African Italians
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African Italians are Italian citizens of African origin. A separation is normally made between "black" African Italians and Italians of North African descent.
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[edit] North Africans and Sub-Saharan Africans
North Africans are often treated separately due to cultural and demographic factors. Unlike North African immigrants a relatively high percent of recent sub-Saharan African immigrants to Italy have been women. In particular immigrants to Italy from Senegal and Cape Verde are over 80% female.[1] In addition North African immigrants are predominately Sunni Muslim where Cape Verdean immigrants are generally Christian. Senegalese are also Muslim, but have a stronger Sufism component than North Africans.
[edit] History
Africans and Black people have visited or lived in Italy since at least Roman times.[2] This declined after the fall of the Roman Empire, but the sixteenth century saw importation of African slaves. A notable example of this is Benedict the Moor.[3]
That stated most current African Italians are descendants of recent immigrants. Although Milan and other cities have second generation. Italy isn't known for being famous with "Black" Africans unlike its neighbor France, with a thriving "Black" African population. Italy is only known for having less then 15 thousand "Black" Africans in the whole country. immigrants.[4]
[edit] Other uses
The related term "Afro-Italian" is also at times used to describe people of mixed African and Italian descent. The term is not specific to those who live in, or are citizens of, Italy.
[edit] Notable African Italians
[edit] North Africans
- Josephine Bakhita - Catholic saint from Darfur
- Matteo Ferrari - Footballer from Algeria.
[edit] Sub-Saharan Africans
- Stefano Okaka Chuka - Italian footballer of Nigerian parentage.
- Christian Manfredini - Footballer from Côte d'Ivoire adopted by Italian parents at age 5.
[edit] Afro-Italians
- Nicole Alexander - American model and realty tv star
- Georgio Allentini - American musician
- Leila Arcieri - American model
- Lou Bega - German musician
- Traci Bingham - American actress best known for her role in Baywatch
- Corbin Bleu - American actor, model, dancer and vocalist
- Bizzy Bone- American rapper
- Roy Campanella - American baseball player
- Blu Cantrell - American R&B singer/model
- Mariah Carey - American signer/actress/producer/songwriter/model
- Suzette Charles - Former Miss America, was the first Italian-American, and the second African-American to win the title
- Imani Coppola - American singer/songwriter/musician
- Vin Diesel - American actor of Dominican, Mexican, German and Italian extraction
- Daphnée Duplaix - American actress of Haitian, French and Italian extraction
- Giancarlo Esposito - Denmark born, American actor
- Faith Evans - American R&B singer, once married to the late Biggie Smalls
- Susan Fales-Hill - Italian born American writer/producer; niece of legendary actress Diahann Carroll and sister of actor Enrico Fales
- Farrah Franklin - American singer former member of Destiny's Child
- Rick Fox - Canadian born, American basketball player
- Nikki Giovanni - American writer/novelist
- Noah Gray-Cabey - American actor best known for his role as Franklin Aloyisious Mumford on the tv series My Wife and Kids
- Justin Guarini - American born singer and former American Idol contestant; nephew of actor Samuel L. Jackson
- Taimak, Taimak Guarriello - American actor
- Franco Harris - American football Hall of Famer
- Mýa Harrison - American R&B singer
- Arissa Hill - American model and realty tv star best known for her role in MTV's The Real World: Las Vegas (Season 12)
- Frank G. Jackson - American politician
- Romina Johnson - London based American singer born in Romania; daughter of popular Afro-American/European singer Wess Johnson
- Jill Jones - American singer/songwriter
- Claudia Jordan - American actress
- Alicia Keys - American born singer/actress/musician/songwriter
- Jay Manuel - Canadian born fashion photographer/make-up artist
- Tom Morello - American rock guitarist; great-nephew of the first president elect of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta
- Prince Rogers Nelson - American Funk/R&B/Soul/Rock artist
- Nik Pace - American actress and model, and winner of America's Next Top Model Cycle 3
- Salli Richardson - American actress
- Ursula Rucker - American spoken-word recording artist
- Brooklyn Sudano - American actress; daughter of legendary Disco singer Donna Summer
- Sheree Zampino - American actress; ex-wife of actor/rapper Will Smith
- B.I.N.I. - African Norwegian rapper of Italian decent.
[edit] Fictional Afro-Italians
- Al Giardello - Father from Sicily.
[edit] References
- ^ UN Population Fund
- ^ International Journal of African Historical studies
- ^ Catholic Encyclopedia
- ^ Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, July, 2002 by Andall, Jacqueline
