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Forum nameOkay Activist Archives
Topic subjectRE: African vs./or African American
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=22&topic_id=23838&mesg_id=23871
23871, RE: African vs./or African American
Posted by guest, Fri Jun-09-00 05:06 AM
Truthfully NuShooz, the African American experience, with regards to how it is perceived in Africa, for all intent purposes is non - existent ( kinda like Americans saying ' I did not know there were Black people in London)

This divide and I am sure you will agree is multifactorial; simply Africa itself is too vast and too complex. History, in particular has been taught haphazardly; in part due to the 'denial philosophy,' but also in an insane quest to catch up with the very cultures that they despise.

In fact African history took a back seat; for example in West Africa; what replaced this was references to England, via Shakespeare or Owell for example. And if you were unfortunate to fall under the French territory you were equally pumped with the French rhetoric. (Do not get me wrong both history and literature has its important place regardless of what sphere they come from) What is disheartening is the denial of one's own history: that is what I meant by a serious hangover.

Funny enough after all has been said and done the reality is that most Africans today in Africa are only exposed to American culture (Black) via television - and we all know how much of a head - fuck television can be.