More or Less

One statement from Dr. Beatty that generated deep thought well after the lecture was: “out of the New World 5 out of 6 were African.” This statement made me think wow; a lot of Africans were dispersed in the diaspora. They were not just scattered in the Americas, but in Brazil and the Caribbean. I knew that a lot of Africans were dispersed in the New World, but hearing the ratio of African to other was astounding. The views and beliefs were from the colonizers perspective even though the African population was more dominant. (Dr. Beatty)

Physical Abandonment?

The connotation I receive from the word abandonment is choosing to leave. So how can the African Diaspora be considered abandonment? The actual denotation of abandonment is to leave a place with no intent of returning. Many scholars believe that when Africans were brought into the new world, that they lost everything. Africans lost their names, social ideas and historical concepts. More or less, they lost anything of meaning. Thus, as Dr. Beatty explained, becoming culturally empty.

Culturally Empty?

Dr. Beatty introduced the question, “If you are culturally empty, what are you filled up with?” One is filled up with the colonizers view of the world: their beliefs, morals, and way of life. I connected this with the concept of the “seasoning process” (brainwashing). I realized the reason that Colonizers filled Africans with only their ideas. The reason was that they didn’t want Africans to feel in any kind of way that they were worth something. Moreover, to make sure the Africans knew their culture was irrelevant. Furthermore, many colonizers thought that because of African’s unique culture and language that Africans were uncivilized and not intelligent.

Remembrance?

You can’t assume that Africans lost everything. African culture is still everywhere. It lives in Music, family values, stories, oral tradition, dances, religion, and food. “Ideas of culture have to transcend rigid African Culture. “ For instance, Africans brought with them: social structure, ways of knowing/spirituality, and science and technology. Against the slave masters resistance, Maroon societies existed in several secluded places in Jamaica, Brazil, even the United States. In these communities African Culture was prominent. They brought their medicine men and women, values, attitudes, religion and rituals.

Spirituality is an important in Africa. As seen in “Sundiata: An old Epic of Mali” by Niane, D.T, a narrative epic that I have read in another class, Africans believed in fate and destiny. If it was in God’s plan, nothing could stop it. African religion and spirituality still exists today. In Haiti and New Orleans, they practice an African religion called Vodun. In Cuba, they practice Santeria. In the U.S., the idea of a reAfricanized Christianity has taken a rise and an Africana bible was released last year. Some religious rituals that transcended into the diaspora include: speaking in tongues, baptism, and funerary rites. (Dr. Beatty)

In conclusion, was there dismemberment due to the Middle Passage? Not at all, physical abandonment does not equal cultural abandonment.