The project involves discovering how the Caribbean culture flourished as a subculture during the 1700 to1800, and was influenced by the Spanish, French and British traditions. The goal is to show that the black popular subculture culture continued to develop with the art, music, and literature of the dominant European groups in spite of the slave’s inferior status and unequal treatment, especially after the emancipation of slavery in 1838. By examining the work of Francis Bebey, African Music: A People's Art, and the Roots of Calypso by George D. Maharaj, it becomes clear that the extemporizing rhythmic arrangement, songs, distinctive drum styles, and a process of call and response format for the people developed into a symbol of freedom and
The Eurocentric belief had led the Europeans to exploit the African slaves to adapt to the western way. As European forces began to colonize in Africa, Eurocentric views
Transatlantic slave trade was in operation from 14th century though 19th centuries. In this paper, the writer will do an overview of slavery and its form in Africa with a particular focus on West Africa. The history of slave trade which was believed to have been made popular by the transatlantic slave trade will also be looked into after which slave trade and Christian mission will be put together and the effects of slave trade on Christian missions shall be highlighted. The slave masters did lot of things to the slaves that are so painful, some slave’s fingers, lips and tongues were cut. Some of them were killed and other buried alive.
“The African Diaspora refers to the communities throughout the world that are descended from the historic movement of peoples from Africa, predominantly to the Americas, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, among other areas worldwide”[African Union]. The term ‘Diaspora’ historically applies to the successors of the West and Central Africans who were enslaved and shipped to the Americas in the Atlantic slave trade, with the largest population being Brazil, followed by the USA and others. Much of the African Diaspora was distributed throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas during the Atlantic slave trade. In the 8th century, Arabs took African slaves from the central and eastern portions of the continent sold them into markets in the Middle East and eastern Asia and at the beginning of the 15th century, Europeans captured/purchased African slaves from West Africa and brought them to Europe in much greater numbers to the Americas The history of transatlantic slavery, especially in respect to racism and colonialism, meant that those who are a part of the African Diaspora have suffered similar problems and disadvantages. This factor contributed towards the emergence of Pan-Africanism which can be defined as a movement and body of ideas that sought to unite all people of African descent, link them to Africa and protest against racism and colonial rule.
They have done so by cultivating their own kind of Hip hop genre called ‘Afro hip hop’; which blends African beats with contemporary rap and features multilingual characteristics like code-switching where music is performed in a mixture of standard English and one or more indigenous language(s) (Adewale citation needed). This genre of music in its name (Afro) represents the whole of Africa but the birth place or hub of Afro hip hop is Africa’s must populated country- Nigeria and, mostly relates to the Nigerian music industry. Afro hip hop has come to existence through the power of globalization and interculturalization. While Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmadu defines globalization as “the dominance of multicultural corporations and the destruction of cultural identities” (p.2), Chris Baker defines it as been “constituted by the ever-increasing abundance of global connections…” (p.156). Interculturalization on the other hand is simply the “…exchange and adoption of cultural element…” (Van Damme p.376).
The short story “Flavius and Wasa” primarily conveys the effects of Colonialism in the Caribbean in the 1400s. Colonialism is the control or governing influence of a national over a dependent country, territory or people. In 1492, the Europeans travelled to the Caribbean where they discovered people living on the land and took control over the territory and the people there. The character of Flavius, the owner of the recreation club, portrays characteristics of the Europeans as he confidently exhibit power and ascendancy over his staff similarly to how the Europeans felt superior to their slaves. The Europeans, who brought Africans to the Caribbean as slaves, plenarily controlled them and coerced them to conform to the demeanours the Europeans expected of them.
Finally there will be justification throughout this discussion from the literary archive, ‘The Slave Book’. The concept of the African Diaspora highlights the unnatural movement of people away from their homeland. Furthermore, it is a term which speaks of all the distinguishing factors which have encouraged unnatural movement and therefore, dispersal of people. A distinguishing contributor in terms of the Diaspora was the slave trade. The slave route began in Africa.
In addition, “Hoodoo which refers to an African traditional folk magic and Obeah derived from Central and West African origins,”(Tucker). Voodoo is a mix between African beliefs along with Roman Catholic rituals/practices. In the 1600s Europeans came to Africa to look for slaves to work in the New World. Voodoo rituals are very intricate as people
Introduction: African American culture in the United States incorporates the different cultural traditions of African ethnic gatherings. It is both piece of and particular from American culture. The U.S. Census Bureau characterizes African Americans as individuals having sources in any of the Black race gatherings of Africa. African American culture is indigenous to the relatives in the U.S. of survivors of the Middle Passage. It is established in Africa and is an amalgam of mainly sub-Saharan African and Sahelean cultures.
The Emergence of written literature across Africa came with the colonial intervention. The literary genres vigorously copied from the existing genres of Europe, Portuguese, French and English became the official languages across the continent. African writings in English had dominated and defined much of the space of what is today regarded as African literature. Among the prominent African writers the contribution of Chinua Achebe, Ngugi wa Thiongo, Wole Soyinka, Christopher Okigbo, Senghor are noteworthy. The landscape of English literature developed in divergent dimensions during the later half of the twentieth century.