A Mental Revolution Re-Entering the African Diaspora.

the fifteenth century that “led to the greatest Expersion of Africans in the world and in history.” The well-known “Slave Coast” of West Africa was the area where most Africans were captured and sent to Europe and America to be sold and enslaved. Most of the slaves worked in the plantation. Some Africans were also taken to the Caribbean’s, Brazil, and Argentina. Many Africans were taken to the American hemisphere but massive amounts of the Africans also perished on their voyage to the new land. In this modern Diaspora their identity was taken away from them and they were confined to a description (definition) of who they are. When Europeans came to Africa they lied to the Africans in so many ways and used Christianity to try and assimilate them from their cultures. Eventually they invaded Africa taking advantage of the rich land. The Europeans gave the command and Africans (slaves) abided by it. This sort of practice mirrors the oppressor in the society which is known as the Banking System formulated by Paulo Freire in the Pedagogy of the Oppressed. The banking system education minimizes the creative power of the student (Slave) and stimulates the credulity which serves the interest of the oppressors. According to (Paulo Freire 2002), the interest of the oppressor lie in altering the consciousness of the oppressed, not the circumstances which oppresses them. The more oppressed they (slaves) are, the more easily they can be subjugated. There is no relationship between the oppressed and the oppressor Cesaire stated in his book Discourse on Colonialism that, “Between the colonizer and the colonized, there is only room for forced labor, intimidation, pressure, the police, taxation, rape etc. There is no human contact but relations of Domination and Submission.” He then made the equation “Colonization = Thingafication” because the only way the colonizers can justify their dehumanization of “blacks” is stipulation they view “blacks” as animals or things and convince the enslaved that they are unworthy, stupid savage etc. In the movie Ethnic Notions, whites saw “blacks” as an offense to civilization and were characterized as inhuman, savage, destined to be enslaved etc. Also in the Book Black Jacobins, C.L.R James illustrated how the slaves were being maltreated and viewed: “The safety of the whites demands that we keep the Negroes in some profound ignorance. I have reached the stage of believing firmly that one must treat the Negroes as one treats beasts.” With this mind set of thingafication, the colonizers thought they owned the Slaves and could therefore do anything they feel like doing to them because they are not humans           As of the modern Diaspora, the abolition of the slave trade led to the colonial period in African History and resulted in qualitative and quantitative differences in the dispersion of Africans abroad. Unfortunately as “blacks” were enslaved and taken away to the new land, the Africans left behind were lied to and told that their families would have a better life, education wise, and this resulted in the loss all their strong and shrewd men. Africa, which is a continent, was then redistricted and the countries that exist now were drawn over already existing lines/ boundaries of separating which is called the partitioning of Africa. It divided some people and cultures into different countries and grouped others into one country. According to (Joseph Harris, 2001) this new phase of population displacement created internal Diasporas and led to irredentist movements that still plague the continent today. The partitioning of Africa occurred after the colonial era ended. The existence of more than fifty African countries, which vary from each other with varying social and political conditions and different international interests, complicates further the relationships between Africa and its Diaspora.      It is uncomplicated for other ethnic groups in Americans to find their roots and where they originate from. Examples of this are the Irish Americans, because they can easily go to Ireland to see where they really come from or learn about their history. They also have their history passed down. Another group is the Jewish people I America who have a country, culture and language. Unlike the Irish the African Americans, have a whole continent made of different countries and cultures to choose from which can be almost impossible. African Americans are left with the choice of calling themselves Black Americans due to their skin color. Van den Berghe defines race as “a group that is socially defined but on the basis of physical criteria” which can include skin color and facial features. According to (Tatum, 2003) racial identity and ethnic identity are often used synonymously, “An ethnic group is a socially defined group based on cultural criteria, such as language, customs and shared history”. An individual might identify as a member of an ethnic group (Irish or Italian, for example but might not think of himself as being white). On the other hand one may recognize the personal significance of racial group membership (identifying as Black for instance) but may not consider the ethnic identity such as West Indian as particularly meaningful. According to Dwayne Williams says, “Identity has multiple signifiers (race, gender, sexuality, etc.)…it is a polyvalent concept that is fluid, malleable and multidimensional. They are conceived in a particular historical moment and are continually re-forged over time”.      