Afropean: Notes from Black Europe
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- Create Date：2021-09-04 09:54:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Johny Pitts
- ISBN：0141987286
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Summary
'Afropean。 Here was a space where blackness was taking part in shaping European identity 。。。 A continent of Algerian flea markets， Surinamese shamanism， German Reggae and Moorish castles。 Yes， all this was part of Europe too 。。。 With my brown skin and my British passport - still a ticket into mainland Europe at the time of writing - I set out in search of the Afropeans， on a cold October morning。
Afropean is an on-the-ground documentary of areas where Europeans of African descent are juggling their multiple allegiances and forging new identities。 Here is an alternative map of the continent， taking the reader to places like Cova Da Moura， the Cape Verdean shantytown on the outskirts of Lisbon with its own underground economy， and Rinkeby， the area of Stockholm that is eighty per cent Muslim。 Johny Pitts visits the former Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow， where West African students are still making the most of Cold War ties with the USSR， and Clichy Sous Bois in Paris， which gave birth to the 2005 riots， all the while presenting Afropeans as lead actors in their own story。
Afropean is an on-the-ground documentary of areas where Europeans of African descent are juggling their multiple allegiances and forging new identities。 Here is an alternative map of the continent， taking the reader to places like Cova Da Moura， the Cape Verdean shantytown on the outskirts of Lisbon with its own underground economy， and Rinkeby， the area of Stockholm that is eighty per cent Muslim。 Johny Pitts visits the former Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow， where West African students are still making the most of Cold War ties with the USSR， and Clichy Sous Bois in Paris， which gave birth to the 2005 riots， all the while presenting Afropeans as lead actors in their own story。
Reviews
_immareadyou
，
WOW。。。Review coming soon！
Vava
，
A birthday present from my partner started reading loud during the Covid lockdown， so that my belly （and the baby inside） could hear。 A good idea， an interesting read， fascinating people and stories。 However， it disappointed me somehow as I expected a sort of educational book， and found a travel diary instead。 Lots of "I" and personal thoughts of the author， maybe explaining the use of the singular on the title: is the author the Afropean under investigation？ A birthday present from my partner started reading loud during the Covid lockdown， so that my belly （and the baby inside） could hear。 A good idea， an interesting read， fascinating people and stories。 However， it disappointed me somehow as I expected a sort of educational book， and found a travel diary instead。 Lots of "I" and personal thoughts of the author， maybe explaining the use of the singular on the title: is the author the Afropean under investigation？ 。。。more
Noelia Alonso
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（8。5/10）
Wasen
，
Rarely do I take the pleasure of reading a book so slow。 I am either forced because of life or am too keen to know what is going to happen。 But Pitts draws you in and makes you feel like you are journeying with him。 Through the past， teaching you historical lesson every curriculum in the world fails to teach， physically through european cities and people's stories and ends beautifully travelling through previous writers。 I loved seeing （reading ） Europe through his eyes and all the people he met Rarely do I take the pleasure of reading a book so slow。 I am either forced because of life or am too keen to know what is going to happen。 But Pitts draws you in and makes you feel like you are journeying with him。 Through the past， teaching you historical lesson every curriculum in the world fails to teach， physically through european cities and people's stories and ends beautifully travelling through previous writers。 I loved seeing （reading ） Europe through his eyes and all the people he met。 （Even the few villians）。 I wish I had met Ibrahim in Marseille and Nino in Lisbon。 And that Pitts just kept on travelling。 Yet， while it is easy to romantise the stories Pitts regales。 It is hard to forget that these are the lives of real people who live through poverty， rascism， abuse and the struggle to be treated like humans。 The book draws attention to buried history and a worrying future trend which can find Europe back to the second work war。 Even though it is easy to sit in Lucille's privileged position find excuses for the problems facing Europe。 It only makes it more important to remember 'Niemöller， famous words。 First they came for the socialists， and I did not speak out 。。。。。 ' 。。。more
Vivian
，
