Africa’s Original Name
Author: Benny Muhammad (---.rasserver.net)
Date: 12-23-03 00:03
I was at a lecture featuring the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
In this lecture he mentioned that the continent now known as Africa
was named by the Greek conqueror known as "Alexander the Great".
I believe that it would add more value to our research if we would
gather more information concerning this young Macedonian king who
ruled and conquered most of the lands in what is now known as Asia
Minor and Africa. Then I believe that we may be able to answer the
question, "what was the name of this continent before Europeans
stepped foot on it". History has shown us that when the "whites" of
Europe went "a conquering" the lands of the Black, Brown and other
"darker" people that they frequently, as a matter of what they
consider their right, changed the name of not only the land but the
people that inhabited that land. And if our research leads us to
discover that Africa was indeed known by another name other than
Africa then maybe the Black people in the United States of America
might think twice or three times before calling themselves "AfricanAmerican".
Very interesting you caused me to do some research. Read what I
found
below,
quite
complicated.
I
have
to
read
again.
AFRICISM
AFRICA AND AFRICISM
The specific concerns of this presentation are misnomers that have
disadvantageously affected the religions of Africa. But before
addressing Africism as the appropriate name of the discovery it is
important to be clear about its antecedent which is Africa. Africa is the
name of a continent. What is the origin of the name Africa?
In the first century CE, Flavius Jospehus, a Jewish historian
advances an opinion that it was the descendants of Abraham,
Japhras and Apheras, by his wife Katura, their names to the city of
Aphra and the country of Africa. [1930: I, 239-242]. This assertion
seems to be no where clearly and specifically supported in the book
of Genesis. Leo Africanus suggests that “Festus has the name Africa
to be derived from the Greek word phrike which means horror or cold
and the prefix a- as a privative particle indicating negation or absence
and agglutinantly forming the word aphrike, meaning that Africa is a
place free from horror and extremities of cold because it lies open to
the heavens and is sandy, dry and desert”. [1660: 13]. On page 121
of the same book, Leo Africanus also suggests that Africa in Arabic is
called Iphrichia with the sense of dividing. That this part of the world
is divided from Europe by the Mediterranean Sea, and that it is
divided from Asia by the Nile and the Red Sea.
Prior to opinions so far enunciated about the origins of the name
Africa, to the opinion of this presentation, the name by the Roman
derivation seems to be the most plausible. This may be traced back
to the Punic Wars (264-146 B.C.E.). During this period one is made
aware of the existence of a people known as Afri inhabiting the
southern Mediterranean shores around the city of Carthage. The
Punic Wars end by the destruction of Carthage and the annexation of
its territory by Rome. The region becomes a Roman province. Latin
becomes the official language of the province. Africa, as it were, is
proactively and geontologically coined to designate the province. The
procedure of coining this name takes the name Afer, singular, and
Afri, plural, by which the autochthons of this region were known,
agglutinates it with the suffix -ca to make a qualificatory adjective.
Africa which is brought together with the word for land and forms an
intelligible phraseology of Africa terra, to mean the land of the Afri. In
his Latin-German Dictionary under the word Africa, Dr. William
Freund notes that “the Romans received this name from the
Carthaginians as designating their country (1850). While the silenced
terra in the phrase Africa terra helps to emphasize the existence of
the totality of the continent, terra incognita, draws attention to the fact
that there is part of the totality of the land which was unknown. But
the semantically racist translation ended by creating what is called
the “Dark Continent.” The restricted sense of Africa means the
ancient Roman province. In an extended sense, by metonymy the
name Africa covers the whole quarter of the globe south of the
Mediterranean Sea. The coverage however, is not only terrestrial, it
can also be noted as spiritual. Africa is also understood in the form of
Africus. As such according to a note by Dr. William Freund in the
dictionary mentioned above, the classical world has known Africus as
the god in manifestation of the south west wind. So connected the
root of Africus i.e. Afric- appropriately contributes to the generation of
the name Africism.
AFRICISM
The task of this endeavor is to come up with a name which
comprehensively,
consolidatively
and
inclusively
names
and
appropriately projects the image of Africa’s autochthonal religions.
The name Africism is arrived at by an agglutinative process which is
seriously mindful of the semantic implications of the component parts.
Africism results from agglutinating the suffix -ism to the root Afric.
