Bygbaby.com Mind Spill BlogRelating back to my post about the hip-hop clothing store in Lilongwe, Malawi: Africa called “Niggers”. I thought would share another negative term that I have learned recently. The term/possible epithet is “Akata” which is a term that some African use to describe or reference African Americans.

I will say that I find the term Akata to be fucked up & basically an equivalent to Nigger.

Definition Break Down:

  1. Akata – An African American

  2. Akata – A name from the Yoruba ethnic group in Nigeria for African-Americans. It is rumored to mean ‘slaves’ or ‘captives’, and often carries a derogatory connotation. Some say that the literal definition is ‘cotton picker’ – The term was popularized in Hollywood by the movie Sugar Hill.

    This term has been picked up by Africans in the United States. Many Africans that pick up the word however are not aware that it is derogatory as they do not know the origins and do not know the Yoruba language so depending on whose saying it, they may mean it as an insult. If the person is Nigerian, particularly of Yoruba origin, they may have a better understanding of why they are using that word.

  3. Akata – Derogatory term used by West African immigrants for African Americans. There are two meanings, cotton-picker and fox.

What’s in a name? Nigga – Nigger – Akata – African Booty Scratcher

Definition found on Urban Dictionary.com