Africana Study Guide

Final Exam

W.E.B Du Bois

Prominent and one of the most important black figures throughout the late 19th century. He was a professor, civil rights agitator, editor, novelist, pan-Africanist, urban sociologist, and southerner. He is most known for establishing new fields of scholarly inquiry, led one of the first cultural societies for black intellectuals, and played a key role in fighting for full civil rights.

• wanted full equality

Niagara Movement

Founded in early 20th century, created by a group of leaders, connected to the foundation of the WACP, idea of fighting for equal rights, and not accepting jim crow, demanding equality and using the legal system to obtain equality. Founded to try to reverse setbacks. It aimed at going against racial discrimination, promoting equal rights, and advocating for integrating African Americans into society. set the work for NAACP.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Established in 1909 by De Bois, an organization that provided opportunities for black people to advance in society.

Freedman’s Bureau

It is a Bureau, government agency, that was brought in the late 19th century that was meant to resolve the struggles of race and social conditions.

African nationalism

a movement from late 19th century, which stir world opinion against colonialism in general, and European colonial powers could no longer morally defend their role in Africa, and inevitably had to give up their colonies. 

• Multi-linguistic

African socialism

From the 20th century, it is a hybrid system of socialism, with more indigenous African culture without alienating the west. Some would say they were successful. It was a way to liberate African people from oppression and exploitation. It was also meant to challenge european hegemony and the intl expansion of capitalism.

• Incorporates communalism from african traditions into socialism, shared economic ownership

• Lot of national african leaders were critical with capitalism b/c they associated it with colonialism

Negritude

A cultural movement from the early 20th century, of a theory or school of thought from west Africa that grew cultural nationalism. It connected the idea, with Senegal, leading pan Africanists, and politicians that there is a shared identity for all Africans, a shared culture, a cross-national boundaries for all indigenous Africans. it emphasizes that life is an experience, not a performance, allowing a sense of development.

• Cultural movement spearheaded by leopold senhor, a cultural movement of a shared identity

Pan-africanism

A african movement for transnational solidarity, to liberate and unite them. It was meant to challenge European hegemony and the international expansion of the capitalist system. It began in the 19th century, where Marcus Garvey founded the UNIA to promote pan-african ideology, which set the foundation for other african movement, like Rastafarianism. It also served as a mechanism for Africans to think for themselves and to see the world through their own cultural lens.

Leopold Senghor

From the 20th century, he was a political/cultural leader in Senegal before independence. He also was a reader, writer, leader of the negritude movement, celebrating African values and cultures.  He was the first president of senegal, and believed in resisting the erasure of their identity by colonialism and european education.

Patrice Lumumba

takes power in 1960s, a group of belgium officers killed him, but he was wanted kill by even the CIA, within 6 months of taking power he was dead, he served as a warning of the danger of cooperating with the Soviet

• Geopolitical events like the cold war played a role in this

• Prime minister of Congo

• did a Anti-colonialism speech that disrespected Belgium powers

Steve Biko

mid-late 20^th century, a Black Consciousness leader that believed in black unity is the key to eliminating systemic oppression and bring revolutionary changes. He created the term of black consciousness as the “realisation by the black man of the need to rally together with his brothers” to break that “shackles that bind them to perpetual servitude”. He wanted to bring back pride and black unity.

Black Consciousness

a late 20^th century realization of uniting the black community through rechanging their perspective in themselves with new-found pride, efforts, value system, culture, religion, and outlook to life. This term was defined by Steve Biko, ultimately intending to remove fear instilled in Black Americans.

Kwameh Nkrumah

a pivotal leader from the mid-late 20^th century in the Pan-African movement and the first head of state of independent Ghana. a pivotal leader from the mid-late 20th century in the Pan-African movement and the first head of state of independent Ghana. King of a nation, believed in Pan-Africanism, educated in a university of outside Philly, overthrown in a coup, believed in African economic corporation, his legacy in Ghana is mixed, his focus was on international affairs rather than development in Ghana. He died in exile, died a few years after his overthrown in guinea.

