As a Pan-African, I don't cling to the ideal to make up for something, I cling to it as an expression.... My roots are from Africa , so are yours, etc (even if we were here already, I think your ancestors still migrated, they were just here longer, imo) ...I was watching a video from Phil the advise show, where he talks about a Somali chick who doesn't want to identify as Black, but instead with her Somali ethnicity. I couldn't help but get annoyed with him, wondering why he even cares. This sparked some old thoughts of mine about the issue: do blacks (particularly Black Americans) use Pan Africanism and any other collations to make up for what we feel is a lack of strength?
Doesn't mean that I'm not FBA, .. I feel for the misguided souls that colonialism has infected (myself not excluded) .. divide and conquer, Willie Lynch is still working overseas and at home ... It's all love, but in my mind, we black people all have some of the same problems, whether one recognized that or not ...
I realize some may not have the full story, though or willingly play into propaganda /duped into doing the wyt man's bidding ...
Black Americans (as opposed to Black Africans or Black Argentines, etc) are in a golden position in some respects ... A leadership position, if you will (not negating the fact that we still have a lot to work on, there are still some knuckleheads)... We had a civil rights .. and everything our ancestors went through, that's why we have the race pride we have now ... Some of these other countries, not the case ... In a way, our trials and challenges help us to see reality, if that makes sense ...