Akata
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Akátá is a word derived from the Yoruba people of West Africa and it simply means 'Fox'. It is thought to be widely used loosely by some African immigrants to the United States to describe African Americans and their descendants, and over time it has come to have derogatory connotations due to perceived tensions between some African immigrants and African Americans.
Its geographical origin is Nigerian of West Africa.
[edit] Usage
Its usage is similar to that of kokujin (black person) in the Japanese language. Although the Japanese people may have negative stereotypes about blacks and use "kokujin" negatively, its root is not to convey derogation (unlike the historically loaded, colloquial American term "nigger") but rather, to identify via allusion.
It may also be used to describe a cat that does not live at home, whereas the cat that lives at home is called Ologbo or Ologinni; "akata" may, by metaphorical implication, suggest that African Americans are blacks that do not reside on the African continent. The term was popularised in Hollywood by the movie Sugar Hill featuring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright; in the film, Nigerian drug dealers referred to the pair as "akatas, American cotton pickers". Because of this, it often used to describe any African living outside of Africa, though Yorubas tend not to use it in a derogatory manner. It is generally used by many Nigerians living in the United States, as well as other Africans.[citation needed]. Among the Akan people mainly in Ghana (Ashanti's) the word is used to refer to people that are associated with the life style of hip-hop like nature (one who dresses and walks like a hip-hop artiste).
