Appelperentaart
“Appelperentaart” originated from a conversation between my sister Noradine (25) and me (22) about our Dutch-Ghanaian heritage. Both of us were born and raised in the Netherlands. Three years ago, Noradine moved to Ghana and has since delved deeper into Ghanaian culture. We discussed the impact her move has had on her cultural identity and how it has also indirectly impacted mine. While Noradine felt contentment, I felt uncertainty: uncertain about how Ghanaian I am, how Ghanaian I should be, and how Ghanaian she has become compared to me. I felt uncertain about who I am and who I am not. However, Noradine seemed to have figured out a simple explanation for the point at issue:
‘I am not just an apple pie or just a pear pie. I am an apple-pear pie.’
‘Ik ben niet alleen een appeltaart of alleen een perentaart. Ik ben een appelperentaart.’