A woman has shared how she is constantly mistaken for being her partner’s lawyer – because of their difference in skin colour.
Kristina Savina, 29, and Sam Juma, 30, met while they were both holidaying in Cuba with friends and family, after hitting it off in a bar.
It was “love at first sight” – and the couple decided to move to Africa together just a week later.
They’ve now been together for seven years and share tidbits from their life on TikTok, (@kristinaandsam ), where they have amassed over 860,000 followers.
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Unfortunately, however, the pair frequently suffer racism and hate from people both in person and online – with others commenting on Kristina being white and Sam being black.
Others assume they are not a couple – assuming that Kristina is his lawyer or, when travelling, that Sam is Kristina’s tour guide.
Speaking about one such incident, Kristina told NeedToKnow: “We were walking together, holding travel documents, and someone asked if I was Sam’s lawyer.
“He has also been asked if he is my tour guide.
“Restaurant staff treat us differently too – they acknowledge me more, ask me more questions and give me more eye contact, whereas Sam tends to get dirty looks or stares.
“And with comments online, it’s just people wanting attention.
“We don’t lose sleep over it [how other people treat us / our relationship].
“Sam and I have created a solid foundation that won’t be destroyed.
“When you meet ‘The One’, nothing else matters.”
Sam and Kristina spent just a week together in Cuba before she flew with him back to his hometown in Africa.
She said: “It was a lot to take in all at once.
“I was very nervous considering I was leaving my family and moving to a whole completely different country.
“But I was also excited to start my new journey of life with Sam because I knew from the first time I saw him in that bar that it was love at first sight.
“Sam’s family and my family were not judgmental.
“They saw that we are happy with each other and love each other, and that’s all that matters.
“Love has no colours.
“My parents want the best for us and they could see the good in Sam, which made it very easy to move.”
The pair plan to marry in Africa soon.
Sam said: “We are staying in Africa as we found our peace here.
“Everything here is easy and the people are very kind.
“Kristina also gets treated like a queen everywhere she goes.
“The thing about Africans is that they love everyone.”
Although the pair have a very happy relationship, it can be tiresome to deal with the barrage of abuse online.
People often joke that Sam is using his partner for a “green card” or leave other cruel comments on their videos.
Kristina said: “I would like to encourage the world to continue to love each other and seek personality over colour.
“Sam and I are a prime example of that.”
Sam said: “By grace of God, our goal is to remain happy.
“We just want to stay care-free, take care of our families and build a school in Africa.”
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