A long time ago Lenny Henry, the British comic artist, made a comedy sketch about being asked where he was from. Lenny answered the question by proceeding to give an account of having lived in Brixton for x number of years, before that he lived in Y and you get the picture.
His answer consisted of his living arrangements and transfers around London suburbs going back a number of years. Of course, what the questioner really meant was, 'What is the country of your ethnic origin?'
Lenny's answers were a clear evasion of the meaning of the question and an attempt to portray himself as a true Brit.
Don't you just hate this question? Whenever I am confronted with this question I pause for a few seconds trying to work out whether I should say Asia or Southeast London. The time it takes me to decide is enough for the other person to lose interest. This is a great deflection method which I have discovered by default. Contrary to the self-help industry which labels 'prevarication' as a negative trait, it works for me in awkward race related situations.
I once dined with a group of people from all walks of life. After the introductions I was tempted to ask them where they were from despite the fact that they all lived in London. The horrible realisation that I had internalised the question of one's origins made me clench my fists in silence for want of thumping myself.
The question has almost become a caricature one. Where we come from has taken primary importance over what we have made of our lives or who we are as people. We are 'bestowed' with certain essentialisms such as that we couldn't possibly have been born in the Western country where we live, that we are 'other' by virtue of our colour even if we speak with local accents and that our origin is a precursor to getting to know us as people.
There may be situations where it's, of course, human curiosity that prompts the question. I have not learnt how to distinguish between these types and the other types. If you have then please leave a comment below. Embarrassingly, I have also been caught out by giving an answer about my ancestral origins only to be asked again about where I live in London. One can't win either way.
What is most important in all this is how the question makes you feel as a person of colour? If it drains you off the will to live over being asked the question yet again then a long winded Lenny Henry type answer which invokes humour and deprecation may assist. Otherwise, you could actually take the opportunity to come up with a whole new fake identity which posits you as some sort of Bollywood actress and, let's face it, this would absolutely delight White people about 100 times more who simply love Bollywood than they would be interested in your real identity. Don't believe me? Why is Priyanka Chopra so famous globally then?
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