Reflection On Out Of America By Keith Richburg

Intrastate conflict has historically been savage and chaotic; nowhere have these descriptors been more fitting than within African civil wars. A legacy of colonialism, ineffective governance, and regional conflict scars the continent, resulting in regular political instability within its territories. The Nigerian civil war of the late 1960s cost the lives of an estimated three-million people- the majority of whom were civilians who succumbed to starvation (NWE 2015). This conflict has traditionally been understood to have been caused by ethnic tensions within the state, and justifiably so (Falola 1999, 125). The ethnic cleansing of the Igbo that occurred throughout September and October of 1966 in northern Nigeria undoubtedly played a

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

“Remembering My Childhood on the Continent of Africa” is a juxtaposition of author David Sedaris’s experiences growing up in North Carolina and his friend Hugh’s experiences growing up in various places in the continent of Africa. In this satirical piece, Sedaris’s jealousy is obvious of his friend’s exotic upbringing in Africa, but Hugh experiences tragic events during his childhood in Africa, such as seeing a man hanging from a telephone pole and living apart from his family for an extended amount of time. His jealousy is used to teach readers that everyone longs for another lifestyle that is different from his own even if they have moments of danger and gloom, but people need to appreciate what they already have. Sedaris humorously describes

In “America” by Richard Blanco, the poet depicts the struggles of an immigrant family in America, by showing the reader a not so typical Thanksgiving.

Many people interpret Africa to be a rundown third world country. When Ann Jones goes to Africa she gets to see the real beauty of the continent. Ann Jones drove through many countries and saw the many different ways each group of people interact with each other. Jones draws the conclusion that Africa has a caring community, people who will steal, and full of beautiful landscapes.

It is this dignity that many African people's all but lost in the colonial period...The writer's duty is to help them regain it by showing them in human terms what happened to them, what they lost." (Achebe/Killam Eds. Pg. 159.)

While the British thought they were making Africa better, the Africans thought otherwise. They thought that there were many negative things that came from imperialism. The first negative was the amount of their people that were killed. Thousands were killed fighting in battle against the British. Many others were killed by the new diseases brought by the British. Also, there was a widespread famine. They were forced to farm cash crops, things that they couldn’t eat, and spend energy on farming them whilst getting no food out of it for them or their families. Lastly, a major negative was the breakdown of traditional cultures. Due to the British’s belief of British Superiority, they made the Africans give up on their beliefs and traditions and

It is in this continent that the Europeans are able to escape the judgement of their civilization. At first, their actions seem justified, however, as they continue to spend time in Africa, they give into their lust for power and wealth, and eventually, they are unable to tell what is

Wheatley, Phillis. “On Being Brought from Africa to America” The Norton Introduction to Literature. 11th ed. Ed. Spencer Richardson-Jones. New York: Norton, 2013

For developing regions, Latin America and Africa are a few of the focal countries to analyze civil war onset and for future preventions. Cuba, now a communist state underwent political turmoil from leaders like Fidel Castro to achieve its present government. Nigeria, a prominent oil powerhouse also faced ethnic conflict stemming from its diverse population. Both countries are still susceptible to future conflicts, but learning from their own history could easily prevent it from happening.

Claude McKay is the author of the poem “America”. It was written on 1921when McKay lived in a neighborhood in Manhattan. At that time, New York was a center of black American artistic development known as “Harlem Renaissance.” (Meyer 865). McKay thrush this poem wants to demonstrate how he thinks about America. For everyone, America is a wonderful place where several people come to get their dreams, but McKay sees America as a cruel system where the Afro-American’s dreams are destroyed. In the poem “America”, written by Claude McKay, the reader can appreciate social characteristic such as inequality and racism during the first half of the XX Century in United States.

When I first walked into class this January I knew little if anything, about Africa, geographically and culturally speaking. At first I was hesitant about being able to relate to a culture that seemed so different than anything I am, accustom to, now in retrospect I understand how naive and ignorant those feelings were. Four months later, I am able to walk away with a solid appreciate for the many different African cultures and relevant issues. The countries that seemed so foreign to me now ring a bell when I watch the news. After having the opportunity to re-watch same video we watched on our first day of class, I could not help but notice how far I have come in grasping the idea of the African diaspora. In this essay, I will discuss the video and the impact it has left on me, I will reflect on the issues we learned are impacting Africa today, and reveal major takeaways that will stick with me as I go into the real world.

The people are physically a part of Africa, but instead of being the embodiment of beauty, they are the representation of death. Marlow never comes out and says that Africa didn’t live up to his expectations, but that is because he has wanted to explore it for so long. Marlow will not let himself be openly disappointed so he expresses it through his disappointment in

The Algerian civil war began and ended with many of the same contributing factors as almost all other civil wars in history. Conquest, re-conquest, colonization, riots, independence, and political instability are just some of the ingredients that all civil wars have in common. The Algerian civil war began in 1991 at the hands of an Algerian nationalist group struggling to usurp control of the government. As a result, over 100,000 French and Muslim citizens died in a span of about ten years.

"A land tarnished by misfortune and poverty" seems to be a general consensus of how Africa is depicted as a continent. Today, I challenge you to disregard all that you have been told about Africa and understand that it 's rich culture and resources have been in place far before most civilizations in the Western Hemisphere. Most citizens in developed countries see starving children who suffer in Africa, pleading for donations, and associate the images they see with helplessness and draw an assumption that the land of Africa is worthless. However, that is one of biggest misconceptions that are made about Africa. The major question is why? Why is the perception of Africa limited to violence and poverty? The answer to these questions are embedded in its rich history and the "complexity of its historical global connections" discussed in the study of Diaspora from Africa. Throughout this address, I stress the importance of media, colonization, and lack of proper reconstruction; where these three elements marked up stereotypes about Africa and the complexity of its diaspora. As I mentioned to you before, from this point on, disregard everything you know about Africa and view this continent through the veil of ignorance and imagine it through the lens from within.