As October arrives the talk is again all about "Black History" whatever that actually means.
Local Authorities take it upon themselves, with the help of their token "blacks" to feed us
some garbage dressed up as history.
For the most part what they are trying to do is lull us all into a false sense of security.
we are being made to believe that we are an integral part of the fabric of this society.
The truth is we are not and will only become so when we have been absorbed into the host culture.
At the rate we are going it wont be very long before we are no longer a visible minority and
no more than a conversation piece, around a dinner table, as various people comment about the bit of Jamaican, Trinidadian or Grenadian that they have in them.
I am thoroughly disgusted by our lack of understanding and lack of cultural value. Anyone that smiles at
us seems to be readily accepted into the family fold. When some of us seek to have some cultural privacy,
a space to discuss family affairs we are accused of reverse racism. However, we are the same ones, I might add, that made it our duty thirty and more years ago to teach our children about their ancestors and engage ourselves in the reclamation of our birth right as Afrikans. Though many of you accused us of being stuck in the past or of being sentimental about an Afrikan Heritage, today I find myself having discussions with"white" people who now want to claim themselves as Africans and accuse me of being elitist for telling them that at this present moment in time I can not accept them as part of the Afrikan family.
I say this because they are the nett benefactors of Afrika's degradation. Their ancestors viewed the "Blacks"
they encountered in Afrika as less than human and therefore saw no need to value their god given human rights.They therefore went about the earth exterminating all those they viewed as lesser beings. They captured human and animal alike, penned them and endeavoured to break their spirit, in order to have them do their bidding.This act of brutality has thus far gone unpunished and as far as I am concerned makes any arrangement with their ancestors untenable.
Bob and Michael
Ok, now that I have gotten that of my chest, let me get to the main reason for this piece of writing.
I heard recently of an institution, a children's centre, whose director, head of centre whatever, decreed that during
"Black History Month" the staff are forbidden to bring in any pictures of Bob Marley or play any of his songs and the same goes for Michael Jackson. His reasoning is Bob Marley smoked cannabis and Michael Jackson was accused of molesting a
child. He has every right to disagree with the life choices of these two brothers, however what he does not have is the right to dictate to us not even his staff, what constitutes a black historical character.
What comes immediately to mind is all the historical figures that we and our chidren have to learn about like: Francis Drake, Walter Raliegh, Henry Morgan, Elizabeth I, Christopher Columbus etc. All of these people in one way or another had a hand in the destruction of the Afrikan family. Yet, we are expect to revere them and if we do not adequately imbibe the knowledge of them our chances of passing examinations could be seriously affected. I mean by this, that not knowing about some or all of these murderers of Afrikan humanity can have a negative impact on our lives.
Local Authorities take it upon themselves, with the help of their token "blacks" to feed us
some garbage dressed up as history.
For the most part what they are trying to do is lull us all into a false sense of security.
we are being made to believe that we are an integral part of the fabric of this society.
The truth is we are not and will only become so when we have been absorbed into the host culture.
At the rate we are going it wont be very long before we are no longer a visible minority and
no more than a conversation piece, around a dinner table, as various people comment about the bit of Jamaican, Trinidadian or Grenadian that they have in them.
I am thoroughly disgusted by our lack of understanding and lack of cultural value. Anyone that smiles at
us seems to be readily accepted into the family fold. When some of us seek to have some cultural privacy,
a space to discuss family affairs we are accused of reverse racism. However, we are the same ones, I might add, that made it our duty thirty and more years ago to teach our children about their ancestors and engage ourselves in the reclamation of our birth right as Afrikans. Though many of you accused us of being stuck in the past or of being sentimental about an Afrikan Heritage, today I find myself having discussions with"white" people who now want to claim themselves as Africans and accuse me of being elitist for telling them that at this present moment in time I can not accept them as part of the Afrikan family.
I say this because they are the nett benefactors of Afrika's degradation. Their ancestors viewed the "Blacks"
they encountered in Afrika as less than human and therefore saw no need to value their god given human rights.They therefore went about the earth exterminating all those they viewed as lesser beings. They captured human and animal alike, penned them and endeavoured to break their spirit, in order to have them do their bidding.This act of brutality has thus far gone unpunished and as far as I am concerned makes any arrangement with their ancestors untenable.
Bob and Michael
Ok, now that I have gotten that of my chest, let me get to the main reason for this piece of writing.
I heard recently of an institution, a children's centre, whose director, head of centre whatever, decreed that during
"Black History Month" the staff are forbidden to bring in any pictures of Bob Marley or play any of his songs and the same goes for Michael Jackson. His reasoning is Bob Marley smoked cannabis and Michael Jackson was accused of molesting a
child. He has every right to disagree with the life choices of these two brothers, however what he does not have is the right to dictate to us not even his staff, what constitutes a black historical character.
What comes immediately to mind is all the historical figures that we and our chidren have to learn about like: Francis Drake, Walter Raliegh, Henry Morgan, Elizabeth I, Christopher Columbus etc. All of these people in one way or another had a hand in the destruction of the Afrikan family. Yet, we are expect to revere them and if we do not adequately imbibe the knowledge of them our chances of passing examinations could be seriously affected. I mean by this, that not knowing about some or all of these murderers of Afrikan humanity can have a negative impact on our lives.
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