By
Mwata Kairi (Kevin Washington, PhD)
One can never be completely understood if some knowledge of one’s past and current experiences are not brought into full mental relief. Historic events or past experiences shape the way a person/people view themselves and how they interact with the world. These events not only impacts the way that a person/people see themselves but they effect the way s/he will interact with others. Events and experiences molds and shapes one’s identity and colors the way that one engages with the outer world. One’s past events combine with one’s personality and spiritual essence to influence their beingness in the world. This can explain why no two people having a set of experiences may not engage with the outer world in the same manner. Our innate inner being informs us and facilitates our expression in the world in various ways. It is the nexus of experiences, personality (temperament) and spirit essence that one finds her/his identity, purpose and directions in her/his life. It here that one finds one’s voice in the world This is true of the Afrikan experience of the so called Afrikan Slave (Maafa).
The Maafa (Afrikan Holocaust) is one event that has had a deleterious effect on Afrikan people globally. The forced removal of a people from one place and the Afrikan Diaspora or dispersal of them throughout the world for the purpose labor which yields economic development of another people is not only heinous but it defies Afrikan human comprehension. The horrific events of the Maafa encountered by people of Afrikan descent has forced Afrikans (Continental and Diasporic) to continually redefine themselves. In the context of white supremacy ideology which has given way to white terrorism against people of Afikan descent Afrikan people, worldwide, have had to grapple with their true identity and that which is imposed upon them from an external source. This redefinition process has caused some constructive and less constructive modes of human interaction to evolve within the Black community. Elements of self-hatred that manifests in substance abuse, fratricide and broken family relationships are some of the negative residual effects of the Maafa. Internal strengths to forge a new reality through science, technology and spirit expressiveness that eases the human condition are some of the positive outcomes of the Maafa. Each day Afrikans are forced to find ways for eradicating the negative expressions of Afrikan/Black Peoplehood by establishing the productive parameters for Afrikan Spiritual Development and Divine and sacred expressions.
It is important to note that the distinct experiences that Afrikan people have had have shaped how they see the Maafa event. Akon stated that Afrikan Americans should forget about the Afrikan enslavement event and just move forward. This may be coming from the position of one having live and/or having direct connections with a country and community on the continent of Afrika. There is a deep logic to his statement that makes tremendous sense given said experience. If one considers the proverb that the mind is like a garden and whatever one plants in it , then something will grow. Then one can see the basic logic in what Akon appears to be striving to communicate. If one constantly rehearses the pain and misery of their past then all they see around them will colored by a lens of negativity and gloom. Weeds of horror and terror will overtake the seeds of positive growth and development product nothing fruitful. By forgetting about the enslavement and moving forward one is able to construct a powerful new reality and extend that greatness to one’s progeny. If one holds on to a negative experience then such experience would govern their lives. In most cases there are good reasons to release painful experiences of one’s past such that one’s soul and/or spirit can be free. This is most ideal when the experience(s) has/have ended. It must be recognized that the issues of the incursion of Europeans on the psyche of Afrikan people has not ended. Moreover, the Maafa events have many residual effects on the Afrikan psyche such that many persons of Afrikan descent live their lived grounded in global ideology white supremacy.
The Maafa and Meaning
Releasing the Maafa (Afrikan Enslavement experience) sounds good however it is not sound. All Afrikans must consistently contextualize the experiences of the Maafa and gain new understanding and insights into the Afrikan Soul, Spirit and Essence. Putting the events of the Maafa into perspective and learning life lessons from the events can promote internal growth and produce a power external expression in the world. This will allow Afrikans to a new expression of their Afrikanity however new is a term of relativity and thus one cannot have new without the past or old. One must remember certain events as they charge ahead and become better versions of themselves. For example, people who engage in physical health behavior such and modifying their eating habits or weight training will have pictures of themselves before their modifications and afterwards. They are not looking at the older images to ruminate or to commiserate but rather the look back is access the impact of the change in mind set that has yielded noticeably different results.
As we look back and the horrors of the Maafa we gain strength in the now moment. We see the challenges that we have traversed and we can recognize that there is a Power greater than ourselves in the Universe that has sustained us and continues to guide us. We see that we are not here by accident but rather our existence is most purposeful and essential to the forward progress of humanity. We celebrate the fact the we are a Powerful people who need not apologize for our existence. In our celebration of the Divine that is within us we also remember to keep alive the spirits of our Ancestors as they inform us of paths that we must take in order to be a strong people in spite of the destructive mindset of European terrorism that we have encountered. We recognize that we are the children of those who refused to die. We know that we are the strongest of the strong and the most intelligent of all who have ever lived. In forgetting our past struggles and experiences we lose access to our power, purpose and passion that must be manifested in this Now Moment. Accessing this power gives us all we need to persevere through all of our attacks.
