To Be Afrikan By Marimba Ani

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The article "To Be Afrikan" by Marimba Ani can help aid us to realization that we are an Afrikan people and help uncover our roots. Many African-Americans believe our roots began in the period of slavery and remain oblivious to our African culture and tradition. In this essay I will answer the question, What does it mean to be Afrikan?

According to Marimba Ani we loss all real since of culture and tradition of our roots during slavery, due to the process of dehumanization. Dehumanization is a psychological process by which opponents view each other as less than human and thus not deserving of moral consideration. During slavery they refered to Africans as 3/5 of a human because we had no nationality or names. Europeans were merely trying to strip us of our roots and succeeded. They tore us of from the tree by which our roots were connected and hat left us with a false identity.

As a result of dehumanization, African-Americans act upon the stereotypes that are said about our race. We believe that we are ignorant, have no knowledge, and no common sense. But, that is all a lie, we are scholors, archictectures, and mathmatitions. Our ancestors built the Great Pyramids and created the first calender, this is what it is to be Afrikan and this is who we are.

What does it mean to be Afrikan? Well, I can sum the answer up in one word "Art". We are the art of the world. Our tradtion, culture, values, and beliefs are practiced by the world. When I say "art" I define it as the quality, production, expression, or realm, according to aesthetic principles, of what is beautiful, appealing, or of more than ordinary significance.

In Conclusion, The answer to the question, What does it mean to be Afrikan is "art". I have learned a lot from Marimba Ani just by reading an article and I believe she is correct. Afrikan is aesthetic and that is all it ever will be. This is what it means to be Afrikan.