Afropean: Notes From Black Europe is the result of a five-month self-funded budget travel through black communities in major European cities by British-born journalist and photographer Johny Pitts， whose mother is white English and father is African American。This book opened my eyes to the lives， history， culture and humanity of black diaspora in Europe， who deserve to be called European as much as their white counterparts， thus the name “Afropean”。 I was fairly ignorant of the exploitation of c Afropean: Notes From Black Europe is the result of a five-month self-funded budget travel through black communities in major European cities by British-born journalist and photographer Johny Pitts， whose mother is white English and father is African American。This book opened my eyes to the lives， history， culture and humanity of black diaspora in Europe， who deserve to be called European as much as their white counterparts， thus the name “Afropean”。 I was fairly ignorant of the exploitation of colonized subjects happened in continental Europe in the past centuries， who were taken advantage of to build the peace， wealth and cities of Europe but were excluded from the gains。 Pitts traveled to Paris， Berlin， Brussels， Amsterdam， Lisbon， etc。， places I have been but with Pitts’ commentaries and observations I am seeing these places in a new light。 I realized the European history I knew was dominated by conquerors’ perspectives where certain parts were conveniently ignored and erased。Europe’s colonial past， impacts of Cold War on African countries， Europe’a failure to deal with （or even admit） colonial legacy and post-colonial exploitation and inequality compose a significant part of this book， but it’s a disservice to think Afropean is all about racism。 More importantly， it is about their culture， art， heritage， lives， struggles， and perseverance， whose history is so diverse and colorful that cannot just be defined by colonialism and slavery。In a way I envy the solidarity that black communities seem to have （at least more so than other minority groups）。 I want to read about “Asian in Europe” experiences and haven’t found any books so far。 #Asiapean？ 。。。more
Lisa Wynne
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A charming travelogue with a deeply thoughtful and widely referenced heart of curiosity about Black identity across Europe。 Pitts is personal and idiosyncratic but always seeking for larger truths and full of crucial historical contexts for Black communities in the various European countries he visited。
Klaudia Piaseczna
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Author doesn’t assume that you know everything， so he carefully explains everything that you need to know to understand his analyse。 It is a great asset of the book， but at the same time sometimes I felt like reading a bit too much of Wikipedia。 Overall， a positive experience！
David
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A fabulous account of black communities in Europe and the cities they inhabit。 Great combo of academic/anecdotal， personal/societal， and current/historical。 An absorbing story that reveals the untold sides of illustrious places。Highly recommend the audiobook read in the authors sexy-soothing Sheffield accent。
Elijah
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I think this book is really good as an introduction to various Black/African communities in Europe。 Pitts。 however， does not endear， and I have issues with the Russian section being very shallow and unfocused-if he had stuck to the very real antiblackness that pervades Russian society it would have been fine but trying to include other kinds of ethnic prejudice scrambled the eggs。 Some of his musings could have also been cut- this books main strength is as a travellogue， not as a real work of th I think this book is really good as an introduction to various Black/African communities in Europe。 Pitts。 however， does not endear， and I have issues with the Russian section being very shallow and unfocused-if he had stuck to the very real antiblackness that pervades Russian society it would have been fine but trying to include other kinds of ethnic prejudice scrambled the eggs。 Some of his musings could have also been cut- this books main strength is as a travellogue， not as a real work of theory or academic thought。 （Which I'm not claiming it has to be！ Just that in parts it straddles a weird place where I think adopting a biographical essay style over the sort of thoughts one usually has while riding on the train would have been helpful。） 。。。more
Inie
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an illuminating read。
Niniane
