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Lobby Okay Activist Archives topic #23838

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odu
Member since Jun 02nd 2002
33 posts
Fri Jun-09-00 06:06 AM

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27. "RE:"
In response to In response to 10


          


>as a writer, i'll switch up
>and use AA every once
>in awhile, but as has
>been pointed out, even the
>word "African" can confuse matters.

I don't see how the word "African" confuses matters at all. I'm sure you've heard the term "Western Civilization" drummed into your skull countless times, and there's virtually no challenge to the validity of the term. I have no quibble with Africa, whether the term is indigenous or not ("Black" is not an "African" word, as far as I'm aware).

> its cool to the
>extent that it makes us
>think about Africa when we
>otherwise wouldn't, but in a
>lot of cases, it promotes
>the whole "continent as country"
>bullshit that trivializes the tremendous
>diversity of culture and shared
>experience that exists among non-white
>people.

Pan-Africanism promotes the whole "Africans-are-Africans, no-matter-where-they've-ended-up-in-the-diaspora" bullshit. It does not "trivialize" anything. Do you think Malcolm, Kwame Nkrumah, Patrice Lumumba etc. were trying to "trivialize" their individual cultures when they adopted that term?

>y'all can tell the difference between
>and Englishman, a Scot, a
>German, a Spaniard, an Italian
>and a Frenchman no doubt.
>but can you do the
>same for a Senagalese, Ethiopian,
>Nigerian, Ugandan, etc.?

Who is "y'all"? I can tell the difference between all of these culture, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone. This is an odd blanket statement.

reasoning,
>i used to think it
>was aight as a synonym,
>at the least, and could
>be useful in awakening some
>type of pan-african consciousness. but
>what quickly ensued is that
>you had folks loving it
>because it allowed them to
>affirm and emphasize the "American"
>part (after 400 years, if
>muhfuckas haven't caught on to
>the fact that we're 'american',
>they really ain't gonna get
>it no matter what we
>call ourselves). others of
>us quickly coopted the symbols
>and trappings of africana, without
>any deeper analysis or understanding
>-- so it is that
>we got preachers that drape
>a little kente cloth around
>the same ol' king james
>shit they been talking for
>years.


>besides, like the race names of
>many other non-white peoples, the
>term African is not indigenous.
>we never called ourselves Africans
>in antiquity (i've read in
>several places that as far
>as historians can tell, the
>word originated centuries ago with
>a slave named Leo Africanus...).

This is wrong. If you want a detailed explanation, I can give it to you, but I don't want to hold up this thread.


>
>"Black", a name derived from an
>exaggerated physical description of
>skin color, actually has deeper
>roots then most of us
>realize. some of the
>ancient names from indigenous "africans"
>referred to themselves as "people
>or children of the sun".
> place-names like "AlKeBuLan"
>and "Kemet" actually translate to
>"land of the blacks" (Kemet,
>of course, being the name
>the so-called Egyptians gave their
>own civilization before the Greeks
>gave us "Egypt" or Aeigyptos,
>which means land of the
>sun burnt people, by the
>way).

This is also wrong. "Black" is not at all an exaggerated physical description. I don't know about you, but I'm "Black." Several of my relatives are Black. And millions of people across the face of the earth answer to that description too. "Aeigyptos" does not mean land of the sun-burnt people. That's Aethiopia.

unlike the appellations, "colored",
>"negro", and "nigger", we actually
>gave ourselves "Black", and it
>turns out to be the
>most historically appropriate way to
>address each other without excluding
>huge sections of our extended
>family tree from the discourse.

We DIDN'T give ourselves the appelation "Black". Why do you say this?

>so, if i need to be
>specific, i'll go there. when
>discussing Roy Hargrove's (or Dizzy
>Gillespie's) musical influence, the designation
>Afro-Cuban is significant. but if
>i'm building with somebody on
>global politics and economics, we
>Black.

I hope I've clarified some stuff.

  

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African vs./or African American [View all] , nappiness, Thu Jun-08-00 09:03 AM
 
Subject Author Message Date ID
You asked
Jun 08th 2000
1
Amen, Boodah...
Jun 09th 2000
19
      Are you around Africans born in Africa much
Jun 09th 2000
30
           Thought I Was Alone
Jun 09th 2000
32
                I'm not arguing....
Jun 09th 2000
33
                     I Feel You
Jun 09th 2000
35
                          RE: I Feel You
Jun 09th 2000
36
I want somma dis but
Jun 08th 2000
2
Listen to NuShooz...
Jun 08th 2000
3
      Black on Both sides
KoalaLove
Jun 08th 2000
4
      I'm sure I'll regret this
Jun 09th 2000
14
           I said
KoalaLove
Jun 09th 2000
16
                "damn" ?
Jun 09th 2000
20
                     What did I say!?
KoalaLove
Jun 09th 2000
22
                          Stop yelling at me, dammit!
Jun 09th 2000
25
      NO HYPHEN!!!!
Jun 08th 2000
7
      Boo, have I told you
Jun 09th 2000
15
RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 08th 2000
5
RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 08th 2000
6
      PLAY NICE
Jun 08th 2000
9
      RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 08th 2000
11
           RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 09th 2000
23
                Hey odu
Jun 09th 2000
24
                     RE: Hey odu
Jun 09th 2000
29
RE: African vs./or African American
sinestress
Jun 08th 2000
8
"Black Is Black"
Jun 08th 2000
10
Dope
Jun 08th 2000
12
      Its Cool...
Jun 09th 2000
40
           RE: Its Cool...
Jun 14th 2000
55
RE: African vs./or African American
Xala
Jun 08th 2000
13
RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 09th 2000
17
      RE: African vs./or African American
Xala
Jun 09th 2000
21
           True dat - on the TV thing
Jun 09th 2000
26
           EACH ONE TEACH ONE
Jun 11th 2000
42
           RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 09th 2000
28
           RE: African vs./or African American
Xala
Jun 12th 2000
44
                RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 12th 2000
45
                     RE: African vs./or African American
Xala
Jun 13th 2000
50
                          RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 14th 2000
54
                               RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 14th 2000
56
           RE: African vs./or African American
Jun 10th 2000
41
all of this reminds me...
Jun 09th 2000
18
If they are white & living in Africa
Jun 09th 2000
31
RE: If they are white & living in Africa
Jun 09th 2000
34
I hear you, but...
Jun 09th 2000
37
      my experience
Quinn
Jun 09th 2000
38
           RE: my experience
Jun 09th 2000
39
RE: If they are white & living in Africa
Xala
Jun 11th 2000
43
Call my view "limited"
Jun 13th 2000
46
RE: Call my view
Jun 13th 2000
47
      Way to win support. . .
Jun 13th 2000
48
why african over african american
earthboy
Jun 13th 2000
49
concept
dr_no
Jun 14th 2000
51
      good points!
Jun 14th 2000
52
           RE: good points!
Jun 14th 2000
53
           RE: good points!
Xala
Jun 14th 2000
58
race matters
Jiggly_Puff
Jun 14th 2000
57

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