Charlie Karumi highlights 'black privilege' he's experienced in the West

Canada-based Kenyan actor and former radio presenter Charles Karumi Maina has shared some of the peculiar occurrences he has experienced since moving abroad.

The 32-year-old who used to be a radio presenter and digital content creator took to his socials to highlight how to some extent he feels like white people are obsessed with African accents in general.

In his new “home country” Charlie has ventured into acting and things are looking quite swell for him after featuring in a couple of notable shows such as ‘So Help Me Todd’ and ‘Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,’ which he finds fascinating though is the fact that he has not been forced to pick up a “white accent.”

“When I moved here from Kenya, you read all of these audition scripts and like directions, they are like standard North American accents.

But then again two of the gigs I have gotten so far, yes it is because I am a good actor but also again it’s because the director was like uuhh I think I heard an accent, could you do that African? What is that? Is it African? I’m like it’s a Kenyan accent?”

Then he’s like yeah, do that,” Charlie said in a video he posted on his TikTok page.

Captioning the post, the former Homeboyz FM radio host went on to ask people their take on pursuing greener pastures abroad.

“The question: Is it better to maintain your original accent or adapt the accent of your new home? The answer according to me? Yes and both!” Wrote Charlie.

Responding to a curious TikTok user identified as KODJ who posed the question, ” Curious… so when you do the Kenyan accent, do you just speak normally?” Charlie noted it was a little different, like a blend of both worlds.

“Kinda, but not really but kinda. They start melding into one thing after a while,” wrote the 32-year-old budding actor.

Finishing up, he went on to share his aspirations to fully pursue acting especially in Hollywood North—Vancouver.

“I am going to be a movie star, it is really what I desire. I want to be in films and movie shows and am going to make that happen,”