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The author grew up in the UK with a Black mother and a white father。 He wants to get more connected to Afropean communities。。He sees "passive apartheid" in Paris， Berlin， Amsterdam， somewhat Stockholm， and in Moscow。 The communities of Black people are relegated outside the city and they have a harder time getting hired for jobs。 There is extreme fragility amongst most white Europeans about their centuries of colonization and enslaving people in Africa。 Countries in Europe like to think of thems The author grew up in the UK with a Black mother and a white father。 He wants to get more connected to Afropean communities。。He sees "passive apartheid" in Paris， Berlin， Amsterdam， somewhat Stockholm， and in Moscow。 The communities of Black people are relegated outside the city and they have a harder time getting hired for jobs。 There is extreme fragility amongst most white Europeans about their centuries of colonization and enslaving people in Africa。 Countries in Europe like to think of themselves as progressive， and they pretend to be "post-racial"。 They insist there is nothing discriminatory and get really angry about it。 He loves Marseille！ He feels welcomed there。 It is unpretentious and has beautiful sea and cityscape。 Very illuminating about Europe。 。。。more
Cyretha
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I enjoyed the way Johny incorporated some historical perspectives through his journey。 I learned so many additional points， many of which I will follow up。
James Chesley
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What a brilliant book。 So necessary。
Charlie
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3。75*
Banan
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i think pitts really pulls back the curtain on how antiblackness can be pervasive in even the most "progressive" societies， and also in pointing out the way that black people who are seen to come from prosperous countries are given status and accomodations that black people who live in the area are not， as well as touching on the "brixtonification" of black culture in the UK i think pitts really pulls back the curtain on how antiblackness can be pervasive in even the most "progressive" societies， and also in pointing out the way that black people who are seen to come from prosperous countries are given status and accomodations that black people who live in the area are not， as well as touching on the "brixtonification" of black culture in the UK 。。。more
David Tutt
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This book describes the authors journey across Europe revealing the racism which still exists in most places and also recounts some of the history of the various colonial powers， the ways in which they accumulated wealth by exploitation and the attitudes which often still exists towards the descendants of those who were exploited。
Lucy
，
This is a treasure。 Easily the most memorable and impactful book I’ve read this year so far， and one that I read slowly over months because I wanted to fully absorb each chapter。 Pitts is a talented writer and photographer， and is able to combine thorough research on the history and sociology of “black Europe” with narratives from his own 6-month odyssey across the continent。 This book gives so much， for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the colonial histories of France， Belgium， This is a treasure。 Easily the most memorable and impactful book I’ve read this year so far， and one that I read slowly over months because I wanted to fully absorb each chapter。 Pitts is a talented writer and photographer， and is able to combine thorough research on the history and sociology of “black Europe” with narratives from his own 6-month odyssey across the continent。 This book gives so much， for anyone wanting to gain a better understanding of the colonial histories of France， Belgium， the Netherlands， Sweden， Russia， Germany and Portugal， and see how these histories come to life and play out in a vivid， diverse collection of personal stories about the lives of black Europeans today， this book is the one。 。。。more
Al
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Quite the eye-opener to the lesser known parts of shiny， White Europe。 It has made me want to visit Marseille。 The most interesting parts of the book were the people he spoke to on his travels。 I wish there were more of those。 I also really liked his photographs of people - there is a feeling of momentary recognisance where in other circumstances， they would have been rendered invisible。
Beatrice
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Good travel writing， periodic case of male author， not very deep on the theory。
Tobi
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its a kind of travel journey and partly an essay。 the concept of afropean needs to be explored further。 for me， there have been too many travel anecdotes， could be more established as an ethnological phenomenon。
Anna
