In case you were wondering, that is how some of us Africans would pronounce the word "consider," although, in reality, there are hundreds of different kinds of African accents. Tell that to the characters of the classic comedy, "Coming to America" (1988) - starring Eddie Murphy, James Earl Jones and Arsenio Hall - who all utilize so-called African accents that, one, don't match each other even though their characters are supposed to be from the same place, and, two, don't necessarily resemble any particular African way of speaking.
Despite this inaccurate representation, the movie as a whole is a storytelling gem. Akeem (Murphy), the 21-year-old heir to the royal throne of the fictional country Zamunda, is set to marry a princess who has been trained her entire life to simply be Akeem's wife and, quite literally, nothing else. Quickly discovering this woman's lack of personality, Akeem goes against his father's (Jones) will and ventures off to Queens, N.Y. with his personal servant, Semmi (Hall) to find his rightful queen - get it? - all while posing as a poor man. In doing so, he voluntarily plunges himself into an experience that loosely represents the plight of the African immigrant - a reality that the film coats with well-timed spurts of hilarity.
Once in Queens, Akeem tosses all that wealth aside. His number one goal, despite incessant protests by the spoiled Semmi, is to appear as impoverished as possible. Akeem believes that the act will allow him to find a genuine wife who loves him for who he is, and not only because he's a prince. As the two conduct their lives much like struggling African immigrants, Akeem and Semmi are negatively judged - not by the white people they encounter, but, surprisingly, by black Americans.
The two find work at a restaurant called Mr. McDowell's, and it is here that the interesting parallels to contemporary black culture begin. The owner is a black man who happens to be the father of Lisa (Shari Headley), a young woman Akeem fancies.
Mr. McDowell (John Amos) exists as a satire of whitewashed blacks. He is so obsessed with white culture that he is willing to give up anything to become a part of it. Mr. McDowell's restaurant is a knockoff of McDonald's - ironically symbolizing his habit of copying whatever he considers elite. To Mr. McDowell, whiteness is synonymous with wealth, which places him at the top of what he views as a wealth-based ranking among blacks.
When he meets Akeem and Semmi, he immediately considers the immigrants to be below him, offering them the most menial jobs. In perhaps his most telling display of classism, he invites Akeem and Semmi to his holiday party to show his gratitude for their hard work. However, there's a twist: he makes them work as the bartender and valet at the party.
While Mr. McDowell judges based on wealth, others judge the newcomers solely based on their immigrant status. Lisa's boyfriend (Eriq La Salle) - a black man and Akeem's nemesis - makes sly comments like, "[Akeem], wearing clothes must be a new experience for you." That such remarks come from black people reflects a very real tension that exists, even today, between black Americans and African immigrants. Because blacks are arguably viewed by American society as one race devoid of ethnic distinction, ethnic-based prejudice among black people manifests itself into unjustifiable self-hate.
"Coming to America" is one of Murphy's many comedic masterpieces. While it ceaselessly entertains the viewer, it also addresses, through satire, some of the most pressing black issues of its and, sadly enough, our time.
Nash Simpson is a senior majoring in English. He can be reached at Nash.Simpson@tufts.edu.
