We met for the first time. We looked similar to one another. At least by the color of our skin. He's from Gambia and I on the other hand am from... well, about that.
I guarantee the majority of you reading this can say what regions or areas your ancestors were from. But I cannot say where I or my people are from. When I met Al, the guy from Gambia whom I mentioned earlier, I felt disconnected. I felt torn and awkward because he asked me where I was from. I told him I had no clue where in Africa my family was from specifically but I knew I was from the Motherland.
Immigrants HUH Ben Carson?
My reluctance to claim America as my true home stems from the fact that, well, it isn't my true home. Or at least it wasn't supposed to be. My ancestors did not come to America knowingly or willingly to seek a "better" life the way most immigrants come to this country. No, my people were stolen, literally kidnapped from Africa and bound with chains and shackles, stuffed into dungeon-like ships, transported thousands of miles away from home, and treated worse than pigs when they finally made it to shore. Millions of husbands were ripped away from the arms of their wives and mothers prayed everyday for the return of their children whom they would never see again.
The history of my people is lost due to the slave trade, slavery, and the industry that was slavery. Big money was made on the backs of black skin and that money is still in circulation today benefiting mostly people that look nothing like me. The reason why I feel like my people are all victims of cultural identity theft is that most African-Americans can only trace their roots back to their Great Grandparents, if that.
Many factors make up a culture. Three crucial parts of any culture are language, beliefs, and history.
3 Steps to Erase Culture
Step 1: Take away the native language
There are countless languages spoken in Africa. In a slave ship, it wasn't uncommon to be chained to someone who doesn't understand anything you're saying. This was step one in losing our culture. Someone's name is their biggest identifier, whenever someone asks you, "so tell me a little about yourself," we almost always lead with, "well, my name is _____ and I'm from ____." When the ship made it to shore and people were sold to the highest bidder, they were also stripped of their African names (usually descriptive of their tribe) and given new, European first and sometimes last names. (If you've seen ROOTS, you know how trying to hold on to something as sacred as your own name was STRONGLY discouraged. SPOILER ALERT: The name Toby was literally beaten into Kunta Kinte). After arriving at the plantation, the Africans were forced to learn and speak English because that's the language their captors spoke and there was no longer anyone to converse with in their native African tongue.
Step 2: Take away beliefs
Along with the English language, the bible was also beaten into the brains of black people (a misconstrued version might I add). After being brought to the Americas, black people were no longer allowed to practice their religious beliefs and were forced to take on Christianity.
Step 3: Erase history
Our history was taken away from us because the stories of our ancestors could only be passed down so far. Since it was illegal for black people in America to read and write, many were illiterate. The idea was to keep the slave's body strong and their minds weak. I don't know where my people were from in Africa because my parents don't know, because their parents didn't know, and because our ancestors weren't allowed to talk about it. Fast forward several hundred years and here I am, a black man identifying as African first and an African-American second but either way it goes I have no clue where exactly the African part comes from.
My quest to find my true identity will continue although it is a very painful and angering journey. Think about this for a second. Tens of millions of Africans died on their way to the new world. Someone in my family survived this horrible journey. We as black people are overcomers and innovators. We literally had to reinvent ourselves and create our own culture out of nothing and we are still doing this today. We have had to build and create things from nothing and still we get no credit for what we have done to make America such a "great" country. Our music, stolen. Our dance moves, stolen. Our beauty, stolen. Our swag and slang, stolen. Our inventions, stolen. Our athletic abilities, exploited. But here we are. We are hunted and outcasted but we remain. We are warriors. We are fighters. We are BLACK. We are STRONG. We are AFRICAN.
That is one of the worst crimes committed in human history, and reminds us worst kinds of oppressions humans are capable of. Ben C doesn't know what is talking about half of the time.
While it is important to know the history and learning the cultural/historical identity, it is equally important not to fall into a trap of tribal mentality. All people should be united against any kind of oppression.
What do you mean by the tribal mentality?
I don't know what I am talking about.
That's comforting. . . You say something, then have no idea what your intended message was with the words you wrote. I hate that about this generation. Too afraid to elaborate on what they could or could not have wrong, to the point that future discussions are halted out of fear of doing something undesired. Progress is made by sometimes hard understandings.
I actually wrote the answer. Then I didn't like it and edited.
Majority of people who hear people like @humanearl talk on a subject like this, they are quick to say 'don't talk about slavery', but they fail to realize that although there are problems in talking about slavery, there are bigger problems in not talking about slavery. Some people let their worries about the subject deter them from giving slavery the attention it deserves.
Am so proud of you @humanearl for relating this issue wonderfully well, to our present day situation of knowing who we truly are and where we come from.
When we don't talk about slavery, we participate in making “the great rift” between blacks and whites deeper and wider. Moreover, it’s an unpleasant history,thats why Ben Carson had to use the word 'immigrants', trying to polish slavery. Surely slavery, which caused and underlies this rift, was the most pervasive single issue in our past. Consider that contention about slavery forced the Whig Party to collapse; caused the main Protestant churches to separate, North and South; and prompted the Republican Party to form.
