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Zadi Zokou, Ivorian director of "Black N Black" on the difficult relations between African-Americans and Africans in the United States. Screened at the International Film Festival of the African Diaspora (Fifda). Siegfried Forster / RFI

There are at least two ways to be Black in the United States. The Ivorian filmmaker Zadi Zokou explored the history and the very agitated present of the complex and difficult relationship between African-Americans and Africans in the United States. The European premiere of the documentary "Black N Black" will take place on Sunday, September 8 as part of the 9th International Festival of Films of the African Diaspora (Fifda) in Paris. Interview.

RFI : You were born in Ivory Coast and you live in the United States. Do you consider yourself an African or an African-American ?

Zadi Zokou : I do not have this dilemma, because I have kept my nationality, I am not yet an American citizen. If I become an American citizen, would I consider myself African-American? No, I do not think so, because African-American is not just about color, it's a whole culture and a whole story. I do not have that story. I come directly from Africa, therefore, I consider myself more African of the continent.

Black N Black , is this a way of saying that there are two ways to be black ?

There are not really two ways to be black, but there are different "blacks". There are the blacks of the continent, like me, and there are the blacks of the diaspora, like the Africans, the Americans, the Caribeans, and all those who are descendants of slaves. That's what Black N Black means.

You talk about 40 million African-Americans and a very profound evolution : in 1980, the United States signed the Refugee Policy Act and in 1990 the Immigration Act facilitated immigration from sub-Saharan Africa. The number of sub-Saharan Africans in the United States has increased thirteen times, from 129,000 in 1980 to more than 1.7 million in 2015. This explains a certain urgency to address the subject that you are dealing with in your country. film : the relationship between Africans and African-Americans ?

This urgency has always existed, but the dialogue has not occurred. Today, more than yesterday, there is an emergency, because there are more and more contacts, there are more and more Africans coming to the United States. So, better cooperation is needed and this requires a dialogue between the two communities.

How do you feel about this emergency ?

My personal relationships with African Americans are not bad, but there are still some tensions that need to be addressed. I think Blacks in the United States have a common destiny. And it is by uniting ourselves with African-Americans that we can together overcome certain obstacles to our promotion in the United States.

Were there any comments or prejudices that surprised or shocked you during the filming ?

There are many stereotypes. We all know the stereotypes about Africans: poor continent, continent of diseases ... And many African-Americans have these views. What shocked me was the ignorance that many African Americans have of Africa. Even more shocking was the ignorance of many Africans living in the United States compared to African-Americans. That's what pushed me to do this movie.

Poster (detail) of "Black N Black" Ivorian director Zadi Zokou. © Fifda

What were the reactions after the screening of your movie in the United States ?

There have been several screenings in several cities. The reaction was positive. There were no battles, there were useful, intelligent debates. People have welcomed the film, because many have said that this dialogue is necessary and that this film is timely to really start the conversation between the two communities.

You shot in Ghana, Ivory Coast, United States. You interviewed a taxi driver as well as a university professor. A cleavage topic was always the story of slavery. Why ?

The big difference between Africans in the diaspora and Africans on the continent is the slave trade. Otherwise, we would always be together. This story has had a negative impact on our relationships. What I learned during the film's production, through the interviews, is that many African-Americans blame, for example, Africans for selling them into slavery. This is a theme that comes up often. I was surprised that, after all these centuries, this resentment persists, but it really persists. And rather than being on the defensive, we should all together, Africans and African-Americans, sit down and have a dialogue, a constructive conversation about our common history. Explain really what happened. And, if need be, apologize to African-Americans and try to tie up our relationship, because the black slave trade really starts those relationships.

What were the reactions after the film in Ghana and Ivory Coast ?

Unfortunately, I have not yet had the opportunity to present it in Africa, but I hope I can do it. I say that too, because recently in Côte d'Ivoire, there was a ceremony of apology to African-Americans and all African descendants of slaves for our participation in the slave trade. So, I think this movie will be able to further inform people and help trigger a conversation on the subject.

Several characters in the film quote Barack Obama as builder of bridges and bridges between the two communities. With Donald Trump, what has changed ?

Let's say that racism has gone up a notch in the United States. Not that it did not exist before, but before people were hiding a little more. Now they are doing it uncovered and it's becoming dangerous. Otherwise, I believe that the division [between Africans and African-Americans] has come out. Already, in the days of Barack Obama, there was a certain division, but his presence had rallied all blacks and everyone identified with him. Today, with Donald Trump, a phenomenon is emerging: ADOS (American Descendants of Slavery). This is a group of African-Americans, descendants of slaves, who stand out from any African and any Black in the United States who is not descendant of slaves or who is not an American descendant slaves. In fact, they appropriate the "Americanness" of blacks in the United States. For example, they stand out from the blacks of the continent and also Blacks of the Caribbean. They consider themselves as "pure" African-Americans. With their attitude, I have the impression that there is a kind of xenophobia developing. And all this happened after the advent of Donald Trump.

What do you expect from the screening in Paris, France ?

I am especially looking to see how the theme of this film fits into the reality of relations between African immigrants in the United States and the French descendants of slaves.

► Black N Black , documentary by Zadi Zokou, screened Sunday, September 8 at 19:45 at 7 Parnassiens cinema, Paris, followed by a debate with the director.

► The program of the 9th International Festival of Films of the African Diaspora (Fifda), from September 6 to 8, in Paris.