Episteme

Since the 15th century, More generally, it’s a way of thinking about and representing the world: a set of dominant values and beliefs of an era that is largely spread out over an entire culture. In this case, for Africa, words such as development, economic emergence, growth, and struggles against poverty are dominant epistome of the era. This is the result of prioritizing of the western dream over the world. 

Palimpsest

Since the 15th century, the idea of structure can reflect two different cultural periods or ruled by two different empires. A structure characterized by superimposed features produced at two or more distinct periods. The layers of orthodox, layers of history, places that are taken over by various different power.

Umbuntu philosophy = “I am because we are”:

It is an african belief system of togetherness, A philosophy that means shared humanity, community, Only successful if everyone around you is successful, Communalist and humanist way of understanding the world. Essentially, Umbuntu focuses on the well-being of the community over individualistic pursuits, to promote national healing. It is meant to heal african minds from the psychological wounds of colonialism, to fix the inferiority complex of their minds.

Walker argues against Thomas Jefferson’s contention that enslaved people in the U.S. achieved little due to their nature. According to Walker, what explains slaves’ “wretchedness” circa 1830?

Walker argues that enslaved people’s “wretchedness” was not due to their nature, as Thomas Jefferson claimed, but the result of slavery itself. He explains that they were deliberately denied education, rights, and opportunities, which kept them oppressed and marginalized. Their condition, in his view, reflects systemic injustice—not any inherent inferiority.

What is Walker’s view of Christianity?

He believes that, despite having his own view on Christianity and its hypocritic for others to be christians when they don't hold the values the pertain to being part of the religion. He specifically speaks on white people picking and choosing what values to hold, and that they will face judgement when they die as they choose to overlook all the injustices and torture the black population faced. 

Why does Walker oppose the American Colonization Society?

Throughout the book, he reiterates that this movement is a way of removing the freed black population, that the white population is trying to build a society where the only way a black population might remain would be to be enslaved. This further proves his point of the inhumanity that the enslaved faced throughout this time, and how this whole "American Colonization Society" is based on the dehumanization and bondage of controlling the black population. 

Why motivated European colonial conquest in Africa?

It was several factors and it differs between countries, but the biggest one I would say is to expand their empires and create their legacy somewhere else. They essentially wanted to expand their nationalism to countries to demonstrate prosperity and growth. Another key factor was economic resources, as African countries had the raw materials needed to further expand production in countries like Great Britain. It all started by a mutual agreement of intervening their slave trade to eradicate it

How did African societies react to the partition of their continent?

Most if not all tried to do revolt. Throughout time, there were continuous signs of fighting back the colonial powers, but unfortunately were not successful past killing a few Europeans. There was a mix in responses, some complied, others resisted, like Ethiopia, who resisted from the French.

What are some of the gendered expectations for Igbo men and women described in the novel?

The expectations for Igbo men were that they were expected to invite large numbers of guests from ‘far and wide’, even if they were prosperous, if he was unable to rule his wife and children, he was not really a man, and a man much always enjoy stories of violence and bloodshed. Man were traditionally put into roles defined by strength, growing yams, and warriors. Women must take care of household chores, look after their kids, watch over the chickens and small garden patches, and serve dinner to their husband. So overall, Igbo communities follow traditional domestic roles associated with the home for women and warfare & agriculture for man.

Discuss the significance of the annual yam festival to the Ibo communities depicted in Achebe’s novel.

The yam festival serves as celebration to honor Ani the earth goddess before the harvest begins, celebrating joy, community, and peace. The celebration has feasting, visits from extended family, traditional wrestling matches that the main character. The festival obliges by Igbo customs, so it prioritizes traditions. In addition, yam stood for manliness, a man who could feed his family on yams from one was a great man.

How important was formal emancipation for the people of the British and French Caribbean?

Formal Emancipation for the people of the British and French Caribbean did not change the nature of Caribbean societies, as plantation was still considered crucial for islands and racial hierarchy continued to persist. Not all Caribbean’s were able to free themselves from working at the plantations at least up to the 1940s. Plantations reinforced low wages and serflike conditions, forcing ex-slaves and their descendants to stay in this situation. It is important to note that emancipation opened up the possibility of change. It legally provided conditions for scoial development, and new social groups.