Yes its a sensitive issue, but like a proverb said in my country, 'if you don't know when the rain started beating you, you'll never know when it stopped'
Knowing where we come from will happen us know where we ought to be headed to.
Telling black people in america to not talk about slavery is like telling the Jews to not talk about the holocaust. Makes no sense.
I know black America has been at the fore front of speaking and working against racism. You guys are doing a really good job.
I personally don't go on protests and stuff, but I carry out my own orientation by speaking to young black people, letting them know they are special especially in God's sight, that He sent His only Son to die for them.
Making them realize that they are not inferior to anyone, from any country.
I feel it's just my little way of giving back to the society
Thanks again,your blessing is well appreciated
Nice post @humanearl. I really love this. God bless you. I really wish you success on your quest.
History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, however, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” In so many ways, the American experience is the African American experience. In every development of our country’s history, every step that has made America better is tied to African American lives, patriotism and sacrifice. Indeed, profits from slavery provided a reservoir of capital that allowed America to grow into a world power. The image of America as a just society is stained by the lack of moral reparations and fair treatment for a group of its earliest and most loyal laborers and residents.
That is why the moral debt is what most concerns me. African Americans helped force America to live up to its stated ideals. This nation’s sense of citizenship, its notion of liberty, its understanding of justice for all owes a debt to the African American; these are the people who believed in the promise of America, and who, by their struggles, helped make that promise more accessible to all.
How does a nation repay its moral debt? The greatest repayment would be to ensure that African Americans now and generations from now, have access to quality education, affordable health care and neighborhoods that are safe. That would make all those who once suffered smile, because they didnt suffer in vain. I really love looking forward to your kind of reasoning. Really have a lot to say, but let me rest it here. Thank you foe giving me the opportunity to voice how i feel.
Reparations for African americans would be in the trillions of dollars. That's how much we have contributed to the building of this country. I'm glad you voiced how you feel. We need healthy and honest dialogue regarding history and the reality many people face today.
Yeah, i couldnt agree more @humanearl. The accomplishments of African Americans and their contributions to our society have
been left out of most history books. Therefore, most African Americans do not know of
their contributions to history.
Slaves performed all kinds of jobs within the United States of America. They worked
on plantations and in the towns or cities at various kinds of occupations whether they
were skilled, semi-skilled or unskilled. The slave labor helped to build the United States
into the great country it is today. Enslaved African labor was necessary for the survival
of European colonial economies in the Americas from the 16th through the 19th centuries.
The slaves from West and Central Africa imported the knowledge of growing rice,
which grew well in their land, to South Carolina and Georgia. The slaves taught the slave
owners how to cultivate this crop. Rice did not grow in Great Britain. Other foods that
came from Africa were watermelon, black-eyed peas, sorghum, okra, and millet.
I want to firstly say that I love the pictures you have used here @humanearl. Even without you saying anything, they already pass their message vividly.
Am proud to be African. I refuse to accept the distorted definition the world chooses to give me. My race will always carry a torch and fight for our right to be as equal as any white person that steps foot on this earth. Everyday we fight for our freedom in the land of the Free. Everyday we fight for our lives, so that we can go home to our loved ones. Everyday we fight for the right to keep our lives after an altercation with an officer of the law, and I use that term loosely.
We are fighters, taking on a fight that we shouldn't of had to fight in the first place.
I am proud of my pigment, the color on my arms does not define me, but prompt me to be stronger. I am proud that I am of color, I want to be different and I want someone to notice me when I walk out in this sea of Ivory. I want you to see my accomplishments, my features exaggerated way beyond the social normality. I want the world to notice that caramel is a color and that ivory will never cover my dark palette.
Thank you @humanearl for this wonderful post, re-establishing the fact that I have to be proud of my heritage as an african
Your post is warming and I'm glad we share like minds. Take pride in being African because we were literally forced to hate each other. We have to change the narrative and that's exactly why I wrote this. I pray we heal together and help our fellow man to do the same.
A big amen to that. Divide and conquer, is exactly the principle being applied here. They make you think your African brother is the problem, and they are your friends.
We have to keep working hard to spread thus wonderful message you have written here. I'll surely resteem this.
A big amen to us healing together, and as we move towards this healing together, nothing can stop us, our potentials are so enormous.
If under this conditions, we have been able to achieve all these breakthroughs, then imagine what we would achieve if given the same level playing ground.
Just imagine what we could do is right. Thanks for your thoughts
Please, Ive been doing a lot of studies on this subject of slavery, and how to affects our present day life, especially in the case of racism.
Racism is found everywhere today, especially against blacks.
So I wanted to know, please I there a connection between slavery and racism?
A very important question.
Slavery is a fact of how an individual is held and required to work for his/her master. Racism is obnoxious behavior toward an individual or group of individuals based on their race. There is some speculation that once a group of people has been held in slavery, it is easier for others to treat them in a racist way. It is also true that the same prejudice which would allow one to hold a human being in slavery could also express itself in racist behavior.
Hope this helps.
