June 8, 2025
In this blog post, I want to reflect on the concept of 'home,' with an emphasis on how this concept may manifest for African American students studying abroad. The goal is to show that, beyond physical location, home is also a spiritual place, a community of love, and much more. This reflection came to me after I attended an online conference during which Dr. Ngabeu, Assistant Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the Department of World Languages and Cultures at Howard University, presented Maryse Condé's autobiography and life.
Maryse Condé (1934-2024) was a celebrated French writer from Guadeloupe, renowned for her historical fiction, which explored themes of identity, race, gender, colonialism, and the African diaspora. Her works gave voice to marginalized figures and re-examined history from a Caribbean and African perspective. She lived a significant portion of her life in France (for education and later retirement), the UK, the Caribbean (her birthplace, Guadeloupe), and the United States. She also spent 12 years in West Africa, specifically between 1959 and 1970, with a brief break, teaching in countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Ghana, and Senegal.
Dr. Ngabeu discussed many themes from Condé's autobiography "What Is Africa to Me? Fragments of a True-to-Life Autobiography" (2017), including race, post-colonialism, cosmopolitanism, and the big return to Africa. The online conference was attended by scholars and college students and had many thought-provoking conversations. What really caught my attention was the different use of the term "home," and I want to explore this concept further.
For many people, including me, "home" is associated with a physical space. When people think of "home," they may picture a building, a neighborhood, a city, a country, etc. However, "home" also includes family, favorite food, familiar routines, memories, and a feeling of comfort. "Home" is where our family lives, where we eat our favorite meals, and where we feel safe. Home is also about the culture we know and the people we trust. It is a mix of feelings, language, people, culture, food, and routines—wrapped up in a physical place.
Those who relate to the description above are lucky to have a home where they feel safe and happy. To have a home that combines a place with food they enjoy, memories they cherish, a culture they understand, and people they love. A home that has a language they speak easily and social connections that make them feel secure.
During this conference, another dimension of the concept of "home" came to my mind. Our "home" can be located in different physical places, and this can be even more complex for African American students studying abroad on the African continent.
When African American students study abroad in Africa, they experience more than an educational journey. It's a spiritual journey, a reconnection with their roots, a redefinition and reaffirmation of who they are. They often refer to this educational trip as going "home," even if the realities in the new physical space are different. For them, it's a return that feels right and makes sense. They are going back to a place where they can reconnect with their roots. They are returning "home," and "home" in this sense means a return to the continent of their origins, Africa.
As a result, there is a lot of excitement, energy, and positive thoughts about this trip. "Home" being usually associated with a place of belonging and safety; there is a lot of excitement about this reconnection. The expectations are high because they are going to a place they belong to, where they expect they will feel understood, validated, and connected.
This return is special because not everyone gets to experience it. When the African American students land on the African continent, they feel amazing. They see people who look like them and blend into the crowd. They do not stand out based on physical features. They recognize some food, dance moves, and much more, and they no longer feel like a minority; they are part of the visible majority.
However, after the initial amazing feeling of finally being on the continent, with more exposure to the community, feelings not associated with home may start appearing. The students might feel uneasy, unsafe, or as if they do not fit in. They may be reluctant to connect with the local people, even though they share the same skin color and certain aspects of their heritage. They may feel lonely, even though they are not alone.
So, why do these complex feelings appear? Certainly, because the concept of home starts developing beyond physical space and being part of the racial majority. These aspects become less important because at the moment of negotiating integration in the new "home" in Africa, happiness and comfort may not be permanently present. The student who arrived with excitement and high expectations realizes that these feelings may start fading. The other aspects of "home," like memories, food, and a sense of belonging, are missing.
They might realize that while the physical location of Africa is part of their roots, and they look like other people, it is only partially "home." They may miss a particular food that is hard or expensive to find. They may need more time and effort to navigate the city and understand how things work. Even when they blend in, they might feel disconnected and misunderstood.
They realize they are part of the majority but still feel like strangers. They may not fully belong, and this makes them uneasy, unsettled, and uncomfortable. They are unique, and the people around them may not recognize that.
So, home, in this case, is multiple places and things at the same time; it is the physical location of Africa, the food, the shared common spirit, and it is also in the US where the community of hearts is, where the childhood home is, where they understand most clues and navigate the space effortlessly.
Traveling to Africa to study abroad is an exciting opportunity and project, and it is also a journey of internal turmoil and reflection. "Home" can be in Africa because of the roots and much more… and "Home" can also be in the US because of the memories, the long relationships, and the mastery of the system. It is essential to acknowledge this reality, continue reconnecting with the African continent, build more familiarity with it, and fully embrace the many aspects of "home" beyond physical space. Perseverance, time, reflection, and effort will help make this journey the formation of multiple "homes."
Disclaimer: I am writing this as an external subject, and I do not pretend that I can substitute myself to fully understand the experience of African American students studying on the African continent. This is merely a personal reflection and not a scientific and well-researched paper. This reflection also does not want to negate or hide the diverse experiences of African American students. My goal is to shed light on a specific area that may create discomfort during their stay abroad and enrich the experience with appropriate reflection and a positive spirit.