While the latter component part geontologically stands for Africa and
the people thereof, the suffix -ism in this case stands for the system
of the religions and the world views of Africa. Grammatically,
linguistically, rhetorically and semantically the suffix -ism connotes
some ideas. For the purpose of this presentation, the Oxford English
Dictionary expresses the vital ingredient regarding the suffix -ism in
the process of creating a neologism. About how and when the suffix
is applied OED states that: “Forming the name of a system of theory
or practice, religions, ecclesiastical, philosophical, political , social,
etc., sometimes founded on the name of its subject or object,
sometimes on that of its founder.” Given this premise, Africism, as a
Terminology, means: The system of African religious beliefs, ritual
practices and thought concerning superhuman beings and the world.
Africism stands for the essence and unity of African Religions. It
helps to elucidate the unity and diversity of the autochthonal religions
of Africans. It contributes to saving the African religious condition
from the perpetuation of semantic racism.
http://www2.bc.edu/~lugira/africism2.htm
http://www.afropop.org/forums/read.php?f=1&i=323&t=316
Author: Ebenezer (140.147.159.---)
Date: 12-27-02
07:52
Is it true that like America Africa was named by Europeans?
I have read that the name Africa is related to the fruit name Apricot
and it's related to some Latin name referring to the Sun.
I also have read that the first land to be called Africa was in fact in
Africa and it's been Tunisia for some time now.
What is now northern North Africa was once Roman colonies. One of
the colonies is now Tunisia and the Romans caled it Africa.
Of course, and happily so, the peoples of Africa have made the name
AFRICA their own with no thought whatsoever of its Roman origin.
YES, THE ROMAN ORIGIN IS IN FACT IRRELEVANT but I would
like to have some replies. My Congo friend always called herself
African, of course, she also called herself Congolese.
Speaking of which. It is a shame that too many people, black and
white and Hispanic and Asian, do not have any idea of the different
ethnicities of Africa. Granted, like my friend says and the fact that a
great portion of Africans can be said to be of the BANTU RACE, there
are in fact at least 30 Bantu countries. Then there the non-Bantu
African countries.
Then again, those folks from ETHIOPIA AND EGYPT AND ALGERIA
and so on in Northern Africa (including the first land to be called
Africa) do not call themselves African. "African" to them are the
Bantus, the blacks of the Sahara and the SubSahara from Mali on
down.
Then again, whites and blacks here do in fact distinguish Ethiopians
(and yes Eritreans, regardless of their civil war they are basically of
the same group, and Somalians -Italian and British Somalia, and
French Somalia (Djibouti), Eastern Africa) and Egyptians and
NORTHERN AFRICANS/ARABIC/the darlings of Old Spain, the
Moors (YES,THAT'S SARCASM) from Africans whom they lump
together in one big group, "Africans".
((Spaniards, a great portion of whom are in fact VERY WHITE AND
EVEN GERMANIC, truly hate being called not white on account of
700 years of Moorish rule.
The last 200 years of Moorish rule was confined to a small portion of
southern Spain. Muslims ruled most of Spain for less than 200
years.))
Then again, my Congo friend does that too but she of course
distinguishes between her people and, even, her neighbors in
Rwanda/Burundi/le
Republique
du
Congo
(Congo
Braza)/le
Republique Centrale du Afrique/Gabon/le Guinea Equatoriale/Angola
(as a Puerto Rican I could possibly make somebody in the Congo
think
I'm
Angolan,
then
again,
I
am
"white"(!)).
She'll see some Africans and she'll know if there Congolese or not.
She saw some Congolese guy giving her and me dirty looks because
she, a Congo woman, was with me, somebody who might be white.
AFRO-RICAN:
UNLIKE BLACKS HERE WHO ALWAYS REMIND US OF THEIR
AFRICAN ROOTS, PUERTO RICANS, WHO DON'T GO IN FOR
THAT SORT OF THING, DO IN FACT KNOW WHO MOST OF
THEIR AFRICAN ANCESTORS ARE. WE PUERTO RICANS SPEAK
OF THE YORUBAS OF WHAT IS NOW NIGERIA.
It is unfortunate that Afro-Rican in Puerto Rico is in fact only music
and food and not much else. Bomba (listen to Yoruba music, Bomba
is about the same) and Plena (more of a blend of African and
Spanish music) and Plantains ("platanos") and Codfish ("bacalao")
It is interesting how Puerto Ricans deal with race using deprecating
humor and familiarity. For example, the Spanish prefix "so" adds the
adjective "damn" to a name. So we Puerto Ricans, white and
nonblack, can refer to one of our black or dark countrymen as SO
NEGRO, which is to say, damn black. However, you never hear SO
BLANCO, "DAMN WHITE". And African hair is PELO MALO, BAD
HAIR. But you can call your sweetie of any color or race "negrito"
"negrita". But you can make "darkie" jokes and comedians can use
whiteface. FAMILIARITY, hey ,we're all Puerto Ricans, we ain't black
or white! But that familiarity and that humor is basically a form of
RACIAL HATRED.