Thanks for giving a response to this question. Hmm, well said. This really does justice to the question. Just like in the Bible where the Israelite were held in slavery in Egypt, and later on the Romans saw them as an inferior race. And it was a shock to find out that the Savior of the whole world came from that 'inferior' race.
Thanks a lot. This opens my eyes to the link between slavery and racism.
Originally, slavery had nothing to do with racism either in the ancient world or in colonial North America, but simply existed as an economic arrangement favoring those who enslaved forced labor. In the classical world, victorious armies often enslaved captives of war. Moreover, debtors who could not work off their debts found themselves sold into slavery. However, when a group of people with identifiable racial characteristics had been in slavery for a several generations, their physical characteristics helped them be more easily identified as slaves:
Yes. Slavery is not a new thing. It has been going on forever. So we have either voluntary slavery or involuntary slavery to sum up what you mentioned. I tried to get people to understand my post with the understanding that this was NOT voluntary slavery at all. We did not come willingly or to seek a better life as Mr. Carson stated.
Hmm. Very true. I believe Mr Carson was trying to sugar coat what he knew was slavery. Immigration is voluntary, while slavery is involuntary.
Thanks so much @humanearl and @blessing2002 for the answers. They really helped alot.
I just pray this movement will not end here, but will get to a lot of people for we need this mindset restructuring.
I feel racism is a consequence of slavery. Because people of black skin were forced into slavery, and their lands exploited, this led to a stigma being placed on people of that skin color.
That's where racism gets its power from.
Also because those lands were exploited, it is kind of much harder for those lands to catch up with those in the west. And because of thus 'backwardness' it seems to give fuel to racism.
I feel this is the connection.
The Scramble For Africa
Racism and slavery known to black people in America has a big brother. His name is WHITE SUPREMACY. You see black bodies are seen as disposable. This is why it is easy for cops to gun us down without consequence most of the time. We are seen as disposable or non human which is why so many justified enslaving us.
Many times ethnic groups that tend to see themselves better as another ethnic group will see the "lesser" group as disposable. This can lead to not only slavery but genocide, torture, discrimination, etc.
This is just so unfortunate.I really loved the video on 'scramble for africa'. The funniest part of the whole thing is that it all starts as a little dissatisfaction with a person of color, probably because of that person's behavior, and before you know it, a generalized mindset based on this fallacy is planted, and thenb to the generalize mindset that all people of color are that way, and this grew grow to bigger things like hatred and slavery.
Hmm, am still trying to recover from the wonderful impact your last post on living your dreams had on me @humanearl, and now this one.
You could not have put it any better.
The part that got to me was the religion part. You know, the slave masters of then used 'Christianity' as a weapon of slavery. You know when people hear you say this, they think you are anti Christian. No, God forbid. I am a full bornagain Christian with all of my heart, but what those slave masters did was to twart God's word.
IT so happened that Slaves frequently were moved to hold their own religious meetings out of disgust for the vitiated gospel preached by their masters’ preachers. The preacher usually came and, he’d just say, ‘Serve your masters. Don’t steal your master’s turkey. Don’t steal your master’s chickens. Don’t steal your master’s hawgs. Don’t steal your master’s meat. Do whatsomever your master tells you to do.’ Same old thing all the time. Sometimes the slaves would want a real meetin’ with some real preachin’. They used to sing their songs in a whisper and pray in a whisper.
These false preachers never edifices their spirit or told them words that would lift their spirit up. It was all a means to keep them in bondage, rather than to free them.
This was not what Christ came for. He came to set the captive free.
Am glad this wonderful post of yours is coming now, so that we will start to give the issue of cultural heritage a serious thought.
You are exactly right in that God's word was twisted and used as a weapon. Those who called themselves Christians and also slave masters is a head scratcher.
True, so true. It's just so sad to see that the devil could use men to use the word of God that was meant to bless lives, as a weapon of negativity.
Its really a head scratch, and am so grateful to God that He rose up men in those days to do what you are doing now. Men that chose not to keep their mouths shut, but to stand for who they are. You might not be a.martin Luther king Jr, but I like the fact that you are making a change in your own way, in your own area. God bless your work.
Your post deeply touched my hearts and opened my eyes to what most african-american people may be going through. I fervently hope your success with your quest. It will not be just for yourself but for everyone who feels the same but just doesn't have the courage to talk.
Such a wonderful way to gracefully write on such a sensitive topic. You have really brought to light a very significant part of the African history.
You know, language is so important in the life of a person. It's the definition of the culture and heritage of the person.
The slave masters knew this that's why they went all out to take it away.
To emphasize my point, I'll like to point out, just as you have, a famous scene in the landmark 1977 series Roots, which shows the moment when language is recognised as being significant in the fight for power – for the Africans, in our struggle for liberation, for slave masters, in their plan to dominate a whole set of people by violent and cultural means. The scene shows Kunta Kinte being tortured to force him to relinquish his African name, after he was caught again trying to escape the plantation. Other enslaved Africans are gathered to witness him being whipped to within an inch of his life, with his slave master demanding that he accept the European name of Toby.
