October 8, 2014 Garrick A. Farria SBA: The Reawakening of the African Mind; European Cultural Hegemony and African Identity: North American and South American Examples; Comments on Ch. 2 “After being kidnapped, enslaved, and carried to Brazil, the Americas, the Caribbean, and other places our ancestors still knew who they were. They were Africans. Even as the brutal slave system tried to erase their memory of Africa, most Africans never forgot where they came from”-Asa G. Hilliard, 1997 “I have restored that which was in ruins; I have raised up that which was destroyed when the Aamu where in the midst of the land overthrowing that which had been made as they ruled in ignorance of Ra” Pharaoh Ma’at Ka Re Hatshepsut, 18th Dynastic Period circa 1500 B.C.E. This chapter of SBA begins with some powerful quotes on African identity from vanguard warrior ancestors Paul Robeson and Joseph Ephraim “J.E.” Casely Hayford (quoting Edward Wilmot Blyden) that really set the tone for the next 20 or so pages. The issue of identity and forging a collective identity has been on the plate for our people since the days of far antiquity. And as far as Hilliard is concerned the only answer for African people and our eventual survival, is to choose to foster our African identity, that’s the only option. This is the only way for us to collectively confront the forces in the universe that are poised to destroy and to turn back the MAAFA. He discusses the idea of the 5 main global tribes that will drive geo-politics in the forseeable future: the Americans, the British, the Chinese, the Japanese, and the Indians (based on the ideas of cultural critique Joel Kotkin). Obviously the fact that Africans fail to play into this scenario (regardless of where we find ourselves) as self-determined “Tribal” members but merely to the extent we have assimilated ourselves in either American or British culture. Hilliard paid close attention to what Kotkin felt were the reasons why these “tribes” were able to become successful tribes: 1.) Strong ethnic identity and sense of mutual dependence; 2.) a global network based on mutual trust that allows the tribe to function collectively beyond the confines of national or regional borders, and 3.) a passion for technical or other knowledge from all possible sources, To Hilliard this was a telling model and example of a how we can start to work in areas that will change the game” and help us to collectively begin to reassert ourselves as players on the global stage. Hilliard chastises us for being naïve and not being able to “peep the game’ as it has played out in the form of the cultural wars that have been declared on African people and other people around the world. This is especially true in regards to the acceptance of Western Curricula and the various pedagogical paradigms that have been put in place which universally promote a.) a European bias designed to promote self-esteem in Europeans and b.) the willful (purposeful) inclusion of false information to encourage all students to passively accept their place (lot) in life. The result of this tragedy is that Africans the world over have by and large abandoned our African customs and began to “ape” the customs, practices, and accept the values (spiritual, social, etc.) of our oppressors. One of the first steps in the process was what Hilliard referred to as the “whitening” of the African, a spiritual whitening, a psychological whitening, and sometimes a physical whitening. This whitening process was rejected by our ancestors who first began to step foot on this soil (as reflected in the various names they called themselves, their social and religious groups, and self-help organizations like that African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Abyssinian Church, The African Society, etc.). But the longer we have all stayed disconnected from the Continent itself and our Brothers and Sisters throughout the rest of the African family, that whitening process takes a deeper hold. The division and disconnection has weakened our resolve and has opened us up the advanced efforts to dilute our culture through various means (wholesale adoption of our children, perpetual mocking of our traditional culture, co-option of current cultural manifestations, etc.). And, according to Hilliard, our historical and generational willfulness to keep playing the name game and bouncing from “negro”, to “Negro”, to “Colored”, to “Black”, “Minorities”, “Disadvantaged”, back to “African-American”; this constant name changing has created a vacuum in regards to both our personal and collective identity and most of these changes were organized as a part of the agenda of global white supremacy, specifically it’s whitening program. Hilliard brilliantly highlights how slick these white supremacists are and the fact that they often hide behind the use of such terms as “diversity”, “color-blindness”, “multiculturalism”, and “melting pot theories”. And it is telling that these folks are always pushing Africans to forgo their culture as their hidden goal is to really affirm European culture at all costs. After laying the foundation, Hilliard explores the whitening process as it played out in Brazil, Argentina, Latin America, and the Cape Verdean Islands and the various programs for assimilation rolled out in each location, the effects of those programs had on the Africans subjected to them, and prospects for the future going forward. The chapter concludes with a call for the acceptance of culture pluralism as opposed of the wiping away of culture through assimilation. He implores us to “ignore the sirens songs of those who do not recognize or respect us”. This chapter should be photo-copied and handed out to every African person we come across that