Abandonment

This week's post spoke about the lack of knowledge that fills our lives when it comes to African culture.  Dr.Beatty spoke about the similarities in the American culture that was ultimately derived from the Africans. Dr. Beatty spoke about many aspects of the middle passage but his presentation lost me. There was nothing that captured my attention, except the similarities between Christianity and the religious African culture. before this lecture, i never thought about the westernized culture deriving religious aspects from the African culture. so far, i feel that freshman seminar is not a "freshman" class. every week we hear lectures about the African culture. while this is necessary and interesting, the topics in this seminar should consist of more than power points about the oppression of black people. when i came to Howard, i became a part of a legacy that improved with each generation. learning about Howard and the legacy of the school is a topic i feel should be addressed n freshman seminar

The Loss of a Sacred Culture

Dr. Mano Beatty’s lecture on the loss of the African culture through the process of the Middle Passage was interesting. I didn’t prefer his method of delivering this lecture because it was a little confusing but his attempted message was nice. He brought up topics that I’ve never stopped twice to think about. His main point was “when you are conceptualized as empty you are filled with anything surrounding you.” This is a very valid point when you look back at our ancestors and the many traditions we no longer follow or even know about.

 When our people were brought over from their native country they were left broken and lost, confused about what to do next or how to feel. So in order to fill this void they began adopting the customs of the white people and forgetting about their own ways. They lost language, names, heritage, and much more which resulted in them losing themselves completely. Our type of speech was different until we were moved out of our country where that way of speaking was not acceptable. I never stopped to think about many of the subtle things we do differently than whites and how much more noticeable it must have been back before we adapted to life here.

            For as much as they lost along the way, they also brought a lot to the U.S. such as science and technology, instruments, music, Agricultural cultivation, dance, storytelling, and more. White people and people of other races too don’t realize how much black people contributed to many of the things they enjoy today. It is difficult to further explain what I learned from this lecture because I honestly didn’t understand what he was trying to say most of the time but I think I understood the general idea.

Enlightened

The African Diaspora was created in the New World by the 16 million Africans who survived the Middle Passage, a 1-3 month dreadful journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Once in the New World the question was asked, “Did Africans lose everything?” After listening to Dr. Mario Beatty’s lecture the answer is clear, Africans did not lose everything, instead they combined what they knew and created a new way of life which is directly linked to their past.

When Dr. Beatty first asked the question, “Did Africans lose everything when they were taken from Africa and brought to the New World?” Many students believed that they did lose everything and they weren’t alone for Dr. Beatty let us know that many scholars also believed that Africans had lost everything. These scholars wrote books that had a narrative of lost and they believed that everything that Africans believed in came from the white man or the master, including Christianity. However Dr. Beatty was quick to counter their belief by explaining to us how the African people did not lose everything. He did this by asking those students who did not believe that Africans lost everything, what aspects of our lives are influenced by African culture. The students answered by saying that African culture influenced our; “music, food, dance, art, pride, intellect, faith, dialect, moral value and our innate sense of togetherness and survival.” By asking these questions, Dr. Beatty opened our eyes and allowed us to identify and recognize our culture, which was not an exact replica of Africa but is directly linked to Africa, “Something Torn and New.”

After he explained to us that Africa was alive and flourishing in our culture he began to go in to depth, by giving us specific examples of where you could still strongly see Africa’s influence, his prime example was the Maroon Societies. Maroon Societies are, “Self governing African society that recreates a sense of Africa.” They are located in Brazil, Jamaica, Haiti and even in the USA. I had known about the Maroon societies in Brazil, Jamaica and Haiti but I was not aware that there were also these societies in America but when I began to think about it, it is more than likely that Maroon societies do exist here it is just another aspect of our culture that we have failed to recognize... until now.

To ensure that we truly understood that African culture was our culture, just innovated but still directly linked to Africa, Dr. Beatty gave us more examples of where African culture can be seen in our everyday lives. His first example was aspects of the African social structure which were transferred to America, for example; “The Powerful Mother, and the role of the Chief, King and Minister” all these things have truly come from Africa and I feel like this lecture has been an eye opener for us all to really recognize who we are, where we come from and what an huge influence Africa, and our ancestors have had on this world. His second example was Science and Technology. He spoke about African Remedies and how people such as Sharla Fett who wrote “Working Cures” has transferred her knowledge into a book and by doing so has helped to enlighten those who were ignorant to things that Africans have known for centuries. His third example was music dance and language, which are in my opinion the easiest to recognize in our culture. Although society tries to undermine things such as Ebonics, I think it is time for us to embrace it in order to ensure the survival of our culture which has survived for over 400 years.