From a physical perspective the battle was grossly unequal, with Kunta’s arms and legs bound. But from a psychological perspective, the fight was by no means one-sided, with Kunta having to be severely beaten before he finally conceded. Both Kunta and tha slave master recognised that language is power, with the overseer determined to prevent the enslaved from holding on to any sense of self-worth, pride, or notion of individual and cultural empowerment. When Kunta does eventually concede, even his enslaved family and friends look disappointed – since his surrender marks a significant moment in the defeat their liberation struggle.
Till this day, this sight of defeat is still very visible, until we make efforts to get back to our roots, to what makes us blacks.
We have to understand pass it to our children that there is no shame in being black, but that black is our heritage.
Till this day indeed. we are still traumatized by what happened hundreds of years ago. We have not received the proper therapy to help us recover from all that. So yes there are still signs of defeat but now we have power. We can change the narrative and we will take back our lives and our minds. I pray we help one another to heal, love one another, and take pride of our African heritage. Thanks.
Very true. We have power now. We are no longer those slaves who saw themselves as weak and indigent.
We have all it takes to take our lives back. But like you said, it all starts with the mind. The more we renew our minds in God's word, and through books and posts like this, we get reoriented.
We can never achieve this if we are divided.we must work together as one. Division was the strategy used in slavery, taking your country men who spoke your language away from you. We have to speak one language, the language of true freedom and true liberation.
This is such an awesome piece. Thanks @humanearl for writing a post on a topic so dear to the African race and culture.
This was a law in Alabama, 1833, section 33,
'Any free person of color who shall write for any slave a pass or free paper, on conviction thereof, shall receive for every such offense, thirty-nine lashes on the bare back, and leave the state of Alabama within thirty days thereafter...'
Source - Wikipedia
All they wanted was for there to be no form of communication. They first took away the indigenous language of the slaves, and then took away any form of communication between them.
The languages that slaves spoke originally were varied; there was no single language that they all spoke. Some examples include the Yaruba, Igbo, and Hausa languages, all of which were from tribes in present day Nigeria, which happened to be where most slaves going to the 13 colonies and the West Indies came from.
Every slave importing country/colony in the new world had differing manners of "integrating" slaves into their system. In the US it was common practice for slave owners to outlaw native languages and religion. There are various reasons for this but the main two being that it was believed that they would be more easily controlled and produce children (more slaves), and the fear of revolt (native languages cold be used for slaves to organize themselves).
It's so unfortunate that all these were founded in selfish reasons.
But am so grateful to God that no matter how much they try to take it all away, they can never take away our skin color. That's our heritage that no man can take away.
Thanks for such a wonderful piece.
One of my good friends is of the Igbo. I love hearing him speak in his language. It is simply powerful. This is why I really love hearing African languages spoken because I feel so connected to it even though it has been disconnected from me. If that makes sense.
Ah is that so. Hmm, am actually igbo by tribe too.My name is Emeka (pronounced 'Air-ma-car'. hope this helps) Seems we have so much in connection.
Yah African languages are very powerful. It unites us somuch. When a person speaks your language, you just feel this bond between the both of you, you just feel like you have known for a really long time.
Am glad you feel connected to it. It makes things more personal to me.
Well I'm glad I got to meet you. It's cool to know that you are Igbo
Great post i must say.
You really made my day by this.
I love the part you said keep the slave's body strong and their minds weak
Mental Slavery is far more sinister than physical slavery because the chains are invisible and are transmitted across generations. If African slavery was only physical, African people would have within one generation been able to skip the plethora of social-economic issues which plague African people globally the second the chains came off. Even when Abraham Lincoln issued his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation, in which he declared that as of January 1, 1863, all slaves in states in rebellion against the Union "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free", most slaves were not free because of they couldnt even read those proclamations on the walls on streets. They were not educated, their minds were weak. So most of them remained in bondage even after being declared free. Bcos most of our parents were not educated, they didnt know what freedom was then, they had no idea where they were from.
Your observations of the conditions of black life in America today versus the state and condition of the African in “Roots” was spot on. Great reflections on our culture, spirituality, and even some possible options. Wonderful writing.
Africa is rising albeit slowly due to the continued exploitation of it's resources by foreign countries. And yes to your point about mental slavery. It is the hardest thing to battle because we have literally been conditioned to think and act a certain way. We have to reprogram ourselves and tap back into our African roots.
Very true my friend @humanearl. I have read wide about this bcos i really see how we have been used. Africa has suffered the worst genocide and holocaust at the hands of the architects of slavery and colonialism. What is called “European Renaissance” was the worst darkness for Africa’s people. Armed with the technology of the gun and the compass it copied from China, Europe became a menace for Africa against her spears. So-called “civilised” Europe also claiming to be “Christian” came up with the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade. There was massive loss of African population and skills. As if slavery had not already done enough damage to Africa’s people, European leaders met in Germany from December 1884 to February 1885 at the imperialist Berlin Conference. The Belgian King Leopold stated the purpose of the Berlin Conference as “How we should divide among ourselves this magnificent African cake.”
Its really painful
Europe progressed at the downfall and destruction of other people groups.