Author: Ebenezer (140.147.159.---)
Date: 01-02-03
08:00
Weezie, your coverage of Josephus Flavius and of the Romans and
the Carthaginians agree with my findings though as separate entities.
I would agree that the Romans and their European descendants
knew that there more lands south of the Roman Province of Africa
and knew it as Terra Incognita, the Unknown Land. I further posit
that the British and the French brought the name Africa to the
peoples they encountered. Eventually, all these peoples had a sense
of being one on a vast continent called Africa AND THEY ADOPTED
THE NAME AND BECAME AFRICANS. That in fact they lacked that
sense even though, I'm sure, they in fact, traveleved long far and
wide (the mythic/historical migrations of the ancestors of most of the
people of West and Central and Southern Africa), that they did not
have a name for the vastness of lands and territories encountered
beyond their own lands. THAT IS NOT A PUT-DOWN, PLEASE
DON'T THINK IT IS.
Author: Ebenezer (140.147.159.---)
Date: 01-02-03
08:02
Would the Arabic name "Iphrichia" be an antecedent of the name
"Ethiopia"?
Author: Robert (212.187.240.---)
Date: 01-04-03
06:45
Ebenezer, don't worry about the fact that the name Africa, has a
Roman origin.
Most of the European names around the Meditteranean, also have
the same Roman origin. It was so long ago now, we now consider
this as something to be proud of, because the Civilised Roman era (
about 400-600 years ), was replaced by nearly 1000 years of the
Dark Ages !
These names include:
Brittania
Britain
Hispania
Spain
Hibernia
Ireland
Caledonia
Scotland
Germania
Germany
Mauratania
Mauratania
Arabia
Arabia
Persia
Iran
Countries generally are quite proud of their Roman heritage !
The
Romans
were
also
quite
a
cosmopolitan
society.
There were many Black Africans, and North Africans that were
citizens, and lived in Rome.
Author: Mikey (---.cdc.gov)
Date: 03-15-04
16:14
Just curious what's the differece between Black Africa and North
Africa?
Author: NJ (---.mayo.edu)
Date: 08-23-04
12:28
North Africa refers to the region of Africa north of the Sahara desert
and comprising predominantly the Maghreb (currently Morocco,
Algeria, Tunisia, probably Libya and Mauritania also) and Egypt. The
Sudan is sometimes included as part of North Africa. The North
Africans are genealogically considered as being of Middle Eastern
ancestry i.e. Arabs, and genetically, about 80% are Caucasoid with
ancient middle Eastern origin ('white Africans'). On the other hand,
the term 'black Africans' refers to persons from East Africa and
subSaharan Africa (the West and South). But note that some people
believe that East Africans (the Swahili especially) originated from
North Africa and are predominantly the product of marriages between
northern Arabian men and subsaharan African women. There is a
contrary opinion that the Swahili in East Africa migrated from more
southward parts of Africa and settled in east Africa. There is evidence
to support both views. In much of Southern Africa, as a result of
immigration of Caucasian and Indian populations and intermarriages,
there's also quite a bit of admixture at present.
Author: Robert (212.187.240.---)
Date: 01-04-03
Other names include :
07:10
Begica
Belgium
Armenia
Armenia
Assyria
Syria
The only part of Africa, that was colonised was a thin strip along the
North coast of the Mediteranean :
The regions of Africa, and Egyptus, were vital to the Roman empire
as these were the bread baskets of Rome !
Mauretania
Numidia
Africa
Cyrenaeca
Egyptus
The name Africa, was used to rename Carthage, which was Rome's
defeated rival empire. This area is modern day Tunisia, and the city
of Carthage was located roughly where the modern city of Tunis is
located.
The most famous Carthaginian was Hannibal, who led his Elephants
to the gates of Rome, during the 2nd Punic war.
Author: Ebenezer (140.147.159.---)
Date: 01-06-03
07:42
Europeans also made the Roman names their own and became a
people under those names, the British for example. However, these
people are aware and proud of their Roman ancestry of which they
retain more than their "nation's name". Because this so-called New
World as we know it began as a New Europe (no, I'm not denigrating
the nonEuropean peoples that were already here) and Europeans
named our countries then we, too (especially white Americans and
Hispanics) have that Roman connection in ancestry/language/ethnic
names,etc.
