Post by @madmires

Wait… aren’t Somalis African? 🌍 I came across a post comparing a Somali king with a Zulu king, with the implication that Somalis aren’t African. But here’s the problem: African royalty has never looked the same across the continent! From Queen Ranavalona II of the Merina Kingdom in Madagascar, to Oba Ovonramwen Nogbaisi of the Kingdom of Benin, Yoruba kings and Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, African royal traditions have always reflected the distinct histories, cultures and customs of their own peoples. Even neighbouring societies can have very different royal attire, ceremonies and traditions. The Zulu royal aesthetic doesn’t represent every African culture, just as Somali traditions don’t have to look like those of other Horner African peoples to be African. Somalia is in the Horn of Africa. Ethiopia is in the same broader region, yet their histories and cultural traditions are not identical. Africa is a continent of diverse peoples, languages, kingdoms and civilisations not one uniform culture. We can celebrate our differences without denying our shared continent. African diversity is something to respect, not a reason to divide ourselves. #AfricanHistory #Africantiktok #Somali #BlackTikTok #identitycrisis