Yes. You are making a lot of sense @bridgetoby and @humanearl.
There were some acts perpetrated by Belgium in the Congo in the name of “Western Christian Civilisation.” “Each village was ordered by the authorities to collect and bring in a certain amount of rubber – as much as the men could bring in by neglecting all work for their own maintenance.
If they failed to bring the required amount, their women were taken away and kept as hostages...in the harems of colonial government employees. If this method failed...troops were sent to the village to spread terror, if necessary by killing some of the men...they were ordered to bring one right hand amputated from an African victim for every cartridge used. Can you imagine this. But see us today, what they thought we could not be or achieve, we are at the fore front of development in those countries.
This is probably the first example I can pull up to many of my conservative friends and family on why black people still have hurts from the past. I used to agree with conservatives on a lot because I've seen black people who only talk about stuff like this and then blame modern white people for it. Without some major digging, these things are never going to be recovered, which makes me a little sad and a little angry. My ancestors were Irish-Native American, German-Jew. And we still had documentation going further back. I can only imagine how frustrating this must be to someone trying to find their roots. Trying to find one's self before the winds of time blow it away. You gotta look inward first and then outward. Find the beginning of yourself and then by extension, you'll be surprised how much is connected to who you are in the center.
Exceptionl writing i must say. Huge point being made here. So many things to talk about.
We are going to emancipate ourselves from mental slavery because whilst others might free the body, none but ourselves can free the mind. Mind is your only ruler, sovereign. The man who is not able to develop and use his mind is bound to be the slave of the other man who uses his mind.– Marcus Garvey
It is critical that we understand the slave mind: Not the slave mouth. You can train someone to say anything; they can say “I am 100% for transforming African people” but deep inside the mind is that little slave who only wants “a more comfortable cage“. So when African agency and African economics hit reality they freeze up and go into slave attack mode to preserve the cage environment.
During slavery the scraps and leftovers of food and apparel went to the enslaved Africans. Today the crumbs, the fat from the used bones of Western propaganda still are staples of the diet of the subaltern. I agree that these slave masters took control of our thinking and rather made our bones stronger, our parents couldnt even remember our history anylonger, how could this history be passed down. There was no time for mums to spend with their child. Our crucial parts were taken away from us. I really understand you when you say that the quest is painful and angering. May God help you out. Your heart desires will be met.
Our minds can be our own prison. It will take time for us to heal. We have to embrace our African heritage.
We really need to embrace it so much. Every individual should seek to define his- or herself in a way that suits them. That’s what makes you, you.
Sure, giving our children traditional African names or occasionally dressing in kente cloth or standing for the Black National Anthem is fun, but actually embracing Africa is another story.
For black people in America, there is nothing that keeps us from embracing the African continent. There is, however, a chain that binds us to Europe and Western standards, that causes us to view Africa as the “other” rather than the “origin” that it is, not just for black people in the US, but for the entire World.. But thid mindset should be changed. We should be prous of our rrue origin of being African. Thank you so much @humanearl, this is a topic i am passionate about.
Our ancestors didnt have the chance to pass down our culture and origins really.
Slavery is one of the worst event ever recorded in America's history. After all this, Europeans decided they needed people to work for them, but for FREE. Enslaved Africans were the first type of slaves in history to be owned by law, and were treated as property that could be sold, beaten, or killed at owners consent. Slavery stripped Black people of common human rights, tore apart societies, and is one of the worst events to ever happen to a group of people. Its really painful that most culture, belief and traditions were thrown away during slavery. What a horrible time it would have been for our parent's parents. I really pray you achieve your goal. We made them great.
For FREE as you said. We have literally built america.
I can't even imagine the evils that took place during those times. But I do know that is was pure evil what happened.
A lot of bad things really happened of which most was not recorded @humanearl. Africans were treated not only as sub-humans, they were denied basic rights such as education and the right to land for decent housing, farming, mining and fishing.
Just wanted to ask a question to those concerned, bcos i also have this at heart to.
What African country do African Americans originate from?
Pls your reply will also be beneficial to me and probably to @humanearl
Thank you all
There is no one country in Africa from which African-Americans originate. While historical and DNA records show that most of us have ancestors who came from West Africa, neither science nor history can currently say ‘you have 20 percent this African DNA’ etc. Unfortunately, many people believe that DNA ancestry companies can provide them with this information. I, myself, thought this before doing more research. The methods used for current ancestry testing, cutting edge though they are, are identifying genetic markers you share with someone else in their current database, which is fine except that these markers are likely to be passed down from one ancestor, or at best a few ancestors, who probably lived many generations ago. This is not the same as knowing grandma or grandpa came from say Ireland in 1860 and can lead people to falsely believe that they have a connection to a place and people, that really represent a fraction of their entire genetic makeup. Though for some people, even this minor connection may be enough given the absence of a definitive cultural identity
It wasn't documented anywhere. People seem not to realize that black people weren't willing immigrants to America. There was a cultural genocide of any African culture the slaves brought to America might have had. Slave owners didn't really treat black people as people. All most black people know is that they likely originated from somewhere in West Africa. Some people do DNA tests to see specifically where they came from.
