AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF AFRICA By Anago James Akeem Osho anago.tourism@gmail.com
The journey on the path of history is a conscious route to self-discovery. If this is true, the distortion of history by the mischievous minds should be gravely discouraged, just as plagiarism carries prison sentences.
History is the biography of the human race, therefore it should be handled with care. It is the only realistic time travel to the events of the past. Some of the stories of yesterday ignite hate, while some encourages self-esteem, hope, perseverance, strength, and some leads to self-discovery or destruction.
The essential of history is to balance judgment. True judgment emanates hope. History is law and the curious knowledge of the environment that humankind inhabits. These shapes government, culture and way of life.
History is the documentation of social science. The sociology in this article is the benefits in the relationship between African Americans and Africa. In this context, African Americans represent all descendants of the Black people living in the Americas. This includes North America, Central America, the Caribbean Islands, and South America.
Diaspora Blacks are people of color living outside of the African continent and are characterized by forced migration through wars, the trans-Atlantic enslaved trade, trans Saharan enslaved, or pre historic migrations to the Americas, Asia, Pacific Islands, and the corners of the earth where ever they live.
The urge to reconnect with Africa is surging among African Americans but the key role has to be played by the people and political class in Africa. As the connection advances, Africans must see African Americans as cousins or extended families abroad and assimilate those who quest cultural and historical immersion.
In the 1839’s and around the 1950’s, the business connection between Brazil and West Africa was consistent as African returnees united both continents. African items like Palm oil, Kolanuts, shear butter, locust beans, etc. were shipped and vice versa. Unfortunately that has become history.
According to Ryan Collins, a singer from Baltimore, U.S.A, ‘’There are many of my friends who want to visit the motherland and some are DNA tested. I came and I am glad I did’’.
It is very wrong to see diaspora blacks as foreigners in Africa. Liza, who lives in California and originally migrated from El Salvador in Central America, visited Oshogbo in Nigeria for cultural immersion. She said, ‘’My African and Latin American history is important to me and my roots in Africa makes me feel like a human being’’.
African American history is essential for the development of self, the Black race, and the African union. The African American history began in Africa with rich cultural values, pre historic journeys across the continents, the middle passage experience, enslavery, slave revolts, emancipation, segregation, black Wall Street, community development, and leadership.
The people of Africa must welcome African Americans with open arms and must not try to take advantage of them. Nothing should be demanded in return in this desired union but on the part of African Americans can contribute willingly.
African political class should devise policies that will recognize African Americans who want to associate or repatriate to Africa.
The African union and the policy makers in the different countries in Africa should consider African Americans in the race for economic, educational, political, socio-cultural development.
Citizenship and African international travel passports should be granted to African Americans who show interest and desire such status.
African Americans are a very important tool in the development of Africa. Sieve through the Americas and as far as Australasia and you will find Black people doing very well in agriculture, entertainment, banking, energy, tourism, arts, medicine, constructions, etc.
Contracts should be awarded to indigenous African and African American companies. If contracts are awarded to Black people in Diaspora, the profit realized should be encouraged to develop black communities in their home countries and Africans should be employed.
The experiences of African countries when contracts are given to Asians are often times to the disadvantage of the unemployed people. Asians import their staffs and culture, and local people are contracted as mere laborers that could be sacked at will. When African professionals are employed, their salaries are short paid compared to Asians of lower qualifications.
African American entrepreneurs and business men and women should show interest in bidding for contracts in Africa. They on their part should know that their roles are vital for the development of Africa.
As soon as African governments began to patronize the wealth of knowledge and professionalism of its people and diaspora black families, then swiftly, change will come unconsciously.
The trans-Atlantic slave history was a sad memory in the history of the human race but today, the offspring of the enslaved people of African descent in the Americas has become the hope of the African continent.
The marginalization of Afro Brazilian simply reveals that someone or some people are afraid of the strength and abilities of the people to succeed, so to prevent this, they were kept in check and impoverished through predetermined policies.
In North America, the black men are either killed or incarcerated in prisons for lengthy time frame for even pardonable offences.
African Americans and Diasporan Blacks should be celebrated by Africans because despite all odds, such as slavery, marginalization, racism, poverty, policy of assimilation, etc. created to deprive them, they still succeeded and are succeeding.
Anago James Akeem Osho, is an Historian, Tour Guide, Curator, Tour Organizer, Author, Nature and Heritage preservationist. He consult for DNA tested Africa Diaspora. He is the reconnection.
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