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Percentage of Blacks in Singapore

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nickyt30
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Percentage of Blacks in Singapore

Post by nickyt30 » Sat, 09 Sep 2006 3:32 am

Hello,

I will be relocating to Singapore in 3 months. Are there many blacks/african americans in Singapore? Does anyone know of a hairdresser who can perm the hair type of black females? Thanks for the anticipated responses?

hei guess what
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Post by hei guess what » Sat, 09 Sep 2006 9:31 am

Don't know the numbers but there certainly are Africans living in Singapore; ranging from those direct from Africa to those who were born and bred in Europe and US.

Many footballers were recruited as teenagers from African countries like Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, etc.

As for food, it ranges from upmarket restaurants to simple hawker-style food such as:

MamaAfrica
http://www.restaurantsweb.com/restauran ... /index.htm
African Heartbeat has closed down.

C.L.E.
http://wineanddine.asiaone.com.sg/gdfd/ ... 2_001.html

nickyt30
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Post by nickyt30 » Sun, 10 Sep 2006 9:36 am

Thanks for your response. What I also needed to know was about beauticians who style the hair of black women.

Thanks.

Nicole.

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Post by one843 » Mon, 11 Sep 2006 8:03 am

Nicky,
I am from US. I am white man with curly hair. I have a hard time finding someone to cut my hair. Most of the stylist here are asian and they are used to cutting straight black hair.
There are white people here that cut hair due to the expat population here. But you will find that prices in those beuty shops should be much more.
Also a little heads up. Some of the people here do not know what an African American is. They really cant tell the difference between a colored person from Nigeria and a colored person from New York.
All colored people are refered to with the same name that was used in the United States 200 years ago.

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Wind In My Hair
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Post by Wind In My Hair » Mon, 11 Sep 2006 6:33 pm

one843 wrote:Some of the people here do not know what an African American is. They really cant tell the difference between a colored person from Nigeria and a colored person from New York.
Ok now I'm curious. How does one tell the difference just by looking and without waiting to hear the person speak? I would guess by the dress but other than that I don't think I could tell the difference. Just as I can't tell between a white European and a white American just by looking. And I suppose most westerners couldn't tell between a Chinese Singaporean and a Chinese mainlander, nor an Indian Singaporean and an Indian from India.

Having said that, I can usually tell a Korean, Japanese, and PRC Chinese apart, as can most locals though it seems to baffle westerners. So perhaps it's just a matter of knowing what to look for?

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Post by Plavt » Mon, 11 Sep 2006 7:35 pm

Wind In My Hair wrote: Ok now I'm curious. How does one tell the difference just by looking and without waiting to hear the person speak?


Surprised you don't know WIMH, I always thought physiognomy was an ancient Chinese art. :P Actually there are certain physical characteristics about people that indicate their ethnicity. This is not always possible but I notice the Skin colouring of Korean men is often different from both Chinese and Japanese people. I know a black lady here in London who can easily identify Somalis and other races different to her own. Americans can sometime be identified by their behaviour which is somewhat different to us stiff upper lipped brits. For example they often sit differently and use cutlery a little differently. There are all sorts of little indicators displayed by race or nationality, some you notice some you don't.

Plavt.

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Post by Wind In My Hair » Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:03 am

Plavt wrote:Surprised you don't know WIMH, I always thought physiognomy was an ancient Chinese art. :P
There you have it, Plavt. Unlike some of our esteemed posters, I'm not ancient! :P

You're right that behaviours are easier to work with. It's easy to tell when a group is American for example. And once they open their mouths, it's a dead giveaway. Just like with Singaporeans. But I was referring to just observing the facial features of two silent people. Then it's hard to tell, isn't it?

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Post by one843 » Tue, 12 Sep 2006 7:49 am

It is the whole package. Hair, clothes, stride, body language. Of course you are never positive untill someone speaks.
Like Windy said it still amazes me how a local can tell a Japanese from a Chinese.
It come down to what you are used to.
I would also assume that the longer on is away from there native land the harder it would be to spot a fellow countryman.
Singaporean. How to spot them? Easy! The person that cuts in front of you at the minimart or the girl that pulls the slingshot move into the turnstile for the MRT. Thats the Singaporean.

Just pokeing fun. No offense meant. :lol: :D

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Post by kntiamoah » Fri, 18 Jun 2010 3:12 pm

the website for mama africa doesn't work anymore.

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Post by Strong Eagle » Fri, 18 Jun 2010 3:32 pm

kntiamoah wrote:the website for mama africa doesn't work anymore.
The one for the restaurant in Cape Town works just fine.

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Re: Percentage of Blacks in Singapore

Post by JR8 » Fri, 18 Jun 2010 4:02 pm

nickyt30 wrote:Hello,

I will be relocating to Singapore in 3 months. Are there many blacks/african americans in Singapore? Does anyone know of a hairdresser who can perm the hair type of black females? Thanks for the anticipated responses?

Blacks seem to be roughly split into two social groups in SG.

The first are (apparently) young men who have arrived from Africa with, in return for a large fee, the promise of a job that never materialises. They are then left here in some kind of limbo with nowhere to go. You will find a mini-community hanging out at the cafes behind the Park Royal hotel on Kitchener Road.

Then you also have blacks/AA's/A-Brits/A-French etc amongst the expat community. Not many though. I'll be honest and say that even I might do a double take if I saw a black person. Living outside of the Holland/Ex-pat hubba (i.e. D12 Toa Payoh) I only saw a black person in SG maybe once every 2-3 months.

Considering some of the racist back-chat that I got as a male-cauc (that my local wife helpfully translated (when she could stifle the laughs)), and how xenophobic swathes of the population can be, you are going to have to expect a lot of staring. Crikey I've even had 'them' stop dead in their tracks in front of me and look me up and down at length, as if I am some kind of startling museum exhibit lol...

re: hair. Can't help you there! But as has been suggested I reckon Afri-hair is going to be so unfamiliar to the local salons, that any hope will lie in expat-ville. Do you have any contact with any African embassies in SG? Or why not just pick one, claim to be a national, and e-mail them. This is (for them) a simple enquiry, and more entertaining that most of the daily grind i expect.

Good luck.

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Post by morenangpinay » Mon, 21 Jun 2010 9:57 am

on the hairstylist, maybe this will help

http://forum.singaporeexpats.com/ftopic65798.html

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Post by FlyingScotsman » Mon, 21 Jun 2010 8:11 pm

one843 wrote:It is the whole package. Hair, clothes, stride, body language. Of course you are never positive untill someone speaks.
Like Windy said it still amazes me how a local can tell a Japanese from a Chinese.
:D
The Japanese carry REAL Louis Vuitton 8-)
Hey ho...

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