“This organization is not meant to supplement personal research on Africa. It is not a free pass that gives you the title of “woke” or “enlightened” on the happenings of Africa. Instead, it is just the start of learning about the food, culture, economy, and lives of people in Africa. It is a place to generate buzz and a more complex way of thinking about Africa and life in general.
Like most of you already know, this is just the beginning of a long journey. A journey of learning, understanding, and growth for me and anyone else who wants to come along.”
Peniel (LearnServe Fellow 2019, Abroad 2019, Incubator 2020) was frustrated by the widespread ignorance about the African continent that she encountered in the United States. Originally from Cameroon, she moved to the US with her family at 3 years old. She found American education about African countries sorely lacking, and “though we retained much of our heritage, I didn’t and still don’t know about living there. I only retained that Cameroon was my birthplace.”
Speaking to the social challenges she chose to tackle, Peniel continued, “I have always been discontent with the fact that many people don’t know much about Africa, heck even I don’t know that much about my own country. Part of it may be due to inadequate education in school, but it may in part be due to the fact that we don’t know where to begin learning about the 2nd largest continent in the world.”
So what would it look like for young people around the world to share their perspectives on the African continent and diaspora, and to start conversations about African countries? With her website, New Lenses on Africa Peniel has created a space for this type of exchange. She has built out an active blog with multiple authors, resource center, and membership program to encourage dialogue on her publications.
In addition to Peniel’s written work, New Lenses on Africa has fueled some inspiring collaborations between LearnServe alumni. Peniel and Lemoni met on the LearnServe Abroad trip to Paraguay in 2019. Learning about social change in Paraguay was an important step in both of their journeys as changemakers.
When they co-emceed the LearnServe Abroad graduation ceremony last October, Lemoni reflected on their experience. “We were recruited to travel to a beautiful country, to experience a new culture, and to better understand global problems such as climate change, poverty, and discrimination.” She continued, “Not to provide one-sided solutions to ‘fix’ these issues, but to be the catalyst for change by creating a discussion where all who truly understand the problem can come together to make the world a better place.”
In early June, Lemoni published a blog post to the New Lenses on Africa site. In it, she explores her own Black, Latinx, and bi-racial identities. “I’m pulled in two different directions,” she begins. “A wearer of two different masks, a task… Looking for acceptance in all the wrong places.”
“Why, as a community, do we accept the labels and lies that have been placed upon us for centuries?” Lemoni asks. “We have ingested hatred to the point where we often hate ourselves, our features, and our heritage… But you are beautiful. You are special. You matter.”
You can read Lemoni’s piece titled A Tale of Two Cities, on the New Lenses on Africa Blog here.
Recently, we asked Peniel about how New Lenses on Africa has grown, and her plans for the future. In the coming months, she hopes to create a short film featuring DC-based destinations for those who want to learn more about African countries (either virtually for now, or in person when it’s safe to do so). “The current political climate has further inspired me to continue doing my work,” she added. “It has reminded me that the work for freedom and justice is not over, and I want to continue to discourage ignorance so that Black people across the globe can have better living conditions.”
On June 10, Peniel published a poem on the New Lenses on Africa Blog titled A New Hope in memory of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery. She gives lyrical voice to the turbulent emotions she has experienced, “from enduring a pandemic to witnessing the murder of an unarmed black man yet again.”
No one ever taught me how to deal with all this pain
My God, My God why does it feel like you have forsaken us?
Where is the God of peace and justice in moments just like this?
You can read Peniel’s complete poem on the New Lenses on Africa Blog.