Speaking of Hispanics... The term "Latin American" was originally a
French American term designating WHITE FOLKS IN THE U.S.
whose ancestry and parentage was Portuguese/Spanish (European
Spanish, not Mestizo and Mexican, etc)/French/Italian. To me that
makes a lot more sense than the modern application of the term.
However, I would include mixed Hispanics and black Hispanics.
Speaking of Hispanics... Again, the term "Hispanic" was originally a
European Spanish term designating the white children/descendants
of the Spaniards. Thus it excluded more than half of the populations
of the Spanish Indies, i.e. "Latin America". In fact, under Spanish rule
Spanish citizenship was limited to the Spaniards and the native
whites.
Speaking
of
HISPANICS
VIS
A
VIS
BLACKS....
ANY THOUGHTS ON HISPANIC BLACKS/BLACKS OF HISPANIC
ORIGIN...SHOULD WE CALL THEM BLACKS, JUST BLACKS, OR
SHOULD WE CALL THEM HISPANICS???????
Author: Robert (212.187.240.---)
Date: 01-07-03
05:37
North Africa, is less proud than Europe of its Roman heritage,
because it has less of this heritage remaining, i.e. unlike Europe :1) its writing uses the Arabic alphabet rather than the Latin alphabet.
2) its religion is now Islam rather than Roman Catholic.
Author: Ebenezer (140.147.159.---)
Date: 01-07-03
09:11
Of course, North Africa is really closer to the rest of Africa than to
Europe, whether the North Africans like it or not, and the factors you
mention, Robert, are among the reasons why. I think Tom would
agree that in this case skin colour (that's "color" over here!) is not a
big factor.
Studying an atlas of history/historical atlas it is interesting to see how
entire populations and ethnic groups have been supplanted and
demoted and even removed, interesting in how such wrongs have
been made.
But I think that in the case of Bantu Africa the peoples there are
basically the descendants of the peoples that have been there for
millions of years. They have not been replaced, removed, and since
they won their independence from Europeans they are in fact in
control of their ancestral lands. While they speak English, French,
Portuguese, Spanish (Equatorial Guinea) they primarily speak their
own languages such as Lingala (Ngala?) in Congo Kinshasa.
Cuba, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico are the only Spanish
colonies where the original populations (The Indians: Tainos,
Arawauks) were rtotally replaced. While millions of "Spanish West
Indians" have Taino/Arawauk/Carib blood none is actually an Indian.
The Indian languages have dissappeared save a few words here and
there
such
as
huricane
("huracan"
in
Spanish).
It is pathetic how black Dominicans call themselves Indians just to
deny their black heritage. And that's given the fact that the Dominican
Republic is racially closer to the rest of the West Indies, being the
black Hispanic island. Cuba is more mixed and has a great number of
blacks but also has a great percentage of whites and near-whites (of
course, most of them live in The Republic of Little Cuba, aka Miami,
supposedly a U.S. city). Puerto Rico has the least number of blacks
and a higher number of near-whites. Puerto Rico is "the lightest
Caribbean
island".
Whoopie!
(sarcasm!)
YES, I'M PUERTO RICAN and I'm very light-skinned but I'm
obviously not "Anglo-Saxon" like my Massachusetts father is.
Author: Ebenezer (---.dhcp.loc.gov)
Date: 01-07-03
14:18
I was wondering if you were British or from an African country.
For merengue of the Dominican Republic I recommend El Conjunto
Quisqueya and Johnny Ventura (who is now a politician and
government official in the DR) .For salsa of Puerto Rico I recommend
Ismael Rivera and Willy Colon. Now, when I talk about Salsa I'm only
going up to about 1983. I don't recommend the lighter poppier salsa
of Elvis Crespo and the new kids (on the block) since the mid80s. As
for older music I recommend Celia Cruz and El Gran Combo de
Puerto Rico (1960s boogaloo/"bugalu" and "el ye-ye", rhumba-based
rhythm
music,
and
of
course,
el
guanguanco).
Speaking of guanguanco and rhumba that's RICARDO LEMVO. His
salsa is not like the sophisticated jazzier salsa of Eddie Palmieri and
Ruben Blades nor is it the light pop salsa of Elvis Crespo and the
other
kids.
