Congolese | French

Photo credit: provided by subject

I identify as a mixed heterosexual agnostic person.

My Mother is from Congo and my Father is French. My Mother had won a European tour, with her Theatre School and during this my parents had met via a mutual friend. As weird as it sounds, they never really combined their cultures, even though they love each other.

My Father barely understands any Congolese languages and my Mother never stopped eating chilli in every dish we share. I don't remember hiding part of my identity, but had a problem with accepting my body, my hair especially.

In my childhood, I thought that I was White and sometimes I wasn't understanding why I was different and felt more comfortable when my hair was looking relaxed so that I could feel more at ease with my school friends. I didn't even have a choice, but my Mother had already relaxed my hair, which is crazy when I think of it now because it shows how we aren't alone in our complex.

If I had a role model it would be all the African people who made it in Europe. Going through so much racism and still fighting for their family and happiness. I can only admire that. I feel like as a mixed-race person, that we are the best people to defuse racism among our close circles in order to spread tolerance around us and more.

You stand out and this in itself is a privilege, but you also have the obligation to represent the best out of both races. I did visit my Mother's country a few times, and the funny thing is that even though I’m foreign to them they accept me as theirs, a privilege that I don't always have in my native country.

I don't feel much different from my childhood, except that if feel it's going to change on the ethnicity of the person with whom I choose to make children with.

My ethnic background is definitely represented in the media. Mostly known for its flamboyant fashion taste, the Congolese has a strong culture and He's known to have a lot of richness in the soil, also why it's one of the poorest on the world. I am currently learning Kiswahili which is one the most spoken languages in Congo. To the risqué to sound slightly Utopic.

The pandemic has actually had a good impact for me. Being with my family was a blessing I could enjoy their presence as in a normal context we wouldn't have the time to see each other.