Today is a double special to me

Imagine you’re sitting by the water, the light is touching in such a way that you’re seeing a slight reflection. You look closer… thinking you’ll see your face, and instead you see someone else, someone who doesn’t look like you. Jarred, you look away.

That’s what n’betweeners live.

We don’t see ourselves reflected - whether it’s mainstream media, politics, or in our community. We feel alone in our unique experience.

This weekend was different for me.

I felt beyond seen and reflected. To the point that it was hard for me to take it in, and fully receive the beauty.

Everywhere I looked people looked like me. 

I attended Afronations, an afrobeats festival in the south of Portugal. Never in my life have I been surrounded with so many Afro-Europeans. “I’m Dutch, from Nigeria” “I’m Belgium-Ghanaian”, “Grew up Sénégal, live in the UK”.

One of the most surreal moments was to overhear Danish, turn my head around and not see White faces. 

As a Danish-Comorian, it was an overwhelming experience to see myself truly reflected. I’m not just talking about race, but ways of being, moving, speaking and thinking.

Sure, I’ve been in spaces of dominant mixed race and African/Black people, but this was not it.

It was different.

When I’m in Comoros, I’m not Black enough. When I'm in Denmark, people exotify my country. When I'm in the US, I’m not African-American.

Today is a double special day for me.

It’s the independence day of Comoros. Although this day doesn’t come without cost on the country's culture, economy and language.

That said, we fought our freedom from France.

And if you live in the United States you know the 4th of July was also “celebrated” this past weekend.  Celebrating freedom while squashing it for so many marginalized groups is icky.

It’s hard to be patriotic in a country that doesn’t always stand for you, huh?Especially in light of recent events.

And to top it off, today is also the day I got divorced a year ago. A day that felt heartbreaking, yet also represents my ability to choose and stay with myself. 

Take a few moments to consider:

→ How does true reflection look like for you? 

→ When do you feel most seen?

Here’s to being empowered despite being oppressed! 🔥

Muitos abraços 

Nora