, there’s no limit to what we can do. we definitely need to change our attitudes
Not all black folks hate. I think it’s wrong to generalize, however i must say this issue is within very race. Very human being is afraid of a challenge.
@Abena,
Abena, I did not throw out a hasty generalization out there, If you read my post well, yu would realize that I kept using words like “Most”. It should tell you that I am not refering to the “wholestic” black colour,(all black people) but majority of people with such colour
@Author: Chris-Vincent Agyapong Febiri, that is good chris.i really love this article.i hope you come out with more stuff like this.all the best.
@chris, food for thought. churn out more of these pieces bruv. maybe a nobel peace prize in the offing lol.
@Abena, Sorry Chris, go back and check (read) your own article again. You used the word “most ” only twice if i’m not mistaken.
I see it all the time and it hurts me. I don’t care for anyone who has nothing going for themselves, who enjoys being a sorry azz person. Anyone who rather work the system than get a job….. anyone who rather smoke and drink all day…no goals, no aspirations, nothing. People who don’t value education but raise ppl up who have been in prison instead. I hate seeing young black ladies unmarried with 5+ kids and three “baby daddies”, i hate to see em carry themselves like sluts, allow men to treat them any kind of way.
Sad but true. I hate to see my brothers and sisters not wanting the best for themselves.
I don’t treat anyone differently, i don’t think its right to purposefully act like a bit*h just because you don’t like what someone looks like or what they are doing in their life. It shows insecurity, jealousy and envy. Get over it and do you, don’t worry about other people. We as Africans and of African decent have enough to deal with, regarding other races so its a sad double whammy to get it from your own. I recently have been trying to befriend another African who is my neighbor to no prevail, they look at me as if i’m dirt. Oh well, it’s their loss, not mine. Some people are something else..
@KTGalloway,Right on Point KT. You are so right. I had one professor (black American -Dr. Davenport) who shares your sentiments. She was angry when she saw young women with 4 kids and 4 baby-daddies. She was very upset when she saw the kind dressing and mentality us young people had. Go on YOUTUBE and i guarantee you will see more than a MILLION videos of black girls/women in their panties BOOTY SHAKING. It’s so sad.
So much insecurity …. I have met many Ghanaians online and some act like they are “better” human beings than I am. They wouldn’t want to say a hello- back when I do say a hello. In my neighborhood many African Americans won’t even respond when I walk by, smile and say hello… they see Africans (born in Africa) in such a different light. But I refuse to be bothered. I don’t hate or discriminate people of my own color whether they are Africans, from Bahamas, Jamaicans etc. We are all the same- none better than the other. So much selfishness and pure apathy will ruin us.
This article is sooooooooooooooo tru omdz….most black people tend to hate on each other BUT from my personal experience I don’t really see like blacks from da same nations hatin on each otha (not sayin it doesn’t happen but just that it’s not that blatantly obvious)…da most I see is Africans vs Caribbeans not gettin on…like prime example…I have a Jamaican mate who says she doesn’t like most African people cos of da whole slavery thing n how most Caribbeans fink that da Africans sold them out n blah blah blah….but me as an African I told her that I don’t really like all Caribbeans either cos I believe personally that most of the negative media portrayal that blacks in dis country receive is down 2 them…it’s a double-edged sword dis topic BUT seriously i fink dis article woz sick…well done Chris
it’s simply because we love to pull each other down.within Ghana, West Africa and Africa as a whole,blacks hate on blacks and it’s not something u can understand. this is the main reason why i get pissed when we complain so much abt not being treated well in Europe,America and even Asia.the question is always ask is, do we even treat each other well within our own “domain”? if we don’t show love towards each other n respect each other, den we should 4get abt gettin respect from other races.
i undastand that this happens in other races as well but ours seems too widespread, haba. in a vehicle, at the market, restaurant, bus terminal……….everywhere.we nid a change and we need it now. from Ghana to South Africa is lyk from Ghana to America, how?
if theres gonna be any change,it has to start frm our generation.over to u, peers of my tym lets make it happen.
SHUT YOU FOOLS UGLY MONKEYS,GHANA STARTED HATING ON OTHER BLACKS IN AFRICA BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS FEEL INSURE AND HAVE INFERIORITY COMPLEX WHEN EVER THEY SEE OTHER BLACK PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY SEE NIGERIANS THEY WANT TO HANG THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF JEALOUS.I HATYE GHANAIAN WITH PASSION AND IO ALWAYS HERE TO REMIND YOU OF INFERIORITY AND LOW CLASS IN AFRICA.