Explain the genesis of Creole language in the Caribbean

The genesis of Creole languages in the Caribbean is a direct result of three centuries of colonization (since the 1500s) and the forced interaction between diverse groups of people. These languages emerged from the mixing of many different languages, primarily combining the linguistic backgrounds of European colonizers and West Africans, eventually becoming more African than European in nature. For example, Spanish influenced puerto rico and the DR, French influenced Haiti, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, Dutch influenced in Aruba, Bonaire, and Curcao, and English influenced Jamaica, and Guyana.

Discuss the 5 categories of African-Caribbean religion

It would be neo-african, ancestral, revivalist, spiritualism, and rastafarianism. Neo-African religion emerged during the period of slavery, where they mixed their traditional beliefs with christianity to survive the conditions of slavery, so it was a survival strategy be interpreting African religious legacies within a colonialist model(Santeria-PR). Ancestral religion derives from protestantism brought to the caribbean in the 19th century, where they have less african traditions than the neo-african group, known for their ancestral worship and spirit possession, to restore African legacies. Revivalist religions, introduced in the 19th-20th century, were brought to Jamaica from the US through the Protestant movement, they are meant to represent a ‘revival’ of religious enthusiasm and awakening, blending african culture with protestantism. Spiritualism brings healing and a ‘reading’ in one’s life through shamanism, which is rooted in the idea that the world is made up of spirits and the problems can be solved through summoning and manipulating the spirits of the dead. Lastly, Rastafarianism, emerged in Jamaica in early 1900s, following the crowning of Hailey Selassie, which was meant to respond and counter colonialism, specifically remove European education and philosophy from the African mind as well as babylon.

Describe an African retention in the Caribbean

An example of an African retention in the caribbean is the practice of Maronage, which established independent communities that served as the primary vessels for preserving African culture. Throughout 1655, a band of enslaved africans were released by their Spanish masters during the British invasion and fled to the mountains. The people who escaped, “Maroons”, created independent rebel slave communities in the mountains to preserve their Africanness and resist colonialism. Through this, they were able to live outside the plantation system, maintain African social habits, cultural traditions, and ancestral rituals that were prohibited outside. The Maroons became an inspiration to African resistance and nationalist struggles in the Caribbean.

Why did Rastafarianism develop in Jamaica?

Mix of languages, mix of cultures, celebrating African contribution to American society, celebrating African resistance and leaders, rejecting British culture, names, Christianity, and seeing Africa as the central of the world. Rastafarianism evolved as a "response and counter" to the cultural suppression of Africans under colonialism. It sought to purge the African mind of European education and colonial philosophy, which were viewed as tools of mental control

Explain Du Bois’s racial “veil” metaphor

My interpretation of the veil was a wall of boundaries, like something that only occurred to black people. Like when something racist happened, that was when the veil occurred, like a way to separate black people from white people. It was a way of discriminating them, for instance, " Have a seat. Stay to dinner... "oh" thought I, "this is lucky'; but even then fell the awful shadow of the veil for they ate first, then I-alone."

Why did Du Bois critique Book T. Washington’s accommodationist philosophy?

Because Washington was accepting racial segregation and overall appeasing white southerners so that they can invest in black labor force, Du Bois said it led to the disfranchisement of black people, the legal creation of a distinct states of civil inferiority for black people, educational institutions won't advocate for the higher training of black people.

What’s Du Bois’s assessment of the Freedmen’s Bureau?

He said it was an attempt of the government to deal with racial inequality, after the emancipation.  It failed to manage the freedom of slaves, as it ended up being a labor bureau for white people interests. 

Why is Du Bois critical of Marcus Garvey?

De Bois claims Garvey had no education, and assumed that oppression is the reason for the ignorance of a group, therefore, believing that removing oppression is key to restore the said group. He was also vain, egotistical, jealous of his power, impatient of details, and a poor judge of human nature. He did not like how Marcus would talk about racial pride yet not mention the problem of racial equality. He did not think things through and made promises that were unrealistic to maintain. 

