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There has been two significant and documented events in the history of the African World, and both were implemented through armed struggle:
The Unification of the Nile Valley This is documented, clearly, in Narmer's palette, where the armed forces of the south, originating in the Sudan, marched north and forcibly united the fragmented Sepats into a unified nation, to become known in time as Kemet. This forcible unification of these Blacks (as the tablet illustrates, non-Blacks were not included in this nation and were kept behind 'walls'), would be continued again and again, during the entire history of Kemet when this unified nation would fragment. It would be the first creation of a state of pan-African peoples; peoples who had clustered in the ancient Nile valley but who were totally disorganized and non-united until the revolution of the Narmers. This has been written!
Creation of a modern Pan-African people This is also fully documented. The creation of the African slave trade resulted in the *forcible amalgamation of most of the diverse groups of Africans into a unified ethnic group - "African Americans." This wasn't the purpose of slavery, which was economics, but it certainly was one of its results. Thus, through force and the might of arms, there was created in the modern era, a pan-African ethnic group which had not only cultural ties, but kinship ties to practically every African ethnic group on the continent of Africa. This was an historical first! This also explains, concretely, why the ideology of Pan-Africanism had its origins with the Africans of the diaspora. Diaspora Africans, especially African-Americans, are the contemporary "Khentu hon nefer."
These historical factors (and all great revolutionaries have always placed an extreme emphasis on the study of history) is probably why Kwame Nkrumah arrived at the conclusion that in order to create a pan-African nation (ie, a United States of Africa), it would require the use of revolutionary, military force. It was based on history.
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* If one has seen the trite drama by Spielberg, "Amistad", then one can recall that the African slaves when they arrived in America set up their own ethnic councils; "the Mandingo" table, the "Fon" table, while the African-American played by Morgan Freeman seemed to think this all quite quaint, for he seemingly knew that in time that these folks would end up like him, not a Mandingo or a Yoruba, but a pan-African individual!
This is real; this is history, the past, present, and the future!
Djehuti Member # 6698
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^A nice dream that unfortunately is being deferred at the moment due to the political climate going on in the continent. There already alot of conflict going on between peoples within nations in Africa. No doubt they all see themselves as African, but the problems of the continent can only be solved locally one at a time.
lamin Member # 5777
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Wally, It is true that the largest populations of overseas Africans are the product of the amalgamation of diverse African groups. These are the Africana populations of the U.S. and Brazil.
But it would seem that Pan-Africanism has been historically a very evident feature of African history. How else do you explain that Africans derive in the main from the 2 lineages of E3a and E3b. And the same for the Ls of the female side.
These fairly restricted lineages spread over great distances would only mean that Pan Africanism existed in Africa long before it was duplicated in the U.S. and Brazil.
Just take a look at that haplotype map for Africa again--and note that Africa's regions are painted in almost the same colour schemes.
Wally Member # 2936
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quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: ^A nice dream that unfortunately is being deferred at the moment due to the political climate going on in the continent. There already alot of conflict going on between peoples within nations in Africa. No doubt they all see themselves as African, but the problems of the continent can only be solved locally one at a time.
quote: What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
...Langston Hughes
Diaspora Africans, the modern day "Khentu hon nefer"...
Djehuti Member # 6698
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^LOL That exact poem popped into my mind when I said that.
lamin Member # 5777
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Wally,
Your observations are well taken but one might note that evn in modern times--post 1000 AD there has been much inter-ethnic migration and analgamation than has been assumed in some parts of Africa.
The migratory trail of the Mandika is much eveidenced by the fact that traditional Mandinka names like Camara, Kande, Kanteh, Sylla, Savaneh, Balde, Conte, Keita, are found all over West Africa including Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Northern Nigeria(less), Niger, Chad, etc. Point is that such names may be common in any of the ethnic groups of that region.
Also there are significant numbers of people whose recent ancestries include Wolof, Peul, Mandinka, Sussu, Sarakhole, Temne, etc.
Given its size Nigeria is somewhat different, but even so the Hausaa and Fulanis in the North have intermingled in a significant way.
I belive too that urbanisation and migration have had the same effect in South Africa and Egypt.
Wally Member # 2936
posted
quote:Originally posted by lamin: Wally,
Your observations are well taken but one might note that evn in modern times--post 1000 AD there has been much inter-ethnic migration and analgamation than has been assumed in some parts of Africa.
The migratory trail of the Mandika is much eveidenced by the fact that traditional Mandinka names like Camara, Kande, Kanteh, Sylla, Savaneh, Balde, Conte, Keita, are found all over West Africa including Mali, Guinea, Mauritania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Senegal, Northern Nigeria(less), Niger, Chad, etc. Point is that such names may be common in any of the ethnic groups of that region.
Also there are significant numbers of people whose recent ancestries include Wolof, Peul, Mandinka, Sussu, Sarakhole, Temne, etc.
Given its size Nigeria is somewhat different, but even so the Hausaa and Fulanis in the North have intermingled in a significant way.
I belive too that urbanisation and migration have had the same effect in South Africa and Egypt.
I absolutely agree with you on this, and if you have noted my previous posts elsewhere, I have also said that the patterns which you describe here have been a part of African civiliation almost forever...
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