@Lilsoulful1
The question of identity is central to much of what happens here in the village. The village is designed for Africans worldwide, which directly addresses the damage slavery, colonialism and constant negative propaganda about Africa and its descendants has wrought on us, as a people, everywhere!
Defining oneself as African is a positive, assertive statement that we are from Africa, have a history, culture and future.
Individuals who are not clear who they are, where they are from; what their history, journey, was, is; the very foundations of their family, self, are often mentally ill (neurotic).
Likewise, a people, who cannot view themselves, inherit the same illnesses.
An African with a white father once said "emancipate yourself from mental slavery".
What Marley was addressing was culture: how a people behave, think, interact with themselves, others and the environment.
Africans have a definite, continuous history in the Caribbean.
Marley addresses this by reminding us through reggae music that we are from those Africans brought to the Americas in chains.
Being African reminds us that race, has for centuries been a social marker that differentiates the planter from the field worker; the slave-owner from the slave; the lawmaker from those who no law protects - White from Black.
Over a quarter of white Americans have African blood but they don’t celebrate Black History Month!
White people dont see their culture as African culture, regardless of their ancestry. For them, Europe is home, absolutely no confusion.
Likewise, so-called black people see Africa as home; its the beginning of our peoples story.
We could not look to Ireland or England, because it simply would not make sense. Just as whites, regardless of their ancestry, do not call themselves African.
The confusion of many of our people has occurred via intentional force.
The force of:
- Stripping us of our names
- Destroying our families
- Outlawing our traditions
- Banning our languagues
- Genocide
- Rape
- Mutilation
- Killing our men and women who reminded us of our journey and story; placing negro apologists and intellectual slaves as present day role models.
- Mis-educating us about Africa and the history of African people, internationally.
This is calledcolonialism and it has affected Africans everywhere, some places worse than others.
So its in this cultural context that we are Africans. This is the start of our people addressing the mental damage that has obviously been done to us, damage the west refuses to own up to.
In fact, next year, the British will be celebrating, that they "made us free", two hundred years ago.
When you arrive in Africa and are greeted as brother or sister, its not because you may have some distant non African ancestor.
Its because you are back home.
And our people who return, time after time admit this truth, regardless if they were studying African history or MTV before their journey back; all those centuries of lies and confusion disappear in an instant.
Dis-unity is something that makes us “minorities� and weakens our struggle to improve our condition, worldwide.
This is why some of the most powerful Africans in the Diaspora (even the half white ones)have been people who simply reminded us we are Africans; the importance of our history, culture and identity.
All of our great people have emphasized our roots and beginnings in Africa.
Our Africaness.
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11-07-06, 04:02 PM
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