His
salsa
is
more
like
the
Afro-Cuban
salsa/guaguanco/rumba of Celia Cruz, of El Gran Combo de Puerto
Rico.
Two of my fave salsa songs from almost 30 years ago are
Si
Tu
Loco
Loco
(Ricardo
Roena
y
Su
Apollo
Sound)
El Nazareno (Ismael Rivera)
Speaking
of
Ismael
"Maelo"
Rivera...Maelo
and
other
Nuyorican/Puerto Rican blacks were influenced by the black civil
rights movement and the "black is beautiful bag" and brought forth a
consciousness of blackness in Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican culture,
something that was in fact "sort of" missing. That was in the early 70s
(El
Nazareno
is
from
that
time).
Years later, some salsa group caused an uproar in Puerto Rico with
their song "Si Dios Fuera Negro" (IF GOD WERE BLACK). Keep in
mind that was in among a people who claim to lack any kind of
prejudice. But anybody should know that it's stupid to claim that. IT'S
GREAT TO WORK TOWARDS THAT AND IT'S GREAT WHEN
THERE IS NO PREJUDICE but IT IS STUPID TO DENY IT
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT DOES EXIST EVEN SUBTLY.
Author: Dana
Date: 01-09-03
Marniche (---.wchryh01.nj.comcast.net)
00:24
Dear Sir,
The Romans and later Africans termed the area of Tunisia Afarica
after the tribe of people who lived in the area since the days of
Carthage known as Afar or Afer and Pharusii to Roman authors like
Claudian and Tacitus. Thus, individuals of the tribe are often called
Afer or Afarensus or of similar dark appearance were often given the
name as a surname . Hence the phrase of "Afar" race is also used by
the Romans. The people of the Afar were known to Cleodemus and
Josephus Flavius as the "Epher", a son of Midian or Medan
mentioned in Genesis (anciently Medjayu or Bedja of East Africa,
who crossed into "Libya" (the ancient name of Northern Africa west of
the Nile) from "Arabia", which was the name for everything east of the
Nile in Africa as well as the present sub-continent of Arabia to most
ancient Greeks and Romans of the time of Christ. Parts of the Yemen
or (the southern parts of Arabia) were also called the forests of al Afar
or Ghaba al Afar until late. Thus today part of the modern nation of
Oman is called Dthofar. People who live in the mountains of Dthofar
still resemble the Afar of East Africa and the Ifuras of the Sahel.
In the times of Arab invaders, after the 7th century, the remnants of
that group were still in various places in the North African area as
well. They are called by Muslim writers of the time the Ifarik in North
Africa and descend from a legendary chief Ifrikus. The people are still
known in the Sahel and Sahara as Iforaces or Iforas and in East
Africa as the Afar (living in Djibouti, Ethiopia Sudan and Eritrea. To
understand what the word means in their dialects would resolve the
problem of what the word Africa really means. They speak dialects of
the "hamitic" or "Afro-Asiatic" group.
Author: Weezie (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date: 01-09-03
04:46
I am learning to dance salsa, actually for 3 years, but the
music came after and I am learning to like it, love of course
would be better. I love the 2 groups you mentioned and mostly
the salsa I love is the African based sound. Ray Baretto said,
if
it
ain't
got
the
African
it
ain't
sala.
Have you checked out on Afropop.org the great hours of NY
classic salsa. Also Bugalu, is quite fun. Afropop is extensive
with nooks and cranies so it could be missed here is the direct
link.
http://www.afropop.org/radio/program_stream/ID/9/New%20York:%2
0Back%20In%20The%20Day
Or from the home page, go to the Site Map (in the black band at
the top), then Radio Archives, finally New York: Back in the
Day,
it
wouldn't
be
obvious
salsa
is
there.
Also great salsa selections at: http://www.mamboston2.com under
dj NIK. It says not to download, but they linked the audio clips
downloadable
intentional
instead
or
they
of
will
streaming,
I
wonder
catch
on
and
if
that
change
was
that.
Both sites have the classic salsa dura and greats. Some modern
like "Lady" salsa version, I love it. Also did you know Lenny
Kravitz did a wonderful salsa version of his songs, the title
slips my memory.
