Black Expat Channels That You Should Know!
I know, I know. It seems as though we have all been stuck inside forever. Covid-19 has kept all of us, within our respective country’s borders for far longer than most of us would or could have ever imagined. And while it may seem as though there is no end in sight, it is important to remember that one day the dark cloud will lift.
And when that day comes, you’ll already have your ticket and passport in hand because you will have already decided where to go—and possibly stay. So, without further ado, here are some Black Expat Youtubers that you should know. Watch them and learn what it is really like to pick up everything and move across the world!
All Things Iceland
While I know that traveling to Iceland has been all the rage over the past few years, it never particularly tickled my fancy. Even though I am from the Eastern United States and therefore am accustomed to frigid and and harsh winter, I tend not to travel to especially cold places on purpose. And since Iceland had the audacity to call 50 degree weather a warm summer day, I knew that it could never be the place for me.
That is until I watched Sorelle Amore’s idyllic road trip through a tourist free Iceland that I decided that perhaps this amazing country has something even an Arctic hater like me. And while I love Sorelle’s style and eye, she and I, well, we have different travel experiences. So, a few days ago when I stumbled across Jewell’s channel, I knew that I had found a gem. Yes, the pun is intended!
Jewell is sweet and personable and her channel is full of informative and entertaining information. She has been living in Iceland for years, which gives her a real authority on what it is like to be black and foreign in a place that is very, very, very cold. And white.
So, if you are looking to traveling or moving to this volcanic ice block, Jewell is something that you need to know.
Who among us hasn’t dreamed of having a fresh start in France. For Black Americans, Paris has long been a place of refuge and artistic freedom American forms of racism and white supremacy. I could and one day will go into the fact that this is possible because European countries pretend like places like Haiti don’t exist.
But I digress.
The reality is that many of us would love to pick up and move to Paris. But unlike many popular expat locales in the global south, Paris isn’t exactly cheap and immigrating there isn’t exactly easy. Unless you have a trust fund or a substantial amount of savings, you WILL need to have a job. That is why I love Tiffany’s channel so much. Unlike many in the travel sphere, Tiffany clear and obviously has a job. In fact, she got her job in Paris while she was already living there. And no, she doesn’t teach English!
What does she do and how did she do it? Well, that would just be too easy. To learn about how to make your Parisian dreams come true, head on over to Tiffany’s channel.
Almost Parisienne
This was quite literally the first channel I ever found completely dedicated to living and moving abroad as Black women. And of course, they are in my dream if not, complicated city—Paris. Now while these ladies have not updated their channel in quite a while, I am confident that they will come back and delight us all about what it is like to live and work in Paris!
The original title for her channel was literally “I am American” in Koren written phonetically in English. I don’t quite remember how to say let alone spell it, but I do remember that it had approximately 14 letters. Trying to find her videos would have been virtually impossible without autofill. But despite the hurdles, I am glad that I never lost track of her channel.
Suffice it to say, Megan has been on Youtube for a LONG TIME. Her first upload was over 8 years ago. And in that time, she has literally hundreds of videos and nearly 800,000 subscribers. As a result, if you want to know anything, and I mean anything, about what it is like to live, move and marry in South Korea, Megan is your girl.
I’ve literally watched her evolve from an EPIK teacher to a married Korean citizen. And honestly, it has been such a fun ride. Check out her channel and find out for yourself!
This is by and large the most informative expat channel that I have ever seen on Youtube. While most of the channels that I have listed focus on a singular narrative, Black in Japan is an interview based channel. As a result, they are about to cover various topics, experiences and perspectives that you might not otherwise have.
Here you’ll meet everyone to a Black female lawyer living and working in Japan, to entrepreneurs to a young Black girl who was born and raised in a small Japanese country town. If ever you are looking to move to Japan or simply expand your horizons, this is the channel for you!
While most of the people on this list have unusual perspectives, Jasmine Ama’s Youtube channel a truly unique perspective to life as an immigrant/expatriate/repatriate. Born in Australia to Ghanian parents, Jasmine spent the first 5 years of her life in down under before returning with her family to Ghana for the next 12 years. When it was time to attend university, she returned again to Australia. After graduating, she worked as a social worker for 7 years. But she then decided to follow her bliss and head back to Ghana as an adult.
Whew! Talk about s globe trotter!
Thus, as both a native and an expat Jasmine’s is able to access and explain aspects of Ghanian culture that others simply cannot. While she teaches her views about the basics of living in West Africa, she also has a series of “day in the life” videos that, as an outsider, are truly enlightening. Among my personal favorites are the “A Day in the Life of a Typical Ghanian Market Woman” and “How Ghanians Weave This Traditional Cloth.”
So, if you are looking to relocate or are just curious about what it means to live in Ghana, check out the Jasmine Ama’s channel. You won’t be disappointed.
Expat Life Ghana
If you are still looking to head to Ghana, but need a step-by-step guide to lead you through it, this is the channel for you. But if you are wondering, out of the 54 countries in Africa, why are you so stuck on Ghana? Well, Ghanaian tourism guide has been actively trying to reach out to African Americans. This culminated last year with the 2019 “Year of Return Celebrations” a year long festival to commemorate 400 years after the first enslaved Africans were brought to Virginia.
Since then, many African Americans have been looking further into moving to Ghana. And one such couple who chose to answer the call is Tony and Ayo Jones.
Midwest born, Texas bred, this couple gives their audience the exact thing they need to know before heading abroad—the truth. Among the most popular videos on their channel is “Ten Things We Hate About Ghana.” But it is not what you think. Far from bashing the young West African nation, Tony and Ayo just spin the unpleasant realities of life on the Gold Coast.
And they are not wrong—at least according to the Ghanians both on the continent and abroad in their comment section. If you learn nothing else from me and my website, understand that life in general and travel in particular is just about managing a series of trade offs. While the upside of life in Ghana may be the friendly people, communal spirit and calm-down pace, the downside may be the corruption, disorganization and lack of infrastructure.
That’s just life.
So, if you are looking to take a leap from the West to West Africa, check out Expat Life Ghana. Tony and Ayo will teach you everything you need to know!
