But where are you from?

Lunchtime chat with Stephanie, Duaa, Johanna, Me, Lamees (from left to right)

Photo courtesy of Lamees

Being an African in the diaspora is a unique position to be in. When people ask 'where are you from' you're always unsure whether to answer based on where you physically came from, where you hold citizenship, or the country that your family is from. This was exactly my experience at the Health Systems Conference. When people asked me where I was from, my immediate response is where I physically came from and then people look at me and see my name and say you must be from [insert selected countries in West Africa]. I first tended to reply with I am from Canada as this is where I came from, not in any way to not associate myself with Sierra Leone as there is always a love for Sierra Leone within me. Later on in the conference, I said I came from Canada, but I am originally from Sierra Leone, this again was met with "but you are not really from Sierra Leone" in some cases.

I had a similar discussion at the Global Health Students and Young Professional Summit on answering this question of where are you from, with other Africans in the diaspora. I had lunch with Stephanie (from Congo), Johanna (from Cameroon), Lamees (from Sudan), and Duaa (from Sudan) who are all pictured in the photo above. As Africans in the diaspora, we all had similar experiences of people questioning our identity.

We all agreed that if someone asks you where you are from and you reply, it is not up to the individual to question your response.