If you like the hard music style go to http://www.timba.com
which is a fairly new Cuban music, aka salsa on steriods. Check
the audio clips from Team Cuba, from the home page, right column
under Artists. This is from La Tropical in Cuba, "the" dance
place where the best musicians and dancers go, it is "the" place
in Cuba. If the film "La Tropical" documentary about this
dancehall, with a 4,000 person capacity, comes to your town,
run, down walk to see it! It is an indie film so it shows
infrequently and when it does, usually on 1 day. But, if you
don't like hardcore body moving booty shaking grinding dancing
don't go. They dance salsa very dancehall reggae style. The
music and dancing is the best and not what sometimes people
thing of the slow draggy Buena Vista stuff which is also nice,
but I am more hardcord.
Salsa comes in various forms and styles. African salsa is very
different, if you go back on a discussion I started regarding
African
Salsa
you
will
get
a
lot
information
on
that.
Salsa is very big in England right now. In December there was a
salsa congress held in England. Most salsa right now is very New
York oriented. Also Senegal had a month long salsa festival a few
months ago.
Author: Ebenezer (140.147.159.---)
Date: 01-09-03
17:24
Weezie, my kind of salsa is rumba/guaguanco/boogaloo/early Fania
of Celia Cruz, El Gran Combo, early Ray Barretto & Joe Cuba, Ismael
"Maelo" Rivera, Willie Colon and Hector Lavoe. I was aware that
Dominicans are really making the salsa scene. Venezuelan Oscar
D'Leon has been doing it since the 70s.
I have nothing against reggae and dancehall music but I sure don't
like that kind of dirty grinding dancing and the way dancehall women
dress. You're right, I don't like hip-hop. I realise that a lot of "black
music" dancing here and in the West Indies is derived from African
dancing, such as Yoruba & Congo. But I tend to see African dancing
as more than entertainment and fun but also as cultural while hip hop
dancing is just acting nasty. Ok, my heritage is starting to show.
Robert, I'll be giving you my address soon. I'm looking forward to a
thorough introduction into African music beyond the widely popular
"soukous".
My friend once told me that some African country actually banned
Congo music because the youth were ignoring their own culture. She
also told me Africans are prejudiced against Nigerians. Considering
that we whites and Hispanics and blacks think of black Africans as
one people it's interesting and sad to see how untrue that is.
She also told me about the Hutsi/Tutsi shibboleth. They would have
somebody say a certain word. If he or she said the word a certain
way which wasn't their way then they knew he or she wasn't one of
them
and
they
would
kill
him
or
her.
Now in le Cote D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) they're attacking foreigners.
Guess what? It ain't white folks, it ain't Asians. No, it's Ghana people,
it's
Mali
people,
it's
Nigerians,
it's
Senegalese.
My friend told me another story that's quite true about Spaniards and
Hispanics. A Spaniard settled in the Congo. "Don Pepe" (good name
for a Spaniard) gets involved with a Congo woman whom he marries,
"Mama Margo". Their daughter, "Marie", isn't white but she's
obviously not "very Congo". Marie grows up and, naturally, she gets
involved with a Congolese, "Anton" (I guess these are Kinshasa folks,
definitely not Lubumbashi folks). Well. Don Pepe, a white man who
fell for and married a black woman, is dead set against Marie
marrying
Anton!
Mama Margo has no objections, in fact she encourages Marie and
Anton. But Don Pepe doesn't want to bring any more Congo/black
bloodlines into the family! He deosn't want her to do something like
what he himself did and she ain't exactly white. He wants her to
marry someone like himself, a "Carlitos".
The same thing happens among mixed families in the Spanish Indies.
What can you tell me about the former Spanish Guinea, Equatorial
Guinea?
Author: Weezie (---.ny325.east.verizon.net)
Date: 01-10-03
02:24
You apparently don't know the full range of reggae or hip hop.
Reggae has different forms, starting with roots and moving to
dancehall. Roots, Bob Marley, Black Uhuru, Burning Spear is
certainly not nasty nor do the women dress as such it is a very earthy
real social/political conscious message statement music, one
world/one love music and it is not a grinding/bumping dance, rather it
is flowing, rhythmic, lively, swaying, bouncing and grooving, positive,
no nasty dancing or clothing.
Beautiful and Positive Reggae:
Check Burning Spear, "Burning Reggae" (roots reggae) Music Video.
http://launch.yahoo.com/musicvideos/player/default.asp?videoID=161
338
and
Black
Uhuru
"One
Love"
(dub/roots
reggae)
Music
Video
http://launch.yahoo.com/musicvideos/player/default.asp?videoID=165
605
- - - ROOTS emerged in response to the political infighting between
the two rival political parties that were badly affecting the Jamaican
working class. With 'conscious' lyrics and a new, deeper rhythmic
approach, Roots was birthed by the meeting of vocal trio the Wailers
(featuring
Bob
Marley)
.