Okay very interesting questuon i must say.
This is the best i can answer.
black Americans are ~80% descendant from West and Central Africans from Senegal to Angola...most of the rest of our ancestry is from the British Isles, Ireland, and France, acquired during slavery. We have no direct relationship to most North Africans, East SubSaharan Africans, or people of the Sahel other than in Senegal, but maybe a handful of slaves taken from modern Mozambique, but most of those ended up in Brazil.
If I can add my humble contribution to this question.
I’d would say that most “african nation-states” that we see today were unexisting at that time. So, trying to go by the country lineage seem biaised.
A nation-state born from 1 - An ideology that people sharing a common interest, culture, language (mostly by imposing a language majority) etc… 2 - An arbitrary territory. By thus we obtain a nation. Which is rathed a mosaic of different people stuck together.
In “africa” people living in the nation-states think themselve as nation/tribe within in the nation subdivised in clan e.g main tribe/sub-tribes.
You are correct that these nation states did not exist at the time. At that time there were just regions or areas. And then these regions were comprised of tribes and villages. Nation states did not exist until Europeans decided to colonize Africa.
Thank you @humanearl and everyone for the answers. Its very much appreciated.
Most of my students are African Americans and will gain greater insight about their
history. It will help them to become more prideful and increase their sense of self worth.
Many times they want to learn about their contributions to the history of the United States
and the world in which we live, but do not have the resources in which to find out this
information.
Beautiful one there @humanearl. I really like how passionate you are about your posts.
It is really pathetic how we were robbed of our traditions and origin. A lot really happened. The one that really made me see how a lot of future was tarnished and very little was know about grandparent was the few instances in which slave women were released from field work for extended periods during slavery. Even during the last week before childbirth, pregnant women on average picked three-quarters or more of the amount normal for women.
Infant and child mortality rates were twice as high among slave children as among southern white children. Half of all slave infants died in their first year of life. A major contributor to the high infant and child death rate was chronic undernourishment.
Africans are way better than what is portrayed. We have great potentials
May your endeavors be fruitful. You are an inspiration.
I think this overworking and undernourishment of black people still goes on today albeit covertly. I was very moved to write this post although it was tough and somewhat painful to think about. Your kind words are humbling and thank you.
I understand how tough it was @humanearl. Slavery and colonialism enriched Europe and reduced Africa to abject poverty. The riches of Africa and her raw materials fuelled the economies of imperialist countries. But really happy for how far we have come. We only have to be grateful to God for thus far. Thank you
God bless you. Though sadistic and macabre, the plain truth is that slavery was an unprecedented economic juggernaut whose impact is still lived by each of us daily. I too loved when you said that the body was steonger, bu thw mind is weak. That is exacrly what was exploited. An educated nation is a great nation. WE ARE STRONG , WE AR African .
Its a good thing you are this concerned about your origin and i pray you get the necessary answers.
Thanks alot. I'm just curious. What country are you from in Africa?
@humanearl, I am from Nigeria. Very proud one for that. I am an Igbo boy. My name there is nedu short form for Chinedu. Haha. If you look at the profile picture, you will see my attire. I rep Nigeria and proudly African. So we are on the same page. Really glad you have this mindset and also have it at heart. God bless you bro
What do you call the type of clothing you are wearing in your profile picture?
@georgechuks, you read my mind. You answered it like you were my twin. I see that you are a yoruba guy with a difference too. I really love the agbada. It makes you appear as a noble person, a high chief. I salute you. Sorry for the late reply @humanearl. It is called the agbada. Worn on special occassions.
mmmmmmm
@humanearl, We call it Agbada.
I try to showcase Nigeria’s diverse culture through its attire. I wear attire from the different Nigerian tribes. I make efforts to know the local name of the attire so that I can explain it confidently to anyone who wants to know.
I am a passionate African, Environmentalist and Sustainable Development Goals campaigner. I also see myself as an unofficial African ambassador (if there is anything like that)
Glad you really want to know about the custom and not just the custume.
I see dressing in traditional garb as a way to show a genuine cultural appreciation for human diversity in the places we stay or travel. By donning traditional clothing, we can express our humility and our interest in preserving and understanding the ways of the past. Wearing these garments helps us show our affinity for the local and indigenous people, and they allow both parties to collectively understand that our similarities outweigh our differences.
'We have had to build and create things from nothing and still we get no credit for what we have done to make America such a "great" country. Our music, stolen. Our dance moves, stolen. Our beauty, stolen. Our swag and slang, stolen. Our inventions, stolen. Our athletic abilities, exploited.'
This Is so so true. I love this piece so much, it brings goose pimples to my body. Am an African, and am so proud to be one. Thus piece of yours @humanearl makes me more proud.
We are not dull, we are not underdeveloped. Rather we have our stuffs stolen from us.
Slavery deeply influenced and defined our popular culture. From the 1850s through the 1930s (except, perhaps, during the Civil War and Reconstruction), the dominant form of popular entertainment in America was minstrel shows, which derived in a perverse way from plantation slavery.