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Set in fall 2015 and winter 2016， this book is a travel memoir of Johny Pitts setting out to explore black communities in Europe。 It searches to shed light on narratives often written out of histories and news。 I think Pitts is an amazing writer。 From the first page I liked the friendly voice that sought to understand， to uncover and to listen。 I thought the descriptions were nice and histories woven throughout the narrative were described lively and didn't feel out of place。If this piece claime Set in fall 2015 and winter 2016， this book is a travel memoir of Johny Pitts setting out to explore black communities in Europe。 It searches to shed light on narratives often written out of histories and news。 I think Pitts is an amazing writer。 From the first page I liked the friendly voice that sought to understand， to uncover and to listen。 I thought the descriptions were nice and histories woven throughout the narrative were described lively and didn't feel out of place。If this piece claimed to be fact， I too could critize Pitts for choosing to see 'Afropea' in those with whom he shares an opinion， and for being surprised whenever someone doesn't fit this picture。 Generalizations of any group you could think of are frequent in the book， and of course I most easily realized that when Pitts was describing the city I live in myself。 I personally didn't mind as much as some of the other reviews I've seen。 I didn't think Pitts treated his generalizations and prejudices as fact， and acknowledging they are there in the first place makes for an honest account of his experiences。If I could change anything about the book however， I would have hoped for more women to be included in the histories。More than anything， I felt like Pitts was searching for his own 'Afropea'; anything he could recognize himself in or define himself with。 I loved this very personal take and was happy to listen。 It would definitely be false to say this book comes close to defining what Afropea is or should be， but I think that's neither what anyone should want to be doing， nor was it the author's intention。 After all， everyone's experience is different， as Pitts mentions throughout the book， and seeks to display on afropean。com。Overall， I loved this book。 It made me realize a lot and I think I'll remember it for a long time。 。。。more
Lochanreads
，
I was initially drawn to this book because it won the 2020 Jhalak Prize for BAME writers， my favourite UK literary award and the inspiration behind the BAME book recommendations series on my booktube channel。-Through the backpacking travels of the author， from France to Russia， culminating in Portugal， Afropean seeks to explore the black identity in Europe。 From the violent colonial history of the African continent by its European oppressors to the present-day， this book looks at how originally I was initially drawn to this book because it won the 2020 Jhalak Prize for BAME writers， my favourite UK literary award and the inspiration behind the BAME book recommendations series on my booktube channel。-Through the backpacking travels of the author， from France to Russia， culminating in Portugal， Afropean seeks to explore the black identity in Europe。 From the violent colonial history of the African continent by its European oppressors to the present-day， this book looks at how originally African traditions， ideas and an altogether African presence has shaped the social fabric of many European countries and the every-day black communities， struggling to thrive in countries that institutionally marginalise them。-This book is written with an intellectualism that reads like a scholarly text。 At the same time， it also conveys the romanticism of being a sole traveller backpacking through Europe， seeking the enlightenment that comes with culture shocks and chance encounters。 I felt like I was traversing Europe alongside Johny Pitts as we read about the colonial past of each country he visits and how this puts the present-day and vastly widespread subjugation of black communities across the continent into context。-Afropean was a challenging read in more ways than one。 It presents a history of black people across Europe that has been largely erased and forgotten。 I thought this book sorely needed paragraphs as it was hard to read constant page-length blocks of text， however stirring， but overall I couldn't fault this book。 I'm glad I didn't rush it because this book is written in a deeply contemplative way that makes for slower， more meaningful reading。 。。。more
Jillian
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The non-fiction memoir reads like a travel narrative， which kept me in it and engaged the entire way through。 The interweaving of theorists and scholars with the specifics of Black experience in different European cities （and history of Black people in those cities） was given equal weight to the author's first-hand experience of moving through those places as an outside observer yet also as an 'Afropean。' The non-fiction memoir reads like a travel narrative， which kept me in it and engaged the entire way through。 The interweaving of theorists and scholars with the specifics of Black experience in different European cities （and history of Black people in those cities） was given equal weight to the author's first-hand experience of moving through those places as an outside observer yet also as an 'Afropean。' 。。。more
Anna
