African-Americans: How many of them are proud to be Africans?
About six years ago, there used to be a black, I have been seeing frequently at a drinking Café I used to work in Antwerp, Belgium. As I said earlier, I have met him many times but his strange attitude made me find out where he comes from.
He never responded to my greetings. Closely, I could greet him but every time without a word. I made inquiries from my boss, as to who he was and I was told that he was a musician from the United States of America. I wasn't surprised to hear that.
I choose special books I like to read. The few I had read is about African-Americans. Some call them "African souls lost in the diaspora." Most of them hate to be called Africans. Despite knowing well the circumstances that led them to be African-Americans, some simply prefer to be morons and claim to be Americans, instead of Africans."
Part of the lyrics of the song "Greetings" by Jamaican reggae star Burning Spear's, real name (Winston Rodney) says 'One thing I don't understand, why so many black people in America, have no intention, respect for the culture. I wonder why.
Even though they say I am a Yankee, never mind them. I still love my black brothers and black sisters in America'. Such a lyric evidently speaks about the same negative attitude maintained by African-Americans, I am writing about.
It is documented that Africans faced a shameful and brutal experience in slavery, which went on for more than three hundred years. Three hundred years of raids, roundups, pursuits, and ambushes by the white man resulted in millions of young Africans deported across the Atlantic in horrific conditions.
Those that were lucky to emerge in today's new world are the descendants of the slaves that are now African-Americans. Unfortunately, the unexpected riches they have built had diminished their memory to forget their history.
The painful and lasting imprints of this epoch left upon the memory and consciousness of the African, centuries of disdain, humiliation, and suffering have degraded the black man to the extent that some feel it is better to claim as an American than African.
Unfortunately, maintaining this negative attitude is not helping them, they are rather a laughing stock in the eyes of the white man.
I am happy and proud to be African. I think the soul singer James Brown, was also proud to be, else he wouldn't have played "Say it Loud I am black and proud." I think it's time for every African-American to put behind them those painful memories.
Once in their lifetime if any of them could get the chance to visit Africa, as some of them had previously done, they would love Africa and proudly claim to be Africans.