The most popular television miniseries ever was Roots, the saga of an enslaved family; it changed the culture in America by setting off an explosion of interest in genealogy, ethnic backgrounds, and slavery. In music, slavery gave rise to spirituals and work songs, which in turn led to gospel music and the blues. Slavery influenced the adoption and some of the language of the Constitution. It affected the foreign policy, sometimes in ways that were contrary to our national interests.
We have black culture everywhere, but has been given little credit.
God bless you for this, and may God continue to be your strength.
I like how you mentioned minstrel shows. We have been the center of entertainment for a long time. We do all the entertaining but are still exploited heavily. Pop culture is BLACK culture. We are pioneers, trendsetters, innovators. I am also proud of our culture.
Oh this makes me feel really good. We sure own pop culture, all the music stars I know are blacks, showing that we are a people of talent. And if given the opportunity we will succeed even in academics, just Like ben carson .
We are gifted people, and there is nothing to be ashamed of.
mmmmmmmm
Wonderful post by @humanearl
Happy wrriting...happy posting...happy steeming...
Cheers~~~~
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and try to understand my posts. I do my best to share what I feel can inspire people or make people think.
You are wel come my dear friend @humanearl
I'm waiting for your next valuble uptade in this platform...
God bless you...
Thanks for sharing your story and experience - very courageous of you as usual! I may not have an African background but many of my friends and people in my local community share this with you. It’s a shame that after hundreds of years slavery still exists in places like Libya...
The Libya situation is a complete disaster. Shameful really. I have no words for it. This continues to happen to my brother and sisters on the continent of Africa. Will it ever end? Yes. And the day it does there will be vengeance for all who have enslaved others. Thank you
mmmmmmmmm
It is sad to hear that you dont know where exactly where you came from in Africa because of slavery back then. They took away your culture, belief, and your history.
Yes they took it away and we have continued to reinvent ourselves in spite of it all.
There's too many that they robbed from you and your ancestors. It's sad to not know something about yourself.
mmmmmmmm
This makes me sad and at the same time proud of you. Everything about you can still be within you despite of everything happened! Nice post brother
Even though this happened years ago we still are heavily impacted by it today. So much trauma.
I'm praying for you brother. I hope you find peace and be happy more than ever.
@humanearl,
Bro could I provide you a small suggestion? Don't think you are a Black guy! The skin color is not a matter and I also from Asia and having brown skin doesn't mean I am a brown guy! We both are humans and I know how hard to feel when you think about where your ancestors are from. What I am saying is don't think much about it! Now your motherland is US and you are a citizen of it! So, every breath of yours contain with US motherland smell!
And the end you said a nice verse!
"We are warriors. We are fighters. We are BLACK. We are STRONG. We are AFRICAN."
Yeah I truly believe it! As a citizen of America, with the power of great African people you guys are extremely powerful than most of the nations around the world! That's how I believe it!
Cheers~
I understand what you're saying but that's my point. I have nowhere in Africa to say "I'm from this region" or "I'm from that group of people". Even though I live in the US I don't feel connected to it. My original first home is Africa and that is the motherland for me. I Identify as black because that is the one feature that we as black people identify with.
This is because originally we claimed a certain tribe and the europeans decided to label us as black, brown, etc. So I embrace having black skin because we have been discriminated so much just for having it.
Slavery, both the past slavery of forced servitude, and the current slavery of government dependency, are negative. They take rights and responsibility away from the people, and give it to big government to do what they wish with no oversight to the detriment of African slaves.
Without the expected growth and advance of civilization in Africa, the african comtinent was devoid of development and progress in areas such as technology and medicine throughout the slave era. Many cultural traditions and norms were no longer sustainable and the continent fell into a period of stagnation and regression, but we thank God that we have risen past that and changing the world). We are better people and Fortunately, Africa is making progress on the economic front. Africa’s urbanization rate is already at 37 percent, comparable to China’s and larger than India’s. It’s expected to be the fastest urbanizing region from 2020 to 2050.
Africa is growing indeed. Now if we can become even more independent of these foreign countries who want to continue to exploit the continent things we be better for the people.
Only if we could know how much we are useful to this whited and their ecomony.
Just take a look at this.
The best golf player ever was a black -Tiger Woods
The games of basketball and its best players are all blacks. There is no basketball in America without blacks.
The music industry's best is made up of blacks with the likes of Jay-z, Kanye west, Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Rihanna, etc and so many others.
The show biz, the Oprah and so many others.
So we are very useful to them and i must say we developed them.
@humanearl - Sir your experience could teach me a nice lesson....
'3 Steps to Erase Culture' is very true.... You got that feeling that's why you wish to share it.... Until I read this article, actually I had no idea about it it feels you Sir.... I could understand the feeling you got at that time (the time that asked you where are you from?)....
I never had that feeling before, because I knew where I'm originated at.... Sir I hope one day you will find a clue about where your ancestors were came from or who brought them to US....
After all you are an American now.... With blood of Africa, you are an American.... It's a gift to you Sir....
