Review of current research and practices

¶ … Africa and its Diaspora

The purpose of this particular document is to show what has happened to Africans throughout the years and indicate that, at least to some extent, they have let it happen. This is not because they have willingly gone along with much of what has been done to them, but because they have not stood up and fought it strongly. They have not seen themselves as being at the center, and therefore have accepted what the Europeans said about them, named the oceans around them, and did with their history. The strongest purpose of the document, however, is to show that African history has been greatly affected by the European ideals that were used to create it, and in order for it to be accurate, Africans must create their own history and not let others embellish or change it.

This is very important for Africans across the country and the world. Not all Africans still live in their home country, and making a home somewhere else can sometimes be difficult based on what kinds of beliefs and ideals others in that area have. Africans are becoming increasingly concerned about the way that their history is being discounted and only included as an aside to the rest of the history of other groups of people. There are also many falsehoods that belong to European history when it comes to the lives of Africans and this is something that there is a strong desire to correct throughout the African community. It is a slow process, but the interest in it is there.

The method with which this is presented is very strong, and also very intelligent. It is not just one person saying what they think without any kind of backing. Instead, the document deals with important information that has been collected from the writings and speeches of others to make the central point, or thesis, of the document, which is that the African people have been shortchanged when it comes to the way that their history has been written and is still being written. A subtopic of this thesis is that the African people have been letting this happen and are still doing so because they are not making a strong enough effort to change what is being written about their culture and race.

It is important at this point to summarize the article because there is much in it that is worthy of discussion. Unfortunately, there is not enough space to discuss the article in the in-depth fashion that it really deserves. However, some summary information can be provided here so that the main thrust of the article is better articulated. The article begins with the word 'diaspora' and what it means, because there are many people who have not heard the word, would not know what it meant, and therefore would have difficulty understanding what the article was really about and how important it was. From this discussion, the article moves on to the creativity that the African people have and how the history that they have is completely open to analysis by the rest of the world. This is an important consideration because it indicates that the African people feel as though their history has nothing to hide and has been misinterpreted by others.

Some of this misinterpretation that is pointed out in the article has to do with the slave trade from Europe. There are beliefs that Africans helped with the trade and with slavery, and it has been largely contested in this document. There are always traitors on any side of any issue, but to say that the Africans originated the slave trade is strongly contested here. Setting one's own terms and emerging victorious are also discussed because it is important that the African people understand that they must decide how they are going to feel and how they are going to think about their history. When people do this, they begin to understand some of the beliefs that they really have and where these beliefs have actually come from.

According to the document reviewed here, if those beliefs have come from history that has been written by others, they should be explored more closely so that it can be determined whether the beliefs are really genuine, or whether they come from what has been taught only by others. As the document nears its end, it turns more toward a call for the African people to stop allowing this kind of thing to happen, and to stop simply going along with what others have said about them or with the way others think that they should be acting. This is not a call for rebellion or overthrow, but rather a call to equality and a deeper understanding of their history and heritage.

Analyzing this document in a critical fashion is somewhat difficult. This is due to the fact that whether one is of African descent could strongly affect the feelings that are invoked when this document is read. Of course, this is just a generalization of the way that races and cultures feel, and not everyone will share that view. However, it seems that there might be a difference between the way Africans and Europeans view this article. From a European point-of-view, in general, the article might appear very inflammatory and might sound as though the African people are being asked to rise up against the oppression of others and change the history that has been created for them. In this way, the article would read as a call to arms and would sound dangerously deviant and problematic.

However, for those of an African descent, and those that are willing to look beyond their own beliefs and suspend the prejudices that they seem to have toward the African people, the document can be seen as a cry for equality and justice. There is a strong desire expressed in the document to be equal and to be recognized for the accomplishments that the African people have in their own right, instead of being tacked onto the history of other individuals such as Europeans. The desire of the African people to have their own history and to embrace their own beliefs is a strong one, and it can only happen if there are those who are willing to speak up and work to make changes that can benefit all of the African people in their history and for the future as well.