Culture writer Heidi Fogden reviews Afropean finding it to capture the complex contradictions that have obscured Europe’s relationship with Black identity and transforming them into something bold, clear, and self-assured
Afropean is a travelogue, a personal reckoning, and a pertinent reflection of the struggles of diasporic communities kept excluded from Europe’s tourist hot spots. Pitts credits Belgian-Congolese musician Marie Daulne alongside Talking Heads star David Byrne with the popularisation of the word ‘Afropean’, which Pitts encapsulated as “ being black in Europe didn’t necessarily mean being an immigrant.” Unhyphenated, Afropean combines different strands of identity, African and European, allowing space “where blackness was taking part in shaping European identity at large”. Inspired by this conceptualisation, Pitts seeks to find this identity in practice, travelling to Paris, Brussels, Berlin, Stockholm, Moscow, Marseille and Lisbon, exploring how Afropean communities experience their identities and how the environments, nationalisms, housing projects and politics impact this sense of belonging.
Pitts himself is a TV presenter, writer and photographer, and the book contains various striking photos of the places he visits, coupled with the feelings of those geographies, making the reading experience accessible, but without losing the sense of how complicated identity can be. As he journeys through the grief-stricken Paris banlieue of Clichy-sous-Bois and the favelas of outer Lisbon, Pitts exposes his emotions and background, showing awareness of how they impact his perceptions of the things he sees and the people he meets, ultimately questioning throughout how united this utopian “Afropean” identity really is. Chilling colonial histories are weaved in throughout, with buildings and stories as constant reminders of the horrors of imperialism, and how subsequent cases of historical amnesia are clearly visible in many European political leaders of today.
the book contains various striking photos of the places he visits […] making the reading experience accessible, but without losing the sense of how complicated identity can be
Particularly notable was Pitts’ account of colonial artefacts, especially from Leopold’s II bloody reign, who oversaw the mass killing of Congolese from the comfort of his own riches. Discussions of such dark histories are presented with the emotion they deserve, but Pitts’ voice retains its tender nature, and the writing stills reads lyrically, juxtaposing such horror with the need to remember and learn these events. Despite this, Pitts does not necessarily find this united identity that he so elegantly seeks – he struggles with some perspectives, notably those who feel the need to assimilate, and are pushing others to forget their first languages. From African students in Moscow to grassroots organisations in Berlin, journeying with Johny through the pages was enlightening.
Pitts sews together an epic documentary of art, vulnerability, poverty and hope, with scraps of stories quilting a visceral journal of identity. Ultimately, he still questions whether the Afropean identity will ever take hold but highlights a black Europe that so often feels cast aside.
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