.
.
Dancehall is closer to what you describe, but it isn't dirty or nasty, I
would say you don't dance period. It is sensuous, passionate,
emotional and expressive but not sexual and not all dance to or pass
the limits. There are degrees of everything in life. What you are
describing is from very passionate expressive free spirited people,
not all can do it. Its about your body and how you feel about it. You
couldn’t understand but don’t judge so harshly, if you ever danced
like that you would understand the freedom, passion and love within
in yourself. Dancing is talking with your body and some people are
more expressive and animate than others. Salsa dancing is more
conservative; when the salsa dancers saw me dance to house music
they said they were surprised. I know the difference from experience.
Don’t judge so harshly and readily about something you haven’t
experienced. I saw a film at the Margaret Mead film festival about
Cape Verde, how they dance and how the missionaries try to stop the
frenetic hip movements. It’s a different view in life that you have, it is
not nasty sensuous, some people as I said are just more passionate.
And not all dancehall people dress as you describe and what is
wrong
with
it
anyway,
repression
causes
perversions.
- - - DANCEHALL's Cultural return to a more conscious, Rasta
inflected approach, with more singing: from the likes of Sizzla, Buju
Banton, Garnett Silk and Luciano.
Now about hip hop, that is a skill and nothing nasty about the dancing
at all, you have your wires crossed. Dance means using your body
not just your feet. Hip hop is very much related to Capoeira which
many have studied as well as gymnastics, jazz etc. These are
vernacular dances. Would you criticize Katherine Dunham her
choreography was once so classified. Here in New York we have a
non-profit organization, which I volunteer my services for, that works
to dispel these myths and to improve, maintain and improve the
recognition
of
these
dances.
http://www.aivjd.org
"In fact, one can trace the history of rap back to the West African
professional
singers/storytellers
known
as
Griots."
I am not trying to get you to like these dances or music, it is your
preference, but please open your mind and free it. There is plenty of
culture in reggae and hip hop.
Author: Amina (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: 03-13-03
20:21
You seem very knowledgable on this topic so I will ask you, I have
been told that Africa was originally called, "Alkebulan". I a not sure of
the origins. I also was told once that the names of Ethiopia and Egypt
are both Latin words meaning, "Burned Faces" and the other,
"Bondage". Have you ever done any research that confirms this
information or disagrees with it. Please inform me. I am curious.
Author: Félix
Ayoh`OMIDIRE (200.18.229.---)
Date: 04-23-03 12:13
Hi all,
Quite interesting this debate of yours about the origin of the name
Africa. However important that is, one must not forget the rhetorical
question, "What`s in a name?".
To me what is more important and more urgent is findng out what this
Africa really represents to all - Africans and Non-Africans alike - in
this globalized age.
I have been asking myself this question for some time now, and
everyday,
I
run
into
very
wierd
answers.
One is that, in spite of the greatness of the past, evryone that counts
is busy making this Africa the least of the least everyday.
That even the so-called afrophiliacs only care about the lost Africa,
the African of the valiant heroes, the mystical and mythical Africa.
When you ask them to define the contemporary Africa, to them it is
the land of the damned race. THe myth of the dark continent has not
changed
in
spite
of
what
we
may
all
believe.
Here in Brazil, the afrocentric themselves, when they want to depict
Africa in the popular carnival and other outdoor programs, they dress
wierd, half-naked, dirty hair-do, bare-foot etc. To them, the fashion
taste of modern yoruba or ivorian women is non-existent. If it is not
weird, it can not be Africa!
Let each one of us find out within his immesdiate community what
image is popularly held of Africa, and do his/her best to put things in
the right perspective. That way we would have contributed to
something worthwhile.
Viva Africa.
Ire o,
Félix.
Author: Nana
Yeboah
Ericsson (---.client.insightBB.com)
Date: 09-30-03 19:55
Hi All,
God bless you, Felix! You are a wise man. Africa needs more of your
kind.
Your words are just lovely to my ears:
"Let each one of us find out within his immediate community what
image is popularly held of Africa, and do his/her best to put things in
the right perspective. That way we would have contributed to
something worthwhile."
It is about time Africans make a concerted effort to project a good
image of our lovely fatherland.
I shall return! Viva Africa!
