Writing POC 101

African Characters - @-Sabinee

I don't see a lot of African characters in Wattpad books, and when they are in them, they tend to mostly be Ethiopian or Eritrean (because you know, those are the only Africans who have pretty hair [hint sarcasm]). In hopes of getting some accurate African characters.

As a Cameroonian (born in the United States) I feel like I personally came have at least some say in what goes on in an African home.

1. African names don't have to be complex.

In fact, many Africans I know how pretty simple names. If you go to Nigeria, you'll probably meet a lot of people named Grace or Favor for females, and then you'll see a lot of Emmanuel's. But please-refrain from throwing a couple syllables together and calling it an African name because in all honesty, there is more to it than that.

Usually, the name has this simple formula: English, African, and of course the last name. During birth (which if it is the first child, the man usually chooses the name) the English name (which would be your Grace or Favor) comes first, and the traditional after. Traditional names vary depending on location, for example, in Ghana, traditional names are based on the day they were born. In most places however, the traditional names have a lot to do with the tribe they come from.

2. We eat more than just soup.

Don't get me wrong, we Africans love our soup. We have Okra soup, Ogbono Soup (primarily Nigerian) PePe (Pepper) Soup (primarily Cameroonian) and so forth. With soup, we usually eat it with plantains or fufu (which is kind of like grounded cassava). But please, don't forget about our favorites. Jollof Rice is one of the more common ones. This is eaten pretty much everywhere, though the competition is primarily among the Ghanian and Nigerians who tend to want to know 'who cooked it better.'

3. We are NOT POOR.

When you here characters from Africa, you hear them describe these desert like conditions and how they stayed without water for days, and it's kind of sad. Of course, there are poor parts in different places in Africa, but it's not all poor. I repeat; not everyone washes their hands in the river or goes out to fill up their water at a well. It's like people from other countries calling America poor because of the percentage of poor people we have here.

In Africa, houses are usually built from scratch.

They are made out of real material and not just mud or clay like you'll see when you search up 'African houses' on Google. In fact, because they are made from scratch, you tend to see variations in how they look, only because the owner gets to decide what they want in and on the house.

4. Family is very important.

It's respect to call all your elders 'Aunty' or 'Uncle' or 'Grandma' or 'Grandpa.' It's a sign of respect, almost like how in the United States we call elders 'Mrs.' and 'Mister.' One thing we don't tolerate is disrespect. That doesn't mean that we never talk back to our parents because honestly, it's going to happen. But it does mean, when an elder is needing a seat, you get up and you give it to her. You make sure you ask if they've eaten, if they need anything to drink...you know, the polite stuff that should be done anyway.

5. Language and Culture is diverse.

Not all Africans speak the same language. You're not going to walk up to a Somalian and start speaking French because they are not going to understand it. In most places, there are usually three languages that people know: English (depending on who they were colonized by), Tribal language, and Pidgin. Cameroon, which is where my parents are from, are primarily Francophone, meaning that they speak French. Of course, there are you Anglophone speakers in the south.

Much like with names, depending on your tribe, you will have a specific language.

There are three major tribes (from what I've seen) in Cameroon:

1. Bakossi.

2. Bakweri

3. Basa

Each have their own language that only the members of the tribe understand. If your parents are from two different tribes, you 'get' the tribe on your father's side.

And Pidgin, which resembles the slang that Jamaicans use, is really just broken English.

For example 'How are you?' translates to 'How you de?' Staple things to remember in Pidgin include 'pikin' which means child, 'moto' means car, and 'chop' means either food or eat.

Hope that helps break things down!