Africa aka the Motherland, where life began. However the depiction of Africa and its people are usually negative. When some people think of Africa they think of this:
Africa seems to be synonymous with poverty and hunger. Yes there are Africans that live in poverty but it doesn't mean that the WHOLE of Africa is like that. The same way not everybody in Europe is rich. The Western media has been consistent in portraying ONLY the negative aspects of Africa which influences people's perception of the continent. Because of this negative perception some people do not want to be associated with Africa. I have come across people of African descent who deny their African roots or take it as an insult when they are called African. There are black people who will state how they are mixed with Latino, Asian or White, which is not an issue but then say it like it is a badge of honor as if being mixed is better than being just "black". Even when it comes to beauty some of our standards are distorted. With the European standard of beauty certain African features are viewed as ugly such as having dark skin, kinky hair, flat nose and thick lips.This reminds me of Malcom X's speech "Who taught you to hate yourself" This ideology has also affected some black communities where being a lighter skinned black person with more European like features seems to be viewed as more attractive. Unfortunately the issue of Colorism (the whole light skin v dark skin issue which has its roots in slavery and colonization) is still prominent.
Can we blame people for having this mentality when it is something they have been fed with for years by society? especially by institutions such as slavery, colonization, religion and the education system
During the trans-atlantic slave trade Christianity was distorted and used as a tool to justify the enslavement of black people. The story was called "The curse of Ham". This story talks about when Noah was drunk and his son Ham saw him naked. Ham went and then told his brothers who then covered Noah's nakedness. Because Ham didn't cover his fathers nakedness Noah cursed Ham's son Canaan (so far this is all in Genesis 9, now here is when the distortion comes in) As a result of this curse Hams descendants had blackened skin. Therefore having black skin was seen as a curse.
Even in the education system when we are taught about black history we are mostly told that Africans were slaves, but we are never taught about African Kings and Queens. They never tell you that Africa had some of the most powerful empires in the world such as the Ghana Empire and Mali Empire. They never tell you that the worlds very first university was in Africa, The University of Timbuktu in Mali which taught sciences, maths, geography and medicine in the 12th century.They never tell you that some of the greatest inventions such as the clock, traffic light, mobile phone, typewriter etc were created by people of African descent.
Africa is a land rich in culture, music, dance, art and history. Never feel ashamed whether you come straight from Africa, or you are a descendant of enslaved Africans, or you're part of the African diaspora. You should never allow yourself to feel ashamed or inferior because of your African heritage. The language you speak, the food you eat, the way you look should not make you feel less than your European counterparts. The world would not be what it is today without the contribution of Africans.
I am pro black and believe that in God's eyes all humans all equal, our differences make us unique and beautiful. I believe that the years of racism, degradation, oppression and brainwashing that countless black people have endured has caused an inferiority complex within the minds of many black people. I want to uplift those who are a victim to this and do not know and understand the true beauty of their African roots. As Marcus Garvey said "A people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots". I have been doing research into African history and will be doing a blog post series on it. Here are a couple of pictures of the Africa they never show you
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| Nairobi |
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| Ghana |
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