Nana
Author: truthbetold (---.client.comcast.net)
Date: 10-11-03 11:42
I hate to be the person who tears down well meaning dreams, but no
matter how hard you may try in the west you can not scrape the
image in which west has put into the minds of it's people. When the
west think of Africa they think.. Naked running around africans
drinking blood from anaimals, and yelling and dancing, Aids,
Sickness, Poverty, Savage! That is what the west shows us about
Africa. When the West sees an African they think... "I bet he/she is
glad to be out of Africa, I bet he/she is glad to have running water etc.
African Americans deal with the same stereotypes and mind games
that the West portrays of the Black Faces! The only thing that we can
do as the Black Faces (to the west) is unite! You can change your
image but the image of the people remains the same! I think once
Africans realize that African Americans are the lost ancestors children
then can we repair the damage! The ancestors are mad! "How can
you abandon us, How can you forget the blood that runs through the
soil of this land", We are disgrace to ourselves, and the world
disgrace us because we can not look at oursleves in the ponds,
lakes, of the earth because you have not honored the blood of us
your ancestors who you have forgotten!" How could you not like your
ancestors? How could you look upon our children and turn away as if
we never existed? The land in which you call your home, was turned
with my hands, and when my hands left the land, you forgot me?
Wow, if we as Africans and African Americans don't get it together
then we will always live in disgrace of each other!
Peace be to you and yours!
Author: Benny
Muhammad (---.rasserver.net)
Date: 12-23-03 00:03
I was at a lecture featuring the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
In this lecture he mentioned that the continent now known as Africa
was named by the Greek conqueror known as "Alexander the Great".
I believe that it would add more value to our research if we would
gather more information concerning this young Macedonian king who
ruled and conquered most of the lands in what is now known as Asia
Minor and Africa. Then I believe that we may be able to answer the
question, "what was the name of this continent before Europeans
stepped foot on it". History has shown us that when the "whites" of
Europe went "a conquering" the lands of the Black, Brown and other
"darker" people that they frequently, as a matter of what they
consider their right, changed the name of not only the land but the
people that inhabited that land. And if our research leads us to
discover that Africa was indeed known by another name other than
Africa then maybe the Black people in the United States of America
might think twice or three times before calling themselves "AfricanAmerican".
Author: Benny Muhammad (---.rasserver.net)
Date: 12-23-03 00:03
I was at a lecture featuring the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan.
In this lecture he mentioned that the continent now known as Africa
was named by the Greek conqueror known as "Alexander the Great".
I believe that it would add more value to our research if we would
gather more information concerning this young Macedonian king who
ruled and conquered most of the lands in what is now known as Asia
Minor and Africa. Then I believe that we may be able to answer the
question, "what was the name of this continent before Europeans
stepped foot on it". History has shown us that when the "whites" of
Europe went "a conquering" the lands of the Black, Brown and other
"darker" people that they frequently, as a matter of what they
consider their right, changed the name of not only the land but the
people that inhabited that land. And if our research leads us to
discover that Africa was indeed known by another name other than
Africa then maybe the Black people in the United States of America
might think twice or three times before calling themselves "AfricanAmerican".
Author: Anthony (---.carolina.rr.com)
Date: 05-17-04
22:37
the land of Goshin,Ethiopia,Nubia,Egypt
Author: peter oluwaseun Lance (---.cust.web-sat.com)
Date: 07-13-04 23:12
Hi There, My Name is Peter oluwaseun Lance, A yoruba from
Nigeria. I'm 22 yrs old And also holds a BSc in mechanical
engineering. I Just Want to say that there is a lot that the africans
americans Does not know about the continet africa. And i'm sorry to
say that most of the black americans dont care. U see, I'm very Proud
of been an african and a nigerian in short.I'm proud of atleast been
able to learn my historical back ground and also stdy science, Here in
Nigeria Our people are not surferin, You hardly see people with
aidsor a talk about poverty toll, but this iswhat most black americans
thinks about africa, that africa is just one jungle filled with bush
people, some times when i chat on line and meets some blacks in
u,s, thequestion they ask me is (do i see any lion aroud ?) what a silly
and useless quetion to ask. well to cut the longstory short. I think it
would be very helpfull and better for the great african americans to or
should try and visit their home i mean africa and learn, africans a
veryfriendly people,and to let to whom this leter may concern
that,They are lots of whites americans here in nigeria who dont
wantto go back to their country again. its just funny when you as a
group of people now say words to condemn a nation of black people.
I'm black and proud and i love my country cos there is nothing like
racims or any form of hatred cos when wesee our selves ,we see our
selves as one people, One Dark colour and one body from one
anscestors.