I was born an raised in Cameroon (W. Africa) till I was 15 then I moved to America (Which is now the country of my citizenship) where I have lived for th past 17yrs. So am I Cameroonian or American?Here is a nice sound bite: "I am a citizen of the world" hmm! not really; I am a US citizen and I love this country. So am I betraying my my country or origin? It's kind of synonymous to loving your mom or dad's new spouse (if they were divorced), is that betrayal?
Ok here is the truth: The person I am today is a product of my childhood and for most of my childhood I percieved the world through the lens of my Cameroonian culture. From the way I express my self to my music (some of it at least) and my general outlook on life. I have also been in the US for more than half of my life (17 yrs) so obviously I am also very American form a cultural as well as legal stand-point. Yes folks I am legal...lol
I know I still have not answered the question weather I am American or Cemeroonian. The answer is almost irrelevant because I live in country (USA) which for the most part affords me the freedom of speech, religion, cultural expression etc. So if I had to answer, I would say I am a proud American because living in America also allows me to be Cameroonian. I no longer have a Cameroonian passport but hey! I am still Cameroonian.
Happy New Year folks. I hope 2012 brings you all that your heart desires including tons of my music cos you know your heart is craving it...lol
- Mbandi