Pan Africanism For Beginners Essay

Some of them were influenced by other forms of political ideology such as Marxism, communism and other ways of thinking, which as he called it “evades those specific labels and with them all fixed notions of nationality and national identity” (Gilroy 19). However, the author did point out that these influences were somewhat of a mistake to one’s people as pointed out by another intellectual named Martin Delany. Delany believed that this change, which occurs from travel, creates a romanticized view of what nationalism and race should be. It then leads them to have misconceptions on the process of how to uplift their people and improving their nation. This was recognized later on by Wright who separated himself from communism in the later 1940s. At first he believed Marxism was the key to helping in the racial struggle that African Americans faced. He later changed his mind, after learning how the ideology under Stalin’s regime, and fascism were “absolutistic systems, whose brutality and rigor will make the present day systems seem like summer outings”(Gilroy 166).

All this is a little too close to what A. G. Hopkins called, in the Introduction to his brilliant Economic History of West Africa, the 'Myth of Merrie Africa'. This myth, and any static picture of the African past, does an injustice to the dynamic and innovative features in African society.

“Berlin, Ira. The Making of African America The Four Great Migrations. By Ira Berlin. New York: Penguin Group, 2011. Pp 289”

Marcus Garvey, a ‘proponent of Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements” (), once stated that “a people without knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” (Good Reads Quotes) He was in fact very much so right. Most people in this world care about where they come from, who they descended from and where the backbone of their identity lies. Have you ever wondered why almost most orphans tend to look for their family lines or go out in search of where they belong? It is with this very essence my quest to look for answers and investigate about two very distinct yet similar groups. The groups I examine throughout this paper are Africans and African-Americans. What I seek to find out is why two very ‘distinct’ yet similar groups of people fail to see eye to eye, judging from the fact that Africans and African-Americans look alike, originated from Africa and their histories and culture somehow intertwine with each other. The main question here really is: what are the factors that hinder the relationship between Africans and African-American people.

By going back to one’s roots, the future of developing countries resided in the “development of Africa is one of the most constructive and universally helpful missions” (Locke, 6). This direction was a form of modernization that was an improvement of relationships between African Americans and other races.

The 1950s represented the second era that talented Black American intellectuals left the U.S to live in Paris. Consequently, unlike anything that has happened before, a very powerful African American literacy community formed in the streets of Paris (Paris Noir page 182). Soon after, between the 1950s and 1966, Black American intellectuals left the U.S. for Africa (more specifically in Ghana) in order to reconnect with their roots and find a sense of community, away from any racial discrimination issues that were so prominent in the U.S. (Kevin Gaines page 65). In the following essay, I will try to illustrate how two very important figures of this era, James Baldwin and Richard Wright, experienced this era differently. Moreover, I will analyze

“I know no national boundary where the Negro is concerned. The whole world is my province until Africa is free” (Garvey). These words by Marcus Garvey perfectly illustrate the spirit of unification that characterized the attitude of many people of African Descent as a direct result of the callous treatment that Africa as a whole suffered at the hands of Europeans. Europe not only ravished Africa of a significant resource in the millions of lives that it stole and enslaved. Europe also pillaged the continent with the brutal institution of colonization. The manacles of colonization inspired great suffering in the lands and lives of Africans examples include Land exploitation, labor exploitation and most significantly exploiting the minds

It is essential to note that the term African Diaspora does not describe any single event, group of people or set of customs. It represents a current state of being for many citizens of the world and provides context for understanding the social structures and intercultural relationships of the world we live in today. Collin Palmer provides great insight into the context of diaspora. He writes that there have been several movements, massive migrations of people, throughout history. There is no single “diasporic movement or monolithic diasporic community” to be studied, but rather a confluence of people, events and ideologies that span thousands of years, across every continent. Each period of movement, each diasporic stream, happened for different reasons. Palmer’s approach to the African Diaspora begins with a look nearly 100,000 years into the past. He identifies five major streams, with the first African diaspora that occurred as a

Into Africa by Martin Dugard, is a unique retelling of one of David Livingstone’s last expeditions through Africa. Martin Dugard lives in Orange County, California and is an accomplished writer and adventurer. Martin Dugard accurately provides his readers with an inside look at his characters motivation and inner thoughts. Dugard has also written several other nonfictional history books that showcase his desire to display his characters psychological processing such as Killing Clinton, published in 2012, and Killing Lincoln, published in 2013. Into Africa was published in 2003, by Doubleday, a division of Random House, inc. in New York, NY. Dugard uses the book to prove his thesis that Henry Morton Stanley and

In simple terms, the Diaspora as a concept, describes groups of people who currently live or reside outside the original homelands. We will approach the Diaspora from the lenses of migration; that the migration of people through out of the African continent has different points of origin, different patterns and results in different identity formations. Yet, all of these patterns of dispersion and germination/ assimilation represent formations of the Diaspora. My paper will focus on the complexities of the question of whether or not Africans in the Diaspora should return to Africa. This will be focused through the lenses of the different phases in the Diaspora.

As a learning experience, Lemelle 's Pan-Africanism for Beginners provides a strong broad base of knowledge. Instead of concentrating on the specifics of Pan-Africanism, it covers a broad range of topics, from the Diaspora to Garveyism to the Harlem Renaissance. Because there are so many people and movements associated with Pan-Africanism, it is nearly impossible to go into detail about every important event in one book. Even so, Lemelle provides enough information to convey the complexity of Pan-Africanism. By including its many facets, Lemelle is able to spark an interest in the reader so that they can focus on specific research. For instance, when Lemelle explained the Conference of Independent African States, he described that the purpose of the conference was

constant reference to his ideals and ideas by Africans, by those who know and those who should know. Among physical and mental dirt and debris lie Africa’s heroes while the younger generations search in vain for role models from among their kind. Africans have therefore, internalized self-abhorrence and the convictions of innate incapability to bring about transformation. Transformation must runs contrary to the African’s DNA, many Africans subconsciously

The West African nation of Ghana gained its independence in the year 1957, making it the first African nation to declare its independence from European Rule. Kwame Nkrumah and other Ghanaian liberation struggle leaders played a pivotal role in achieving Ghana’s liberation. This, as Nkrumah saw it, was the beginning of a wave of independence movements within the African continent. He and many others also considered it a symbolic victory for all black people and a beacon of peace to a world that was devastated by war. In addition to eradicating colonial rule, the independence movements pushed for solidarity between Africans. This idea of unity also extended and appealed to African Americans, some of whom visited or returned to the

     Out of all of the continents, Africa is the most central. It is told that the first man was found in Africa, so with this, many feel that Africa is the birthplace of human culture. Within this continent, there are many different lifestyles, which are lived. Many blame the variety of lifestyles on western influence, but the truth is that different lifestyles began thousands of years before the west had influence on Africa. African’s

“what compatible cultural democracy calls for in Africa is the authoritative allocation of African values to the African people by Africans within the context of African culture and African history, leading to the projection of the African personality and respect within the entire world community”(pg.27).