Discuss the resolutions of the pan-African Congress (Paris, 1919)

• It discussed largely in giving fundamental rights and protections for people of African descent, especially their land, labor, and governance. Things like:

  • Land: land and natural resources should be held in trust for the natives, to give ownership that they could profitably develop

  • Capital: investments were to be regulated to prevent the exploitation of natives and the exhaustion of natural wealth. It was subject to state control though

  • Labor: called for the abolition of slavery, corporal punishment, and forced labor. 

  • Education: gave every native child the right to learn to read and write their own language as well as the language of the trustee nation at the gov expense.

  • The state: gave natives the right to participate in government, starting local, tribal, to higher offices. 

  • Intl oversight: must establish intl code of law for the protection of natives. And to also create a permanent Bureau to oversee the application of these laws to ensure political, social, and economic warfare

Why did Marxist Socialism appear to many African leaders?

Marxism appealed to many leaders b/c of the economic and social equality aspect, since after being used for capitalistic gains from others, they think it'll be a more effective means of a inclusive society. Thinking capitalism and colonialism are associated with each other, they wanted no part in it.

In his Independence day speech, how does Patrice Lumumba characterize Belgian colonialism?

Belgium colonialism was characterized as a ‘prolonged’ struggle that was not only humiliating but also treacherous. Lumumba, throughout his speech, speaks on the oppression, slavery, and tortured they encountered in Belgian regime. He specifically states all the mockery they endured to tell them not to forget what they faced and gone through, to emphasize that uniting together will lead their country to peace. He specifically talks about “mockery, the insults, the blows submitted to morning, noon and night because we were “negres”. In addition, he speaks on how the law applied black people vastly different than white people

In what ways did African American intellectuals contribute to the development of African nationalism?

Through the creation of the Pan-African movement, “multifaceted movement for transnational solidarity”, Africans united to liberate Africa and its “suffering people'“ from Europe hegemony and the international expansion of capitalism. For example, Marcus Garvey, played a huge role in shaping the goals of reparation and growing self-determination.

Explain Nkrumah’s arguments for a United States of Africa?

He argues that the total political and economic integration of the African Continent is the only viable defense against neo-colonialism. He proposed a United States of Africa featuring a common foreign policy, a joint military high command, and integrated continental planning to manage the continent's vast natural resources for the benefit of all its people. Ultimately, he believed this union was the only way for Africa to break the "vicious circle" of poverty and project a powerful, unified "African Personality" in world affairs.

What is Black Consciousness, as defined by Steve Biko?

According to Steve Biko, it is the fundamental realization by a black man of the need to rally together surrounding the cause of their operation (the blackness of their skin) and to operate as a group in order to rid themselves of the shackles that bind them to servitude. It seeks to change the ideals of the black community  with a new-found pride in themselves, their efforts, their value systems, their culture, religion and outlook to life.  In theory, it is elevating a Black American own position by positively looking at those value systems that make him distinctively a man in society. 

According to Nkrumah, what is the challenged neo-colonialism poses to Africa?

King of a nation, believed in Pan-Africanism, educated in a university of outside Philly, overthrown in a coup, believed in African economic corporation, his legacy in Ghana is mixed, his focus was on international affairs rather than development in Ghana. He died in exile, died a few years after his overthrown in guinea. 

What is Afrofuturism?

Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy, and method of self-liberation that combines science fiction, technology, history, and mysticism to reimagine Black identity and create liberated futures. Futuristic, copper is commonly used in African architecture, reaction to afro-pessimism, can use the film as an example.

Why is Felwine Sarr critical of “development”?

He argues it reiterates a harmful rhetoric in which negatively views non-western cultures as underdeveloped. By putting countries in a numerical ranking through a measurement tool, it devalues those in the lowest ranking order, often being non-western countries. Words like development prioritize the needs of western countries. 

“Africa is the future” What is meant by this phrase?

Negatively speaking, it reaffirms that currently, Africa prosperity and value does not exist but will exist in the foreseeable future. By echoing this viewpoint, it makes Africans believe quantity over quality, making them believe their lives are worthless. That Africa resources and demographic will be abundant and its philosophy will be used more often due to current greed and capitalistic desire.

What does Afrofuturist architecture look like?

More importantly, each city illustrates different African traditions and the fast-pacing modernism occurring. Their cities resemble the expression of living together. Having African architects should be the builders of the Sahel, of the desert, of the mountains, of the tree-filled savanna. Moreover, include historical landscapes, memorial sites for remembrance, cultural sites, gathering places .

