"My Experience as a Black Person in Amman," by Djibril Branche
The first question on all of my friends’ and families’ minds when I announced that I was going to Jordan - after the small talk about how excited they were for me and how good the experience would be for me - was always, “do they like black people there?” It is always something said with melancholy as a recognition that racism has become so globalized that there are sparse corners of the world where you can’t find anti-black sentiment. As much as I want to say that Amman is one of those corners, it would be far more instructive and truthful to write about my experience as a black person in Amman and to give some advice for black people about what to expect when traveling.
Firstly, I want to say that yes, there is racism here in Amman, made all the worse by the fact that you are largely separated from a community that can understand and help you process your experiences. However, I do not think that should discourage any black person who is considering traveling to Jordan. One, because although present, it wasn’t the defining aspect of my experience and you are fully capable of having an enriching time in Amman while black; and two, you have a right to go to Jordan, or China, or anywhere on this earth as your white peers and the presence or absence of racism does not change that, but there are things you should be aware of when traveling to Amman.
The context is different.
A lot of the racism that I have personally experienced in Amman were things that used to be widely accepted in America and only became faux pas recently. Prime examples of which are people reaching for my hair to play with, assuming I play basketball and am from Chicago or Sudan, and skeptical looks when I say that I am indeed from America. Taken alone these would not be too out of place in America, but I think what makes these different for me was the context.
The historical facts of domination between White and Black people in America that may animate a white person’s entitlement to touch a black person’s hair are simply not present, so therefore I found it to be less insulting when someone reached for my hair here, and more just simply a product of curiosity. Anyways, most people will happily oblige your wishes to not have your hair touched. I found that understanding the different contexts that may be behind many instances of racism made me realize that much of the venom that is present in American racism is absent in Jordan. Looking through this lens has allowed me to hand-wave more of these smaller instances, but it's important to understand that knowing context does not excuse these actions, especially as we look into more serious examples, which brings me to my second point.
You will face serious racism, or at least, I did.
Knowing that the context here is different does not provide much solace when an employee won't stop following you around in Abdali mall, or when the taxis refuse to pick you up, or when they do the first thing they say to you is abd, a derogatory word meaning slave. Or if you do intend to date here, a Ghanaian friend here told me that almost every other question he received in a romantic setting centered around invasive questions about the size of his penis. These behaviors have no excuse and bending over backward to try to create one is not healthy nor helpful.
What was helpful was to create a support system and space where you can feel comfortable. Even if it's one person, the benefits of just creating that space are invaluable for your time here. There are a lot of expats from around the world of all races here and from my experience, they will be just as excited to make friends with another black foreigner as you are. Being able to discuss these things with someone who knows what you're feeling and has been through what you have is restorative and will help keep these instances from ruminating in your head and coloring your whole experience. Speaking of experience.
This is MY experience in Jordan
I am only speaking from my own experience, so this is definitely not the definitive black experience in Jordan. Some people will have better, and some will have worse. I am speaking from a specifically Black non-Muslim American male perspective. I expect things to be much, much, much different for black women, black Muslims, and non-Americans, and the experience of a traveler is worlds apart from the black experience of, for example, a Sudanese immigrant. I cannot speak about how those intersectionalities will affect your experience for those and more perspectives. I would consider reading the Blackness in Jordan journal by the Fund for Education Abroad and this article about racial identity in Jordan. Hopefully, these will be good tools for you to wrap your head around race and racism in Jordan before you travel.
P.S. Hair
I have a very low-maintenance hairstyle and a 4B-4C texture. I was not able to find the same leave-in and curl conditioners that I use at home, so I suggest either bringing some without or experimenting to find suitable replacements. In the interest of saving water, I shower less frequently here than I do in America, so as a result, I have to maintain a lower maintenance hairstyle. But I was able to find barbershops that can cut black hair and some stylists that can even do retwists or locs. I personally recommend Alfrandi near Abdoun.
