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27-03-08, 03:11 AM
@Shemsi
Atheism & Afro centrism: what a very interesting thread idea. You probably have not noticed but, up until this post, I religiously avoided this Spirituality and Religion forum, observing it to be an infinitely regressive pit of conflict and folly. But this thread poses a very practical question that formal Afro centrists and Pan Africanists should most certainly have an answer for. But herein lies the problem, to the best of my knowledge, there exists no international or national organization that the Afro-centrically-minded must be a member of in order to qualify themselves formally as Afro centric. There is no centralized Afro centric center that issues and maintains an Afro centric encyclopedia of terms, definitions, or do’s and don’ts; no common understanding of ideas by convention (by convention I do not mean an annual event but a consensus of what terms mean); no identifiable or quantifiable movement. Hence, I believe it can be safely said that the question you pose cannot and will not be definitively answered in this thread. Rather, people will continue to define Afro centrism generally. In California where I reside, I have observed the “Afro centric” to simply be active re-embracers of African ways and thinking. Some are Christian, some Muslim, some in Woset Community Churches, some atheistic and some agnostic. There is no consensus.
Remember, the late eighties and early nineties were times when Blacks wore Africa medallions and Ebo hats. This period in history irrevocably altered the way Afro centrism will be defined and regarded by the common Black masses (at least in America). People do not even bother to try and define the term with technical reference to its origin or alleged “real” meaning. They have simply appropriated the term as a standard part of Black English Vernacular. It is simply a preference for African cultural practices and African centered-ness. So, my answer to your question is yes, it is quite possible be Afro centric and a card carrying atheist.
Lastly, although there is no official, authoritative Afro centric organization, the work that needs to be done to continue to flesh out the lifestyle that should accompany the concept is being conducted by scores of qualified scholars and activists around the world. Nonetheless, I would like to think that, considering the quality of the discussion above, some of the work is also being conducted here. Having said this, I have to say that, while I am an Afro centrist of the generic kind described above, I agree with your formal definition and agree that a formal Afro centrist should not be an atheistic.
Holla!
Last edited by Neferkare; 27-03-08 at 04:20 AM.
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