SHUT YOU FOOLS UGLY MONKEYS,GHANA STARTED HATING ON OTHER BLACKS IN AFRICA BECAUSE THEY ALWAYS FEEL INSURE AND HAVE INFERIORITY COMPLEX WHEN EVER THEY SEE OTHER BLACK PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES ESPECIALLY WHEN THEY SEE NIGERIANS THEY WANT TO HANG THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF JEALOUS.I HATYE GHANAIAN WITH PASSION AND IO ALWAYS HERE TO REMIND YOU OF YOUR INFERIORITY AND LOW CLASS IN AFRICA.
@jojo, LOOK AT THIS FOOLISH PERSON….I BET HE IS NIGERIAN….ALWAYS HATING ON GHANA FOR YOUR OWN INSECURITIES…..WHAT HAS GHANA AS A NATION DONE TO YOU…..IN FACT, U ARE THE ONE JEALOUS, SO GO AND CHECK YOURSELF….THIS IS AN ARTICLE ABOUT BLACKS SAYING NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT EACH OTHER….YET U ARE DOING THE SAME THING.
the shallow minded people who want to stir up another Ghana-NIgeria feud, step aside. its a bitter pill to swallow, but as a proud african and ghanaian, i gotto say most black people are way too greedy and primitive in our thinking. we glow with greed when we see a brother making it bigger than us in education, business and co. historically we have generally been the “have not’s” and this tends to sow a cancer in us which eats up up when we see other brothers and sister doing well. its about time we all realised that the only way the black race can make it to the top is by helping ourselves.i see alot of asian businessmen and executives mentoring other asians, but the black brother with adene B only thinks about the consequences of his job or business customers. lets cut the we dont have any role models bollocks and help each other starting from today. it will make a difference!
@Chris vincent nice topic this is I gues this is the first time I agree with you on this one but let me add my opinion to it I think enemies is a big word to use but more envy, greed jelousy and hate people who really no about black history will no what I am talking about it don’t matter what african country you come from how rich or poor you are but yet let me take an example of ghana and naija there is a lot of tension going on between those two country there was a time that naija used to do well untill a lot of them decided to go into the corruption world and messed up people’s life by getting fast money I mean at this point ghana is doing well in the stockmarket creative things they bring’ out etc that’s a good look but yet I wouldn’t say we are a holy land each country has got his negative and positive side of doing things people who had the chance to travel to europe and made it should be able to remember where they came from not to change once they made it decide to build there mansion and spend some so called benefit money on young girls while it could have been there daughtes those things all create envy and jelousy its about time those so called sugar daddies start living as a adult and stop chasing little ones I mean if they would be able to used there head than trust me ghana will be on top of the world cause if people are going to be waiting for the fat cats goverment than 20 years from now we want really be somewhere but enemies is created when someone makes it and act selfish by forgetting about the same people that made him by helping them
@Miyagi, I totally agree with you on this one!
@jojo its time you grow up and act your age and stop typing grap on here cause trust me its not going to do you any good
Chris I admire your article so much. You hit the nail at the right place. Blacks are their own enemies. I’ve always been saying this but some of my friends think I don’t like black people forgetting I’m black myself. I think until we change our behaviour, “Africa will continue to be Africa”
Inferiority complex has a lot to do with it. Me personally, As a learned man, I blame a lot of it on organized religion. With all I know and my understanding of the world we live in, that’s the conclusion I’ve drawn. Too many wicked people are hiding behind the banner of organized religion and doing crime. Note, not to trample on anyone’s belief or none of that, this is what I believe I said.
I’ve walked with a friend to go do some small small grocery. There was a Ghanaian shop recently opened in the neighborhood(diaspora). My friend was walking pass the Ghanaian shop when I asked him “yo, aren’t you gonna go to the new shop and support a brother out?”. His answer to me was “nonsense, Me to adea wo ho 3n3, okyena na otwi benz na medaso namfom – If I shop there and give him my money today, tomorrow, he’ll be pushing a benz and I’ll still be walking”. Needless to say, both my friend and myself are Ghanaians. Or at least I thought we both were. Only to come to realization that there’s all kinds of Ghanaians.
Blacks, as a people, due to slavery, we suffer a lot as far as self-esteem/worth and confidence are concerned. You don’t believe me, Most of our women HAVE to wear booty shorts and shake their ass up and down just to get our attention. Most of our men have to pull their pants down like a jailbird waiting to be fucked by his bunk-mate just to be considered gangster and impress our women.