can read, write, and comprehend. And for those who can’t do any of those things, we need to read it to them break it down, and sit with them until they get it. So much here to react to. I gotta work backwards. Assimilation means cultural death. There are several methods that are used to roll out this particular gas chamber. Looking at Hilliard’s analysis of Sao Paulo, Buenos Aries, and the various Latin American countries what people like Sammy Sosa did actually makes sense. The skin-whitening surgeries, medications, and creams that our people in these regions have been are just an extension (albeit an illogical extension) of the psychological “whitening” that they have been exposed to for the last 500 plus years. And instead of caving in we need to resist like hell, even to the death. The name game. Richard B. Moore’s classic the Name Negro: It’s Origin and Evil Use comes immediately to mind. But what really struck me was something my mentor and big brother, Dr. Greg Carr (current chair of the Africana Studies Department at Howard University) taught me years ago and that was to the extent that we exist in non-African space we need to make sure that we approach our existence like a “salad bowl” as opposed to a “melting pot”. Thinking about salad, the ingredients are usually covered in a dressing (overarching cultural context) but at least we can still tell the lettuce from the carrots and tomatoes. Each individual ingredient has at least maintained some semblance of its essence. In a melting pot, everything is turned into a seamless mass, a massive glob of goo. While we strive to reclaim our African Identity, the first step on our path to SBA and onto WHMY MSY, with the ultimate goal of proactive nation-building, this is way we have to approach our current reality. We can solve the issues of disconnection. The world of social media has shrunk borders. There are pockets of Pan-Africans that have started to link back up in concrete ways. Since I have been back in D.C. our ancestors and the Creator have let me get back into some really good space. At one event, I met one sister that from the area that owns several business in the area, the Caribbean, and one in Ghana. She is actually about to put in a bid to open up a recycling plant in KMT next year. That’s living and breathing Pan-Africanism, as Bro. Malcolm saw us engaging in during his 1964 speech to the body of the Organization of African Unity (if you have never read that speech, I strongly encourage you all to do so. I will post it after this goes up). Another organization that would be great for us to link up with is ADACI, The African Diaspora Commemoration Institute, which manifests Sankofa and hosts trips of Africans over here to go back home every year. And obviously, as we all begin to reassert our African identity we further the Pan-African ideal in our way and our own terms. Whitening. Well, if we don’t confront our inner “Negro” each and every day we run the risk of losing that epic, inner struggle. We have several examples of those who don’t even realize they are at war, young Raven Symone (bless her little heart), the Pharell “New-New Black” Williams, or President Obama who didn’t even bother to go and quash the Ferguson Rebellion himself but sat up on the “White’s House “lawn and told all those (ya’ll) “People of Color” to pipe down and go back home because after all, we are all part of this “American family”. Them and flies, I do despise. The more I see them, the more I like flies. Volumes have been writing on the African-centered school and curriculum infusion movement. Hilliard, who was at the forefront of the movement, will address this in upcoming chapters, For those who are scared of the thought of free, independent, schools run by African people for our children; ya’ll better buckle up. And for the 5 successful “tribes”, there is no wonder that these are the 5 main countries (along with likely France and Germany) that are lining back up to re-Colonize the African continent. There should not be any surprise to any objective observe that as African nations and industry began to make noise about forsaking modern Western means for economic control and domination (namely World Bank and IMF loans, WHO public health schemes, and binding military service contracts etc.) by exploring raising capital on the open international bond markets, courting independent institutional investors, and entering economic deals with Russia and China (which carries its own sets of risks especially if “We Have No Friends” as Dr. Clarke reminded us many moons ago) that all of sudden (out of the blue) what pops up…a massive Ebola outbreak. And here comes the West, the World Bank, World Health Organization, and Africom to the rescue. The 7 tribes will try to maintain their dominance over the world (culturally, economically, politically and militarily) by raided African resources and coffers just as their elders an ancestors have done time and again since 1492. We would do ourselves a favor and re-read Eric Williams economic history-Capitalism and Slavery and Walter Rodney’s economic analysis in How Europe Underdeveloped Africa. And lastly, based on the words from our ancient ancestor and eternal Big Sister Pharaoh Hatshespsut it is obvious that we have been fighting global white supremacy, European cultural hegemony, or whatever we want to call it for over 3,000 years now. We are born, we live, we fight, we die, we are born again to live, fight, and die again. As always it’s up to us to keep the fight going. Are we ready? Reading, analyzing, digesting, and sharing the information in SBA will help us get ready. Time to get ya mind right!
Posted on: Thu, 09 Oct 2014 01:31:13 +0000
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