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| Rev. Jesse Jackson with Nelson Mandela |
"The twin diseases of selfishness and greed are as thick as the melanin in the Black man's skin"
What is really the nature of the relationship between
African-Americans and Africans today? For a fact, African-Americans have a
clear sense of belonging to Africa as a
continent since that is where they can trace their roots to. Their ancestors
who hailed from Africa were carted to the New World of the Americas by means of the slave
trade.
However, when it comes to the relationship between Africans
and African-Americans, one could detect a worrying atmosphere of alienation and
subtle withdrawal by African-Americans from Africans. It seems they are just
not comfortable with the funny accent and eerie cultural practices of their
African brothers.
It is particularly soothing and heartwarming that African-Americans
have surprisingly held no grudge against their African brothers for
collaborating with the Whites in the slave trade. Even though some
African-Americans still look down on Africans, most of them have wished and
prayed for the progress and development of Africa,
the land of their origin.
Interestingly, most African-Americans prefer to direct their
full rage at the whites for obviously the harsh and inhumane treated they meted
out to their ancestors. But who is to blame, the Africans who sold them or the
Whites who bought them? One would not be far from right to admit that both
races deserve to be equally lambasted in no uncertain terms.
For momentary pleasure and temporary enjoyment, Africans did
the unthinkable. They sold fellow Africans for nothing but worthless things.
Understandably, the slave trade might have appeared sensible
and economical to the warring tribes of Africa.
Instead of killing warring tribal enemies the Africans capture in internal
wars, it made sense to them to trade those (captured tribal enemies) for food
and goods from the Whites.
Whatever the case may be, their actions seem unpardonable.
As smart as the whites were then, they knew the value of labor to their
emerging economy and they couldn’t afford to miss such a big opportunity for
cheap labor.
The slave trade is past and gone. Africans, especially,
should not only learn about the history of the most reprehensible and repulsive
trading of human beings by fellow humans. They should rather learn vital
lessons from it and eschew selfishness now. For selfish motives, Africans lost
valuable manpower to the White man who utilized them judiciously in their big
plantations to achieve phenomenal growth and productivity.
Ironically, poor modern Africans are still committing the
same mistakes their ancestors made centuries ago either deliberately or
stupidly. The disease of selfishness is indeed as thick as the melanin in the Black man's skin.
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| Reverend Jesse Jackson |
At the glorious sight of the White man, even today the
Black man albeit educated and intelligent would be willing to stoop so low to
the point of betraying his fellow African brothers to the White man for “silly”
favors much worthless than the mirrors and liquors his ancestors shamefully
received from the infamous slave trade? Today, many African politicians and
leaders are guilty of this sin.
With such a sickening mentality and blood-guilt apparently
incurred by Africans through their selfish leaders over the years, it does not
come as a surprise at all that the African cannot be lifted out of the abyss of
economic and political woes, and deep dungeon of barbarism, backwardness, and
primitiveness.
Africans can never progress with this mentality. Needless to
say, most Africans are aware of this fact as illustrated by their own invented
mantra “Black man, black sense” which clearly carries a negative connotation.
The common African constantly bemoans and laments over the intractable plights
of the Blackman - greed and selfishness – which, like a curse, they can
woefully do nothing about.
It makes universal sense therefore that many an
African-American express inner joy and concealed contentment that via the
struggles of their ancestors occasioned by the slave trade, they are now proud
residents of the wealthiest and the most powerful nation in the world; a nation
which their ancestors helped to build.
When African-Americans watch news of extreme poverty in
Africa, famine, civil wars, inhumane and primitive cultural practices, they no
doubt “praise God” for escaping all these “curses”, thanks to the slave trade.
Like Biblical Joseph, they, especially the current generation of
African-Americans, see the slave trade as a blessing in disguise. And here is
where I think they owe the Africans a debt of gratitude for unwittingly sending them away
to a better place.
Roughly four centuries after the slave trade, there is now a
complete reversal of conditions. Presently, African-Americans understandably
hesitate to set foot in Africa whilst Africans are eagerly and constantly knocking
at the doors of America. What a world!
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| New York City |
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