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According to history, the Africans were great people. They excelled in arts, religion, technology, medicine, and civilisation. Their culture was principally based on religious and moral justification. A strong point to prove the moral injunctions can be gotten from our oral traditions. We had great artworks, inventions, supernatural powers (from meditation). Little facts about these things were writing in history books. The Egyptians had the pyramids. The Yoruba had a strong political organisation. What about the zeal of the Zulus, Ashanti of Ghana, which was endowed with glory and gold, Madinkas of Mali, which defeated the Portuguese in a fierce battle. All the above-mentioned facts are enough to convince anybody that Africans are not inferior. The white scholars of the eighteenth and nineteenth century propounded many false theories about the ‘inferiority’ of the Africans. They did this out of insecurity and fear of domination. These theories led to discrimination, racism, apartheid, and colonisation. All African territories were brutally colonised. The French Government adopted the assimilation policy, a policy that was adopted to drain the African way of life. The British Government were complicit as well. They used the missionaries to dissolve our cultures and traditions. They tagged our traditions; ‘barbaric and uncivilised.’ They concentrated on our atrocities while they exalted theirs. Funny enough, these people did not understand what civilisation and religion was all about, so the carried on with their ego.
The Americans and Europeans also made, and continue to make, movies and documentaries that pictures/pictured Africans as jungle dwellers, sub-humans and cannibals. For example, “God must be crazy.” Negativity is the main criteria in their media. They shun the African development and focus on our crises. Points to prove these still exist, as stations like CNN and BBC carry on the nefarious act. They also ‘ship in’ relief materials to show off ‘big brotherism’. They take advantages of our bad leaders to strengthen Neo-Colonisation. What about the American Visa Lottery? It is a Second Slave Trade.
Consequently, the destabilisation affects The Africans (Black People) across the globe. Many lost belief in themselves and take to imitation instead of civilisation. This impediment can be found among the youths, illiterates, and the impoverished ones. Many believe that their glorious future lies in the white lands. So they flow in a trading manner.
In the 70s till 90s, there was a great resistance. Black people propagated defensive and incisive theories. People like leopard Sedar sSnghor. He propounded the philosophy of Negritude. He got many disciples too. Fela Kuti also sang about the emancipation of the black race. Martins Luther King was not left out as well: he made great speeches, wrote many strong books and he changed the lives of many racists. Chinua Achebe, Camara Laye, Wole Soynka, and David Diop all great writers also promoted the philosophy of the negritude by creating a beautiful atmosphere for the African Cultural Heritage.
Unfortunately, the battle has not been won totally. There still remain enormous traces of imitation, inequality and neo-colonisation among the youths. The illiterates and impoverished people are not left out as well. There should be a generous equality in humanity. If not, there would be a continuation of racism and apartheid. For this not to happen, the Africans have a great task to accomplish, which is to reach for greater heights. This can be done by creating an African civilisation, promoting the cultural heritage, and developing what is left of the African originality and values.
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Writer Profile
Damilare
Just like my name Damilare, depicts, I have been set free from all odds of life.
Most of my works are based on Africa. I love Africa so much. My love for this great land is not based its hypocritical admiration by some people. But based on the realization of her past mistakes and to make Her great in future.
I was born and grew up in a tough part of the world. My family is a free type where everyone chooses what he/she wants. This has made me liberal in my thoughts.
I get happy when I read works of Great Black people, especially their works on pan-Africanism.
My regret in life is that; I have not read the works of Marcus Garvey and Du Bois!
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it was long Serena Foo | Oct 14th, 2003
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