I can sit here all day and explain where most of our setbacks come from but the thing is, WE ARE OUR OWN DOING. Sadly, only the true caring one’s among us and those fortunate enough to acquire success do see this reality of who we truly truly are.
A brother will turn down a job with no interview, no strings attached, just show up and work and get paid. He will turn it down. Then walk around and complain! Laziness on his part or his sense of self-pride been in the way? (going back to self-esteem again). Real story, real life, real family situation. God is my witness.
The thing is, ever since Adam, ok ok, maybe that’s too far back. Even before slavery, we we’re spied on to figure out how to turn us against each other before our shores was entered. No to play the blame game, but rather, to illustrate that we’re been played against each other by forces beyond us. Those who know’s what’s up, they shut up and they’re well fed. Those who can’t stomach it and can’t sell their own people just to eat, they back off and they’re mostly terminated silently. My point it, We cannot wait for saviors. We are our own doing and therefore, ONLY US can save ourselves. We’ve been put into a generational vicious cycle that we’re stuck in and doing all kinds of damage to our selves. Until we realize this and change our ways towards ourselves and each other, we will continue to be doomed. It’s one thing to talk about it, it’s another thing to take a stand and do something about it.
Ghanaians, mostly, I’ve come to conclude exhibit a lot of primitive behavior. By that I mean, the show a sense of pettiness. Putting too much importance on things that don’t matter. ie, Tribal hatred, NDC/NPP, Bleached vs. Dark-skins, Macho-men vs. Skinny men, Fat Girls vs. Skinny Girls, My Church vs your Church, My Church vs. Ewiasefuo, etc. etc. etc.
You see, life is all about competitiveness. Competition is a healthy thing that keeps us on our toes. ‘healthy’ been the keyword here. Except we’re competing for all the wrong reasons over the wrong things. None of the things I listed above constitutes to competition. They all encourages divisiveness instead. And once a people are divided, they have no strength. When people lack strength in themselves that they find in others, then Jealousy, hatred and envy sets in. This is what makes us comfortable laughing at other people’s misfortunes. Psychology teaches we only behave this way because we’re afraid of whatever they’ve done that they’re been laughed at happening to us also. This is the ‘smiling depressive’ world we live in today. Everybody smiling, but suffering silently. As a result, people are living like 12 lives with their real self been buried somewhere way behind. I could’ve put my points better to get them across instead of this random scatter but I just wanted to say something.
In conclusion, We as Ghanaians hate to see anyone of us achieve anything worthy of achieving. But we love to glorify the achievements of outsiders. It’s a black thing actually.
The real question for your next topic to consider, to bring it all home will be:
Why is the whole industry been westernized like that? Both Music/Movies.
Why is your average ghanaian more ready and willing to act American than to learn to read/write Twi? We start from there and you’ll see it all links to the same sources.
@That Guy, you talk a lot
As a teenager born in Ghana and growing up in Germany, I have seen the 2 ways of Africans and the way they live, be it in Africa or in Europe/America.
Back home it is tribal and then it extends to other nations the moment you step out beyond the shores of Ghana.
I do not tend to discriminiate here,my maternal grandmother is NIgerian, my grandfather an Ewe from Anyako, my paternal grandparents from Togo, but I was born in the Western Region. I am a well mixed West-African. Back to what I was saying, I have noticed that the Ghanaians, especially the Ashantis, are proud of the heritage which in itself is not bad. BUt they have taken it to the extent that they discriminate Nigerians, wouldn’t want their chilkdren married to them but they welcome in German boyfriends-what is the sense in this???
Aren’t we supposed to be one? meanwhile, i have observed that the Nigerians do not see Ghana in a bad light. I dated a Ghanaian Ashanti guy in London who was of the same opinion as the Ashantis here. What do we gain from all this? From Tribalism to Nationalism? and we call ourselves Chrtistians?
what ever ghanaians are complaining about inthis topic is thesamething they are complaining about in the issue of hating between ghana and nigeria.ghana is full of self righteosness.the funny thing is that this issue of ghana/nigeria hatred always come up onghana site.nigerian site have not much time for this sort of discusion all the time like ghanaian sites do allthe time.the fact is that this hatred is killing the progress of many aspects oflife in both nations.african countries has to wake up from these huge stupidity.we all have something to learn from each other.iam half kenya/jamaican.
Being black doesn’t mean you are not human. Therefore you are bound to exhibit those human qualities( there are not good). your nationality doesn’t mean anything.
The black man respects the white man more than he repects himself.