The Unremitting Realty
When it comes to the Afrikan enslavement experience there has been never been a point, in the past 500 years, that Afrikans have not been under attack. As it relates to the Afrikans of the Afrikan Diaspora it is clear that defaming assaults have been constant. In the Diaspora Afrikans we have had the unfortunate opportunity of experience of being perpetually aggressed against by European terrorists. There is no Post Trauma for us but rather it is persistent trauma. We know that experience Persistent Enslavement Systemic Trauma (PEST). We have over 20 generations of being lynched, castrated, beaten, sodomized, raped, brutalized and in other ways terrorized in the Diaspora of Afrikans. We possess a clear understanding of the demented, diabolical psyche of Europeans or Yurugus. We know that is not in our best interest to forget the Maafa. The psychic onslaught has been unabating and have been a great source of pain as well as learning and self-understanding. We do not have the luxury of forgetting nor do we every want to.
Europeans in North America recount their liberation move from England every year on the 4th day of July. They celebrate the distorted narrative of Columbus discovering “America” every October. They name statues, buildings and streets for their deceased war heroes. The Jews say Never Forget when it comes to the Jewish Holocaust and white-minded U.S. patriots say Never Again when they recall the New York City twin towers being toppled. They gain strength from recalling these events and others like it such as the Civil War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Persian Gulf War and Iraqi Freedom fighting. They are not encouraged to forget but rather they are inspired to forge a new collective identity out of the acknowledgement of the events of their past. If they are able to galvanize around events that have denied the humanity of so many people and proclaim themselves a great people how much further will we be elevated as a people of Afrikan descent as we venerate our Ancestors and honor our legacy of greatness that has sought to bring good into the world. Ours, although not perfect, is a legacy based on advancing humanity to be better and to do better. We remember our past for the betterment of all.
We Recall to Rise
We rise up as a result of remembering past greatness and pains. As it relates to the Maafa Afrikans of the Diaspora have and understanding Yurugu or mzungu that distinguishes us from continental Afrikan and vice versa. The first point of the understanding gained by Diasporan Afrikans is that Yurugu does not change. For this reason, we must not forget the lessons of the past. One who fails to learn from their past is destined to repeat it. This dictum clearly indicates why we must never forget. The Yurugu or Mzungu attacks its open enemy day and night. The native Americans know this with the Cherokee Trail of tears, Chinese and the Yellow Peril scare, and the Japanese being placed in internment camps. We know this as a result of the already discussed atrocities of the Maafa. The public lynchings continue as evinced as seen the killing of George Floyd, the denial of the right of Afrikan people to be human and have a home invasion and murder is perpetual as revealed by the killing of Breonna Taylor as well as the protected lynch mob behavior is ongoing as presented in the murder of Ahmaud Arberry and Jacob Blake.
Another aspect of remembering is acknowledging the pain and suffering of ancestors at the hands of white supremacist is that we are a great and might people because we are still here. Dr. John Henrik Clark states that: History is not everything, but it is a starting point. History is a clock that people use to tell their political and cultural time of day. It is a compass they use to find themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where they are but, more importantly, what they must be… History tells them how far they have come how far they still must go. The fact that Europeans keep coming for us means that they have not won yet. Our enemy keeps coming for us when they realize that they have not defeated us. What is in within us is strong and cannot be destroyed by another human. We remember the Maafa to remind us of the fact that we are of Divine origins and only the Divine can destroy us. Like the Afrikan (Boukman) in the Haitian Revolution we rise up, like the Warriors fighting with Chaka Zulu, Queen Nzinga, Nana Asantewaa, Ndate Yalla, El Hajj Malik El Shabazz, Nathaniel Turner, Harriet Tubman…we rise and win.
Conclusion
Akon, we do not forget who we are as a people. We go to Goree Island, Jufureh (Kunta Kinte Island, Elmina and Cape Coast to recall the challenges of people created by our enemies that was facilitated by our internal fighting. We let this remind us to never be a divided people again. We visit the Afrikan Renaissance Monument in Sengal, Wassu Stone Circles in The Gambia, Timbuctu in Mali, The Cotton Tree in Sierra Leone, Black Star Square in Ghana, Abu Simbel, Karnack and the Sphynx to remind us of our power and prowess as a people. These places allow us to get in touch the Afrikan genius the resides with us. We re- to go back and member- to join the best and the worst of past in order to manifest a dynamic present and reveal an unlimited future. We will never forget because we are a mighty people indeed.