My family has always used humor and storytelling as our way of connecting across generations, with my grandmother sharing traditional trickster tales and my cousins doing modern African comedy. But since moving to a predominantly white neighborhood, my teenage kids have become embarrassed by our loud, animated family storytelling style and want us to be more 'appropriate' when their friends are around, and I don't know how to honor their social needs while keeping our comedic traditions alive.
More people experience this than they realize.
The family's authentic cultural expression is being constrained by their children's desire to fit into a different cultural context.
“Where Are You with African comedy traditions?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.