Author: Bryce Maginley

Interview Process: The process wasn’t bad at all. The only thing that I would say was a struggle was actually finding the time to do the interview and be able to sit down at the same time with Kelvin to do it. The interview was done in person at the Athletic Performance Center during study hall. He was able to come in during that time and do the interview. We found a quiet room in the back to do the interview and there was another person in the room but it wasn’t a problem. I used a snowball microphone that I checked out from the library and it worked pretty well. Overall all it was a fairly easy process.

Biography: Kelvin was Born in Lagos Nigeria. His father had moved to America in 1999 for job opportunities and a better lifestyle, but left kelvin and the rest of his family behind. Kelvin moved to America in 2009 to join his dad leaving most of his family in back in Nigeria. Including his mother who he was really close to and had a strong relationship with her. However, his father believed that it was for the best for him and his sister in the long run for their education. When kelvin arrived to America he moved to Richmond, Virginia. Trying to fit in the American culture he decides to take up football and that has brought him all the way to JMU.

Research: In 1990 about 7 million people migrated from Africa. That number has jumped all the way to about 17 million in 2017. With all of the destinations being North America, Europe, and Asia. However, in 2017 around 19 million people migrated from their country in Africa but stayed in the same continent. The reason for that is because the level of difficulty to receive visa in other countries and the ability to get a passport. Which is one of the struggles kelvin went through getting to America. Reasons for leaving Africa could vary from country to country and person to person. Reasons people from Africa have migrated to Europe is because of the rise of asylum applicants, international students or just resettled refuges. Many people that come to America from Africa are just resettled refugees. 51% of the Sub-Saharan migrants are born in just 4 countries which are Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Kenya and Kelvin is from Nigeria. People migrate from their countries for many reasons. The African economy is one of the biggest problems for people living in Africa. There are high unemployment rates and low wage rates and the economy is not getting better anytime soon. Due to the high fertility levels that makes it to where people will have to start competing for jobs and that is something that drives people away from Africa. So the main reason people leave is for better lifestyle which is exactly what Kelvins father wanted for Kelvin and his sister. African immigrants to the U.S. are likely to settle in the South or the Northeast. The largest numbers of African immigrants are found in Texas, New York, California, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Virginia. Each of these states is home to at least 100,000 foreign-born Africans. With that being said when Kelvin came to the U.S. he resided in Virginia. With all of this research being done it is fair to say that Kelvins migration is very common in Africa. People tend to leave for similar reasons and migrate to similar places.

Citations- MLA

Anderson, Monica, and Monica Anderson. “African Immigrant Population in U.S. Steadily Climbs.” Pew Research Center, Pew Research Center, 14 Feb. 2017, www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/14/african-immigrant-population-in-u-s-steadily-climbs/.

McAuliffe, Marie, et al. “African Migration: What the Numbers Really Tell Us.” World Economic Forum, www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/06/heres-the-truth-about-african-migration/.

“Migration From Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe Has Grown Since 2010.” Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project, 27 Sept. 2018, www.pewglobal.org/2018/03/22/at-least-a-million-sub-saharan-africans-moved-to-europe-since-2010/.

Transcript:

BM: I’m here with Kelvin Azanama, how are you doing today?

KA: Good

BK: Alright so I have a couple of questions for you. How did you enjoy living in Africa as a kid?

KA: Well growing up in Africa is really quite different from living in the United States. One of the things that I really do enjoy the most and miss the most is my family. Most of my family still resides in Lagos Nigeria Where I’m from.

BM: What was the reason that you had to move to America?

KA: My father actually moved up here 10 years prior to when I moved up here. He wanted both my sister and I to get a better education and better opportunities in life.

BM: What were your feelings towards to moving to America?

KA: I was heartbroken because I lost my relationship with my mom. Me and her both had a very close relationship but over time we knew how to work things out.

BM: Take me through the process of coming to the US and what were the struggles of getting here?

KA: The biggest struggle I would say was time because it was a process but the first thing I remember doing as a child was getting my passport, that took the longest. After my passport I think it was two more or three more years after that, that I ended up moving to the United States.

BM: When you arrived here where there any discrimination against you or your family?

KA: No

BM: None at all?

KA: I haven’t experienced any type of dis….The biggest thing I should say is Just like words that people said like African booty scratcher type stuff.

BM: What were some of the things that you had to adjust to moving from Africa to America?

KA: Culture, culture was the biggest thing. Having to learn the United States Way of living.

BM: How was it different?

KA: The biggest difference that I noticed and I didn’t really start noticing it until about 18 or 19 years old is the way people act towards each other. That was the biggest culture change I could say.

BM: So like in Africa how did people act towards each other compared to here?

KA: I don’t want to say the word sensitive but sensitive. People back home took things less to heart than people in the United States do.

BM: OK, how hard has it been receiving your citizenship and what are some of the hoops you are trying to get through to receive it?

KA: This is just another process. I haven’t really applied for my citizenship yet, I only have my permanent residence card. But that is the next step towards me becoming a citizen which is to first get the second wave green card and apply for citizenship after I graduate from college.

BM: Being in America for about 10 years now compare Africa and America as a whole.

KA: The biggest difference I should say is the growth that America has that my country of Nigeria doesn’t. Economic growth, political growth, technological Growth that we are just starting to pick up as time moves on.

BM: After college would you ever move back to Africa? Explain why or why not.

KA: Not move back but visit for like a couple months. The reason of me saying that is because I’ve learned to become a man in the United States. Trying to get a custom to the African way of living is something I don’t want to redo I should say. I just want to be my own self for the rest of my life.

BM: And what do you plan on doing when you get older?

KA: When I get older?

BM: As a job.

KA: Oh a consultant or sales, one or the other.

BM: Alright well that’s all the questions I have, thank you.

KA: Alright!

Conclusion: The interview overall went well. I really wouldn’t change anything on how I did it. I went off script a couple of times but it made it flow a little bit better and made it last a little bit longer because his answers weren’t as long as intended. Overall it was a good interview and I learned a lot about my friends past.

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