German | Ugandan
I identify as a heterosexual male who is mixed-race; half Uganda, half German and open minded spiritually. My Dad is Ugandan, Mum is German, they met in Russia while studying in higher education. They were open minded and embraced all parts of their culture in their nurture of myself and siblings. I was born in Uganda and lived there for 12 years before moving to the United Kingdom. I think it was a lot easier for my Ugandan culture to be embraced because I was surrounded by it, however at home I believe I had a great balance of food, music, stories, traditions and so on that both cultures were built from. My parents spoke English to make things easier for us, I think that’s the only part of each culture I wish I was better at, the languages. However, I have a good understanding and desire to still learn.
My parents experienced some racial comments both in Uganda and Germany but none at such a great extent that I think other interracial couples have been through. Above everything love has no race, no judgement and so my parents have taught me the importance of having an open mind and open heart. My culture does not have an effect on how I chose partners.
Depending on where you are in the world, people have generally been intrigued by my mix based on how my parents met, so I have always found the curiosity to be quite flattering furthermore create a proud feeling. I think having more than one culture in my heritage has encouraged me to dive deeper into my history so that my future children can also feel privileged to see my homelands and experiences. Additionally growing up with mixed heritage set a foundation of love, tolerance and openness for all cultures and races.
I have indeed faced challenges, mainly about identity. See growing up in Uganda, to most Ugandans I was considered White and called the word ‘Mzungu’ which translated to ‘White person’, so from an early age I was separate to the community by some. This is not across the board but only for a few cases, and I felt truly loved and appreciated living in Uganda. Then I moved to London and quickly realised that to some I was considered as ‘Black’ and not mixed, definitely not White. In London depending on the way I spoke, dressed or acted would then also characterise to some if I was a ‘White’ mixed-race individual or ‘Black’ mixed-race individual. I never put myself in a box but felt even more confused when others put me in it. I even experienced racism from a stranger who was also mixed-race, the way I dressed that day created a perception in which he attacked me with verbal arguments on public transport. The journey of understanding what it means to be mixed-race is still on going for me. I think for me I connect to my cultures through food, music and dance, I also know the languages but not fluently, enough to still feel connected to them especially on a moral and compassionate level. I lived in Uganda for 12 years and learnt so much about its history, beliefs and so on. I have visited Germany many times but most of the time it was to spend time with family so the cultural education was that from home and not expanding to that in school.
My outlook on my mixed-race ethnicity has expanded, it would be my wish to adopt children of different backgrounds so that my household would have a greater understanding and appreciation for cultures around the world.
If I had the opportunity to be reborn I would not wish for anything to be different, at least in relation to this life journey, instead I would wish to have another life with new and more mind opening experiences.