• African urban experience: an amphi-theater, stands for merchants, networks of urban transportation, primary healthcare centers, parks and gardens full of indigenous plants, spaces for meditation and prayer

Describe the Middle Passage. How did it dehumanize Africans?

A transatlantic journey that forcibly transported Africans to the Americas, more specifically, the slave trade ships. This perpetrated fear for water for Africans as water was only seen when they were being captivated.

• Women were often gathered information abt the ship and passed it to the man who would lead the revolts. often involved in the planning of revolts.

Do you think Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali contains lessons intended to instruct the young of Mali? If so, give an example

Yes, the epic feels imperative to instruct the young of mali as it presented values of community, respect, humility, perseverance, and patience. For example, when Sundiata was unable to walk for the first 7 years, many people, including his mother, doubted the potential he would have as King of Mali. However, at his mothers request, he was able to walk, and demonstrate his immense strength when he used a gigantic iron bar to pull himself upright, almost twisting the heavy bar into the shape of a bow.

• Spirtual-centered, respect for elders, belief in the supernatural, he was not an muslim - islam was introduced, Sundiata is not a monotheist, He was an epic story told orally to the youth, a way of indoctrinating the youth of the cultural expectations of Mali; modesty, respect.

What kind of role did Saharan gold play in the medieval world economy?

it was valuable to both the islamic world and christian europe during the late middle ages. It was the most important export that explained Saharas role in economy, and allowed for the foundation of the mediterranean coinage system.

• Prince Henry was trying to find gold, hence why christopher colombus traveled

Why did civilization evolve in Nile River Valley as far back as 7,000 years ago?

Civilization evolved there due to the gradual desiccation of the Sahara, which forced populations to move into the nile valley, where there is rich argricultural land. The reliable water source and fertiltiy of the land allowed farmers to produce 3 times as much food as they consumed. This allowed for an increased of job specialization, demographic revolution, and powerful state.

Woodson argues that their oppressors have indoctrinated Black Americans. What is the effect of this practice?

Woodson argues that when Black Americans are taught through a Eurocentrism system, they internalize feelings of inferiority and disconnect from their history. This causes psychological control, where they begin to see themselves through the lens of their oppressors.

What is Afrocentrism?

a perspective that centers African history and experiences when explaining the world. It challenges the Eurocentrism by showing that African people were active creators of civilization and history.

Marcus Garvey

He was a Jamaican black nationalist around the early 20th (1920-40s) century, he advocated for a return to Africa, racial pride, and global pan-africanism. He was known for his “back to Africa” movement, where he thought redemption of African could happen. Seperatism was his big message. He served as an influence for the rastafarian religion. He felt that African Americans could never be equal, so he thought they needed to go back to Africa.

Creole

it is both a society developed in the Caribbean formed by enslaved africans, europeans, indigenous peoples, and their descendants, and new languages developed from sustained contact between European language and west African language during the transatlantic slave trade. It was developed in the 16th century. A lot of societies use Creole, especially ones near ports.

Marronage

A french term of a form of resistance where enslaved Africans escaped from plantation spanning from the 16th century, through the 19th century. It was significant for representing the active rejection of the plantation system and the effort to establish autonomous lives outside of colonial control. An example would be Jamaica.

Berlin Conference

A conference where 14 European Powers were settling the rules for colonial conquest, were dividing the land in Africa, held around 1884-1885. It is known for formalizing the “ Scramble of Africa”, which resulted in the african continent being divided into approximately 50 colonies without any African representation.

American Colonization Society

founded in the early 19th century, it was an organization whose primary goal was to send free black americans to settle on the African continent. It is also known for the founding colony of Liberia in 1822, which later evolved into a modern independent state of both returnees and indigenous populations.

Carter G. Woodson

Around in the early 1900s, He was the founder of the Association for, previously named, the Study of Negro Life and History in 1916 and the first academic journal dedicated to the african american experience. He spoke about how black americans were miseducated through a eurocentric system that ruined their identity and history. He spent his life promoting the study of african and african american history.