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↠ 2。5 stars
Toyin A
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This book is a patchwork of notes where Pitts talks about growing up in Sheffield and the dilemma of not fitting in; being almost being invisible。He writes about his journey through Clichy-sous-Bois （Paris）， Matongén & Tervuren （Brussels）， Amsterdam， Berlin， Stockholm， Moscow， Lisbon and Marseilles。 Throughout this journey he documents the history of Black Europeans and how there is a glaring lack of solidarity among them。To this I ask: why should be skin colour be the main thing that brings us This book is a patchwork of notes where Pitts talks about growing up in Sheffield and the dilemma of not fitting in; being almost being invisible。He writes about his journey through Clichy-sous-Bois （Paris）， Matongén & Tervuren （Brussels）， Amsterdam， Berlin， Stockholm， Moscow， Lisbon and Marseilles。 Throughout this journey he documents the history of Black Europeans and how there is a glaring lack of solidarity among them。To this I ask: why should be skin colour be the main thing that brings us together in solidarity？ Does the thought itself not follow the ignorant， demeaning and condescending view of white colonialists when they view all Africans as the same？I worry about how our anger blinds us to seeing better ways to reposition the Black European/ African narrative。 。。。more
bigblackbooks
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http://bigblackbooks。org/afropean-joh。。。Any discussion of Afropean should begin with an acknowledgement of how it is a pioneering work， and certainly so within the Anglophone literary tradition。 This 2020 Jhalak prize winner recognises how we hear a lot about African America， Africa， Black Britain， and the Caribbean， but rarely do we hear about those who make up the black communities of mainland Europe。 Pitts， of course， says it best with “the US exports its blackness; Europe does not。” With Afr http://bigblackbooks。org/afropean-joh。。。Any discussion of Afropean should begin with an acknowledgement of how it is a pioneering work， and certainly so within the Anglophone literary tradition。 This 2020 Jhalak prize winner recognises how we hear a lot about African America， Africa， Black Britain， and the Caribbean， but rarely do we hear about those who make up the black communities of mainland Europe。 Pitts， of course， says it best with “the US exports its blackness; Europe does not。” With Afropean， Pitts leads the way in spotlighting the flavour and entangled histories of Europe’s black communities through what may be one of the most comprehensive studies on the subject to date。Whether or not that is true， it is certainly one of the more engaging。 While the sheer amount of historical material that contextualises each city might obscure the fact， this is in the form of a travelogue which is a deeply personal mode of memoir writing。 Pitts seems to insure himself against claims of comprehensiveness by subtitling Afropean: Notes From Black Europe， reminding us that it is important not to put the weight of history on a single travelogue。But if it is indeed the closest thing to an authoritative document on contemporary black communities in Europe， it is a coloured one that is filtered through the perspectives and biases of its author。 Pitts， a mixed-race photographer hailing from Sheffield， often gravitates towards artsy urban arbiters of culture and conclusions of hybridity that are， perhaps， only natural to him。 The effect is one of landscaping without depth or， perhaps， of taking the safe road that steers clear of risk。 A conversation with a gallery owner in Matongé and another with the critically acclaimed author Caryl Phillips later that day provide an effortless sense of narrative warmth。But his conversations with those present at a Clichy-sous-Bois protest and a during a visit to the Cape Verdean favela outside Lisbon are less so， foregrounding instead his outsider status and gallivanting privilege which will soon deliver him from the horrors of these dark European secrets。 Fortunately， Pitts beats us to it。 Somewhat like Hari Ziyad’s essential Black Boy Out of Time， this is wondrously self-aware and self-critical writing that is constantly reflecting on its positionality。 Pitts is not embarrassed about who he is， and he does not try to play the chameleon that blends into every iteration of blackness it encounters。That is one of the memoir’s strengths， namely how it lays to rest fictions of a single， homogenous blackness by presenting an array of black experiences。 But the term Afropean， as Pitts characteristically points out himself， is potentially problematic。 “I felt this disjuncture between feeling Afropean and then those who were more intelligibly African in Europe”， he says。 Armed with that term， Pitts sets out to document the invisibilied mark Afro communities have left on mainland Europe。 This， of course， leads him to idealise the racial ambiguity and cultural hybridity of sunny Southern Europe。 Ultimately， the quest to document the ways in which black people have marked and mixed Europe produces a limiting lens。 。。。more