+W+ [UpVoted & ReSteemed]
Such a wonderfully written post. Thanks @humanearl for this post. You have no idea how much you make me feel. You make me feel proud of who I am.
When I was reading this post, I felt so good to be African. It's so unfortunate that the media movies and the rest has made Africa look like something not to be identified with. But that's all propaganda.
There is a quote I love so much.
' I am not African because I was born in Africa but because Africa was born in me'- Kwame Nkrumah
Oh, like you've said, I am strong, I am beautiful, I am a wonder. I have been fired up by this post, it has made me so much aware of who I am, not taking in what the world has forced down my throat.
I am so greatful at this blessing you have brought my way today. And I pray may God reward you for this.
Thanks so much, and please keep up this noble task.
Thanks alot for your words. Like you said. It's all propaganda to make us look bad. They have been doing this for a long time. But be encouraged my friend and be proud to be African. I am glad this has fired you up and it has also done the same for me as I was writing this.
You welcome. I just ask you for one favor, that you please keep up this good work, a lot of lives and mindsets are being changed by your posts and videos.
May God continue to reward you. Amen
Another wonderful post from @humanearl. When I first saw your user name, I had no idea why you chose it, but after following your last two posts,now I know why.
You have the betterment of humanity at heart. You have really impacted my life in just less than 1week.thanks a lot.
Am black, and am proud of who I am. Your culture is who you are. However, to detest WHOM you are and your lineage - is a pity and deception, a product of pressure from the world and its elements.
I'm glad/happy that I'm Black and would never want to be another colour, race or ethnicity. If I could have chosen, thats what I would have chosen for myself.
However, I am proud of the person I am, I'm truthful, strong, forgiving, loving, wise and all that good stuff. Those are character traits which I had to nurture, safeguard in a decided way even though some of it is in my nature.
I look at being black as a blessing, which I did not bestow upon myself,but is a gift from God, and which am mighty thankful for. In other words, I am proud of who i have become, but thankful for what I am.
I'm humbled really. Thanks. Embrace who you are. Be you and share the love with others. We are made in the image of God and we are to reflect him to the world.
Much love my friend.
Thanks @humanearl for this warm response, it sure means a lot to me. We sure are made in the image of God.
Much love my friend.
wow....what can i say @humanearl...its one of the great article...
Thank you.
I simply read the article and I met all the suffering of African people who robbed their freedom and made slaves to other people even though we know that free man is not sold or bought
Damn everyone who broke the history of countries and destroyed families and the survey of beliefs
The African citizen remains the finest thought and belief no matter how they tried to tarnish his reputation
We are all going to say and stand on the sidelines of inhumane actions as long as we are alive
......................
@humanearl
Thanks for trying to understand.
You are welcome! my dear friend
have a nice day
@humanearl
Man it is really heart breaking to go through this post and to know about the harsh history of Few people and i am really feeling bad .The slavery the people did this kind of business were stone cold person without heart !
The time passed away and the money they earned has also washed away but the things they have done is still written on the history .
Man do not worry who does have anyone have God for himself !
Congratulations @humanearl!
Your post was mentioned in the hit parade in the following category:
One of my former co-workers was a British born, black woman of Afro-Caribbean descent. At the time we were working for a TV station in a city synonymous built on the profits of the slave trade and in celebration of the anniversary of abolition, they commissioned a series of shows to look back into the history of the city and the trade. For one of the shows, they paid for genetic testing for my colleague to find out which area of Africa it was most likely her ancestors hailed from. It turned out to be Ghana. They paid for her to travel there and I'll never forget talking to her about it when she got back. She told me the day she arrived in Ghana she walked through the market filming background shots when for the first time in her life, she realised she fitted in, she had found her place. There's a very sweet clip in her final film where she met a market trader and the similarity between them is striking! Good luck with your journey but don't ever forget that your identity is not only forged by your past, it's forged by the amazing person you are and the life you live in the present.
That's so cool. It's an emotional experience for sure. Thanks for the words of encouragement!
its happening
nice post on culture n in my point of view person is good by their nature not by any colour so dont think that n have nice day lol.
excellent post their r mny point to say great history n writing thanks for share.
thanks for sharing idea n knowledge i love your post it is real n 💓 tuching history.
great post on culture i appreciate it lol.
great post i really appreciate your ideas god bless u n have nice day lol.
hey @humanearl hope you doing well
wonderful topic sharing,really god post
nice history,this is so good ,thats a great sharing
upvoted and following updates,,,,,
great post @humanearl
very good job, always respect and appreciate for your ideas and posts,nice history of africa culture,wonderful sharing
thanks for very good sharing
Excellent article you have shared today loved its ingenuity
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Hoy en día la gente con el problema del racismo la gente mira a la gente de color como que fueran marcianos como que fueran lo peor de esta tierra somos seres humanos todos y nos debemos respetar como individuo.
my emotions are with you...a wonderful article and truth has really surfaced in your article.
Thank you.
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Hi friend nice post
What a reflective post.
You made me want more my roots.
I am also colored but not from Africa and this story really leaves me thinking about my ancestors