Dr. Carr taught us that Africa is the origin of all human knowledge and that Africans have not lost their culture, we just fail to recognize it in our everyday life. Dr. Gbadegesin taught us about some fundamental principles, the principles of Ma’at, which were created by Egyptians, which was an example of how Africa is the origin of all human knowledge. This week Dr. Beatty taught us just how this knowledge, our culture and these principles made it to the New World and the fact that they are still alive and flourishing today. He stated, “African culture has continued in a very complex way and we need a different view that makes the connection.” Dr. Beatty encourages us to really think about our culture and to make knowledgeable connections and when we do so to share what we believe, so that we can help to teach and enlighten other.

Every week we learn something new about the culture of the African people and how it relates to our American culture. This week Dr. Beatty talked about African culture impacting American culture. I thought that to be really interesting because a lot of Americans don't realize that Africa really does have a huge impact on American culture. It impacts our behaviors, music, beliefs etc. He also discussed social structure and the role of the household, which is discussed a lot in today's culture. These things are very informal and really open up your eyes to a new perspective of life

Sigh*

This week's lecture was about when Africans were brought to America and whether or not their culture was lost. Apparently, we have contributed a whole lot to every aspect of American culture.When America was first established, the amount of Africans was far more numerous than that of whites. Because of this, African culture in America was inevitable. I hated this lecture. I did not hate the lecture so much as I hated the presentation. The speaker reminded me of a muslim poet standing on a street corner. I was very confused throughout the lecture and it was just difficult to understand how one point connected to another and where he was trying to go with his points.

In addition, I thought this course was supposed to help with the transition from high school into college ... still waiting for the moment that this course does that. Every lecture is basically a rant about how white people are wrong about blacks and black people are great because of this and that ...I do not understand why this course is needed. It makes me wonder if students that do not go to HBCU's are actually learning in their 'Freshman Seminar'. I GET IT ALREADY !!!! ACTUALLY TEACH ME SOMETHING .

THE CHILDREN OF IWA

1. Last week Dr. Carr taught us about Africa, he let us know that Africa was the origin of all human knowledge. This week Dr. Gbadegesin elaborated on this concept by introducing us to the Principles of Ma’at. The principles of Ma’at originated in ancient Egypt before any other principles or laws, including the Ten Commandments. The principles of Ma’at, “taught Egyptians the importance of truth and justice, and how to maintain order, balance, and harmony.” Another topic of discussion was the importance of homage, which is like paying respect. Dr. Gbadegesin gave us a few examples of paying homage which included paying homage to, “the flatness of the foot.” Some people were confused as to why it was important to do this but I understood this concept, for our feet, whether big or small or odd looking, take us everywhere and without them life would be extremely difficult thus they deserve to be paid homage. This also showed me how important the little things in life are and how being respectful is an extremely important characteristic to have.

2. The ancient Egyptians also had their own philosophy, one of them being the importance of Iwa, or good character. Dr. Carr touched slightly on the topic of good character, but exclaimed on how he was excited to hear Dr. Gbadegesin elaborate on the topic. Dr. Gbadegesin did just this by telling us the story of Iwa and Orunmila. In this story, which I found to be extremely interesting, Orunmila mistreats Iwa, causing Iwa to leave, and when Iwa left, Orunmila lost everything. Therefore Orunmila in order to restore his life searched for Iwa. This story lead us to Dr. Gbadegesin’s key points about Iwa, which were;

a. Iwa is the good of existence

b. Iwa is beauty

c. Iwa leads to wealth

d. Iwa is the essence of religion.

3. We the students of Howard University are all, “Omoluabi, or a child begotten of the chief (or source) of Iwa.”(Omoluabi Power Point). Because of this we shall not only be internally motivated but also externally motivated, which entails us to be;

a. Responsible for the self

i. Remake self through good education

ii. Beware of miseducation

iii. Be appreciative of our University education

b. Responsible to the community

i. Serve community well with education

As children of Iwa we know the importance of wisdom and the difference between wisdom and knowledge which is, a wise man knows what to do with his knowledge. Also a wise man searches for a good a character and once that is obtained he has it all including immortality. as children of Iwa we shall do just this!

Future Pharaohs

Dr.Gbadegesin's lecture allowed me to take into consideration how lucky i am to be in college. Knowledge and education are truly important if you want to be successful. although success may mean different things to different people, i view success as life without struggle.one main point of Dr.Gbadegesin's lecture was the importance of education and wisdom. if educate yourself, nobody can ever lead you down the wrong path because you have armed your self with the most important weapon;knowledge. Another point of the lecture was Dr.Gbadegesin's words on miseducation. since i have been at Howard, i have realized that when you think for yourself and you have your on ideas you open your self up to new opportunities. although it was apart of a poem, the line from A Yoruba Poem,"cosmetic beauty may fade" is a very powerful statement which leads to my third point. in today's society. outer beauty seems to overshadow the personality, mind, and intelligence of an individual. Long hair, light skin tone, and slim body equate perfection. After hearing Dr.Gbadegesin's lecture, i realized that yo can be robbed of your looks, but not of your mind. when looks fade and the body falls by the wayside, your mind will still be young and firm.