Alice L-----
，
Cycled through the whole spectrum of emotions with this book & I have mixed feelings about some of it， but overall I enjoyed it & would highly recommend it。 It really is a set of （very well-written） “notes”- a patchwork of anecdotes， literary references & historical details。 If it is to be understood exactly as such then it is an excellent book， but if positioned as a kind of odyssey through the black communities of Europe， in search of a unifying aesthetic which Pitts designates Afropean， then Cycled through the whole spectrum of emotions with this book & I have mixed feelings about some of it， but overall I enjoyed it & would highly recommend it。 It really is a set of （very well-written） “notes”- a patchwork of anecdotes， literary references & historical details。 If it is to be understood exactly as such then it is an excellent book， but if positioned as a kind of odyssey through the black communities of Europe， in search of a unifying aesthetic which Pitts designates Afropean， then I am not sure it fulfills its intention。 I felt its scope to be narrow in terms of its representation of the lived realities of present-day communities。 I do not forget that Pitts provides a disclaimer about his inevitable inability to cover all grounds & perspectives， and yet I felt that sometimes there was too much shoe-horning （into a specific & potentially pre-determined image）。 The chapter on Russia， for example， felt oddly deficient， almost empty （except of stereotypes）。 The positing of Marseille as an “Afropean Mecca” （336） within “a book connecting the disparate people and locales of black Europe in a single narrative” （332） produces a hierarchy （even if only aesthetic- though it felt to me a sort of moralizing judgement was associated with this: i。e。， the more Afropean a space appeared （to Pitts） the better it was as a place - which means， according to the text’s own logic， that the communities in Russia practically drop off the end of the chain）。 Not to mention the problems with “single narratives”。 I enjoyed the personal aspect of the text but often felt there was an unnecessary amount of judgement & stereotyping placed on certain people， movements & places （such as Rastafarianism and， weirdly enough， India） for a non-fiction book。 For me where this text succeeded， and amazingly， was its reframing of European history though black history & culture， which Pitts does deftly & exquisitely。 I especially loved his recounting of the lives of Otto & Hermina Huiswoud， and the chapters on Baldwin & Fanon。 。。。more
Miriam
，
This is a fascinating book。 I learned a lot from it。 Pitts intersperses his travels through Europe and his conversations with its Black inhabitants with bits of local and world history and weaves that into a nuanced whole。 I like the style of the book， which lets so many people speak for themselves when Pitts quotes their own words about their lived experiences。 The chapters about Berlin， my hometown， were very interesting to me。 Seeing which parts of the city as experienced and described by Pit This is a fascinating book。 I learned a lot from it。 Pitts intersperses his travels through Europe and his conversations with its Black inhabitants with bits of local and world history and weaves that into a nuanced whole。 I like the style of the book， which lets so many people speak for themselves when Pitts quotes their own words about their lived experiences。 The chapters about Berlin， my hometown， were very interesting to me。 Seeing which parts of the city as experienced and described by Pitts I recognised and which I didn't was illuminating。 My favourite chapters were perhals the ones about Moscow， simply because I knew the least about that history。 。。。more
Andreia
，
This book was a slog to get through （it felt incredibly dense at times and thus its getting a 4 star rating over a 5） but I genuinely learned so much through Pitt's travel experiences。 Though I was at odds at some of his descriptions and conclusions based on the locations he visited， this was an incredibly enlightening read about Black Europe or Afropea。 （Maybe this is selfish but I do wish he touched more on Lisbon as the chapter was super brief。 However， I am saying this as someone with fully This book was a slog to get through （it felt incredibly dense at times and thus its getting a 4 star rating over a 5） but I genuinely learned so much through Pitt's travel experiences。 Though I was at odds at some of his descriptions and conclusions based on the locations he visited， this was an incredibly enlightening read about Black Europe or Afropea。 （Maybe this is selfish but I do wish he touched more on Lisbon as the chapter was super brief。 However， I am saying this as someone with fully Cape Verdean heritage and we hardly ever get representation in media or academia - I'm holding onto crumbs people！） 。。。more
Ebony
，