A number of African Americans consider themselves as not being accepted both in Africa and the United States. In America they are not accepted as a result of racism, which is discrimination based on the color of one’s skin; In Africa, African Americans might not be accepted due to their ethnicity. They cannot connect with the Africans because they’ve totally assimilated to the European culture and have not continued a “double consciousness” with Africa, in which ideals, traditions and loyalty have not been sustained. This kind of behavior between the Africans and the African Americans can be called a Racial dissimilation (though all are black they don’t identify with each other and lack commonalities). Without unity between the blacks how will there ever be unity with the whites. There is a proverb that says “Take the log out of your eye before you can take the log out of someone else’s eye” Africans and African Americans should find unity amongst themselves. Just as the man from South Africa said, even though African Americans were born in America they are still the same as Africans just that the European assimilation has changed them and made them different from the Africans. There has to be unity amongst the Africans and the Africans Americans because with unity there is strength. As exemplified by the people of the Jewish Diaspora. Today there are more Jews around the world dispersed and Diasporas than in their homeland. They still keep their traditions and are in unity which makes them prosperous. The Indians who are becoming one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in America are also succeeding due to the support they get from each other. For Africans and African Americans there is not much support amongst them selves instead they allow jealousy and anger to take over their hearts.      Presently there is still Diaspora going on today. Many Africans are recently voluntarily migrating to the United States for a better education and a financially secured future, due to the fact that the education found in Africa is not concrete. Including Africans other people move to America for better jobs and better lives.      Consequently, if direct and effective relations are to be expanded and sustained, Africa and its Diaspora must devise other structures to achieve their goals. This can be non-political organizations/foundation that reaches across national boundaries and represents African governments, private organizations and Diaspora groups for broad consultative purposes and humanitarian assistance. The African world would benefit greatly from having this kind of international structure with financial capability to initiate and fund programs without reliance on outside financial or political support. This will enable Africans and their descendants abroad to sustain their political presence and work with greater confidence in alliance with other groups interested in their social, political and economic well-being.      It is of great importance for one to know their history or their true identity to lean and know where you truly came from, connecting back with long lost family, relatives and finding who you are to make u a better person. One can gain closure, knowing that their heritage is not of slave and bondage but that of kings and queens. Dwayne Williams sees a symbiotic relationship between Diaspora and migration. He wrote: “Social processes such as migrations (forced, induced, or voluntary) do not simply divide people of African descent, but can and do serve as a reunifying force” (Williams,1999) Cesaire introduced Negritude which encourages people to learn about their roots and move on. An ideological concept of affirming the independent validity of Negro culture helps one to become attached to their “Blackness”. Malcolm X talked about the reeducation of who we are. He became an internationalist because he wanted to connect the blacks here in America with Blacks in Africa. According to (Tatum, 2003) “the search for personal identity that intensifies in adolescence can involve several dimensions of an adolescent’s life: vocational plans religious beliefs, values and preferences, political affiliations and beliefs, gender roles, and ethnic identities”. There are activities in Ghana (West Africa) which calls for many Africans in the Diaspora to come and participate in an exhibition of festivities, every two years, called “Pana Fest” exhibiting various cultures and practices of the African culture. In the book Roots, Alex Haley went to Africa and was able to retrace his roots. A mental connection with one’s roots imparts and involves you in its [culture] practices; an example will be Kwanzaa which is celebrated by some African Americans around Christmas time. In contrast, many people of the African Diaspora are not involved with the African homeland. This is due to the individual and their spatial situation at any given point of history. Some of the cons in the African Diaspora that some people realize are that finding your roots is like living in the past and that sometimes prevents advancement which can be dangerous. Since Africa is an entire continent with a multitude of histories and experiences it is difficult for one to find or trace their roots.      In conclusion, knowing who you really are, and a sense of where you originated from (Identity) can help one become a much better person. Europeans know the role that ethnicity plays in the geopolitical scheme of things and that it is of extreme importance. That is why the historical culture-war on Africans was waged, to prevent any re-emergence of ethnic consciousness among them, to prevent the unity that will lead to effective mobilization of their efforts as a group and to effective resistance to oppression. There’s no need in returning to Africa. “Despite Cesaire’s construction of pre-colonial Africa as an aggregation of warm, communal societies, he never calls for a return. His concept of Negritude is future-oriented and modern. His position in Discourse is unequivocal and sterile attempt to repeat the past, but to get beyond. It is not a dead society that we want to revive. We leave that to those who go in for exorcism…It is a new society rich with all the productive power of modern times, warm with all the fraternity of olden days.”(Cesaire, 2000) James Aggrey said many years ago that there is a new Africa coming today and it is a challenge to civilization.” Joseph Harris added that the new Africa today is the world of African people, of Africa and its Diaspora.