>This question is being posed really to Utamaroho and Solarus
>but anyone who knows the Afrikan way of thinking/living can
>also add in. When you guys look at Afrikan people and
>culture within Afrika, I've noticed that you tend to
>seperate elements like Islam and Christianity particularly
>as "non-Afrikan" and you paint them as detrimental to
>original Afrikan culture. To a large extent I see where you
>are coming from and I agree with you on certain things.
>However, my question about the Afrikan discourse is I'm
>wondering if its not a little revisionist in its picture of
>Afrika. It reminds me a lot of Hindu revivalism/nationalism

No it is not revisionist. First off, as I discussed in a former post "God is IMMANENT," various Afrikan groups tend to be very inclusive when it comes to religious practices, beliefs and/or deities. By this alone, foreign religions already had open door. If we then look at specific cases we see that conversion was generally ushered in by ECONOMIC/POLITICAL BENEFITS. For example, the conversion of King Ezana(sp?) of Axum allowed for better relations with then Christian Egypt and the larger Byzantine Empire; the conversion of the mansas and royalty of the ancient MAli empire to Islam allowed the empire to gain better trade relations with the greater Muslim world; scores of kidnapped and forcibly enslaved Afrikans converted to Islam to gain their freedom from their captors. In all these cases it si obvious that the conversion was not done so simply because someone saw the "truth" of g.o.d. or a.l.l.a.h. but moreso because of economic gain, betterment of international relations or improvement of social status.

Initially there are going to be an obvious syncretization of beliefs. This is obvious in the Kingdom of Mali example when traveler Ibn Battuta visited Mali. He spoke of many differences and drew a distinct line between the people of Mali (who were all technically Muslim) and his own Muslim group in North Afrika. Over time and much money (initially spent by the frivolous Mansa Musa trying to show off his bling bling to Arabs) Arab scholars set up shop teaching Afrikans how to be better Arabs instead of Afrikans.

This technique also occurred in East Afrika where East Afrikans took over the Arab job of capturing more Afrikans for Arab enslavement. Thanks be to a.l.l.a.h.

And yes there is a high degree of syncretization. I would argue that the degree of syncretization varies according to a people's access of teachers of foreign doctrines. In general, in West Afrika for instance, I think one is more likely to find more syncretized (or "afrikanized") versions of ISlam than one would find in Christianity. I think this would be the case simply because modern Christianity had more dedicated and stringent teachers of the religion than did past Muslims.

Overall however, syncretization or not, I would argue that Islam and Christianity ultimately do or will overshadow traditional Afrikan ways of thought simply because of their(Islam and christianity) isolating, segregating and/or excluding natures, thus making any syncretization minimal or negligible.

>Don't you think going to visit Afrika would be important in
>actually seeing the Afrikan way of life rather than just
>reading theories about it?

No because the "Afrikan way of life" exists throughout the diaspora. I've elements of it in America and I've seen the survival of it within MAroon communities of the Americas as a whole. (What IS the "Afrikan way of life?")

>And if you have been to
>Afrika(Solarus) how has that affected your viewpoint about
>Afrikan discourse?

I haven't been to the continent yet but from the views of some close brothas of mine who stayed in the continent for a year it strengthened their resolve. Seeing Afrikans worship alien dieties and the sickness that evolves from it (self-hate, negative look on past traditions and thus one's (particular Afrikan)group as a whole). The sickness only quickens and solidifies the ability of foreigners to sway the minds and hearts of Afrikans for their (foreigners') benefits.

PS. Before anyone responds with some silly ish, I'm not using "Arab" and "Muslim" synonymously but I am advocating that the origin and evolution of Islam emanates from a greater Arab worldview.

PEace