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An 'Afro-Asian' is a person of African and Asian ancestry. As Afro-Asian is a broad term, it can be broken down into various sub-groups that are distinguished by their demographic location. Due to the widespread African and Asian diasporas, Afro-Asians reside throughout the world. In North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, the influx of Chinese and Indian workers in the 19th century forming unions with enslaved or free Africans gave rise to significant populations of Afro-Asians.
In the United States, the neologism and portmanteau "'Blasian'" has gained informal usage to describe someone of Afro-Asian heritage ^[1]

Contents

History

South Asia

West Asia and Africa

United States

The West Indies

Afro-Asians in the entertainment industry

See also

Notes

References

External links

History

South Asia

As early as 1100 AD commercial contacts between India and North Africa were created opening doors for many North Africans to come over to India as traders, sailors, warriors, etc. These North Africans soon came to be known as 'Habashi'/'Habshi' or Siddi. Siddi is considered to be the more respectful title used for North African Arabs. Many of the Habashi received prominent positions in politics and the military and helped to construct financial, educational, and agricultural reforms.
Today there are very few Habashies left in India as most have intermarried. Someone who is of Indian and Habashi blood is considered an Indo-African.
Right now the Afro-Asian population in South Asia is over 250,000.^[2][3]

West Asia and Africa

During the Pre-Islamic era, Ethiopian conquers entered Southern Arabia in the 2nd and 4th century and by 532 AD had invaded Yemen and settled upon the land. During this same time, the Arabian army, known as the Sabaen, were setteling in the highlands of Ethiopia. After the settlement, many more Africans came to South Arabia as slaves; men were usually traded as the women were kept as servants or concubines for the Arab leaders. The children that stemmed from the relationship between an Ethiopian and an Arab acquired more in South Arabia, two of which were granted the highest positions as Princes of the Abbassids. In Africa, the Sabaens had intermingled with the Ethiopians to such an extent, they created an empire by the name of the Axum Kingdom.
Bantu-speaking Africans were called Zanj and sold to Iraq. Iraq soon had an overwhelming amount of slaves working in trecherous conditions which eventually lead to a famous revolt called the 'Zanj Rebellion'. The rebellion allowed Africans to take occupancy in a huge portion of the Iraq cities, while many Arab refugees fled to Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania. Someone of black and Arab descent is considered Afro-Arab.^[4][5]
A former slave by the name of Najah seized power in the 10th century and established the Banu Najah dynasty, the first royal Afro-Asian family.^[6]

United States

In 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act was passed and Chinese workers who chose to stay in the U.S. could no longer be with their wives who stayed behind in China. Because European Americans looked at Chinese labor workers as stealing employment, they were harassed and attacked, forcing many of the workers to seek protection in the black communities. While in these communities many Chinese men settled down with African-American women. ^[7]
Tiger Woods, a famous golf player, too, is of white, Chinese, Native American, Thai and black descent; his father being half African American heritage and his mother being half Thai heritage.
In 2000, there was estimated to be over 100,000 afro-Asian individuals in the U.S. ^[8]

The West Indies

In the 1860s, Chinese immigrants were importated for labor and trade. It became increasingly common for a Chinese man to marry a black woman since the number of black women outnumbered that of Chinese women.
According to the 1946 Census 12,394 Chinese were located between Jamaica and Trinidad. 5,515 of those who lived in Jamaica were Afro-Asian and another 3,673 were Afro-Asians living in Trinidad.^[9]

Afro-Asians in the entertainment industry

Many Afro-Asian individuals have become successful in the entertainment industry, especially in the United States. These musicians, designers, and athletes include Tyson Beckford, Naomi Campbell, Tiger Woods, Foxy Brown, Hines Ward, Kelis, Amerie Rogers, Ashanti and Ne-Yo. Early ska and reggae artist Bunny Lee was of mixed African and Chinese descent.^[10]
Afro-Asians are also gaining prominence in fashion: Kimora Lee Simmons, now retired from full-time modeling, was among the first well-known Afro-Asian models; Angela Chao Roberson was the first of black/Asian mixture to be a contestant in the Los Angeles Miss Chinatown pageant^[11]; according to King magazine, constructed by the opinions of their readers, Afro-Asian models, such as Tomika Skanes and Lashontae are becoming the next most desired models next to that of the Victoria's Secret angels.
In Japan Crystal Kay, a young singer of African American/Zainichi Korean heritage has become a top 10 recording star; also successful in Japan is rapper Jin Hakashima.

See also

★ Chinese Jamaicans

★ Chinese Trinidadian

★ Dougla

★ Falasha

★ Hapa

★ Indo-Caribbean

★ Indo-Fijian

★ Indo Jamaican

★ Indo-Trinidadian

★ Eurasian

★ Ziyadid dynasty

Notes

1. MoonKitty, "Blasian" (2006) ''ASIA'ZINE'' vol 6; Accessed online 20 April 2007
2. "[1]""ColorQ";Accessed 07 May 2007
3. "[2]"Indo Africa Dispora";Accessed 07 May 2007
4. "[3]""ColorQ";Accessed online 6 May 2007
5. "[4]""ColorQ"; Accessed 07 May 2007
6. "[5]""Addis Tribune"; Accessed online 7 May 2007
7. "[6]""ColorQ" 07 May 2007
8. "[7]" (2000) "Asian-Nation"; Accessed online 6 May 2007
9. "[8]""ColorQ" 07 May 2007
10. Stolzoff, Norman C. ''Wake the Town and Tell the People: Dancehall Culture in Jamaica.'' Durham: Duke UP, 2000. p. 69
11. "[9]" "The Standard-China's Business Newspaper, May 13, 2006"

References

★ John Middleton, ''The World of the Swahili''.

★ James de V. Allen, ''Swahili Origins''.

★ Agehananda Bharati, ''The Asians in East Africa: Jayhind and Uhuru''.

★ "The Indian Diaspora" at the UCLA Manas project

External links

★ Blasians.com

★ Mixed and Famous

★ AsiansOfMixedRace.com

★ Resource on Mixed Asians