The Africans influences

on Bermuda
By Kyla Scott

Africa
From Bermuda to South Africa it is 11568 kilometers. This air travel
distance is equal to 7188.02 miles.
There are 54 countries and one non-self governing territory, it is called
Western Sahara.
Over 55% of Africas labour force working in food production with vast
areas of arable and pastoral lands supporting agricultural economies.
Over 90% of soils are unsuitable for agriculture and only 0.25% has
moderate to low potential for sustainable farming.

History of Bermuda slavery and African Diaspora

Heritage Trail
Our island's history of slavery and bondage ended by 1834, today you can
catch a glimpse of that legacy by taking a self-guided tour along our African
Diaspora Heritage Trail. See the slave graveyard at St. Peter's Their
Majesties Chapell, the oldest Anglican church in the New World. And
imagine the labourers who helped build the most important British naval
base in the Atlantic. The tour will take you from one end of our island to the
other, and will bring our important role in Black history to life.

Celebrations

Africans and Bermuda are very much alike such as their history in May.
The Africans have their African day on may 25 of every year, as
Bermuda day is on May 24 a day before theirs. Both of these
celebrations involve dancing and music, food and drink, as well as
entrainment and fun. On both days our gombeys dance their unique
styles as the crowd dances and follow them.

Food of past Africans to Bermudians

One that has influences Bermuda is the Hoppin John. Hoppin John is a onepot stew of black-eyed peas, smoked pork (or ham) and seasonings cooked
with rice. Though the origin of the name is obscure, most sources trace the
dish to the Carolina Low Country and before that to the West Indies and Africa.

Another food dishes is soul food. African slaves were given only the "leftover"
and "undesirable" cuts of meat from their masters (while the white slave
owners got the meatiest cuts of ham, roasts, etc.).

Codfish and Potatoes is also another food dished that both Bermudians and
Africans enjoy. Some add bananas, eggs and avocados.

And lastly Peas and plenty a Black-eyed peas dished cooked with onions, salt
pork and rice.

Clothes/ hairstyles

In past, African was this big continent that did a lot of shipping in those
days. From shipping cotton, vegetables, raw materials and other items.
Many African designs have inspired many people to create them in
various different ways that give off the African feeling. The same goes
for the types hairstyles that African women have such as curly, short,
braided or sometimes puff out or something completely different . Like
for example:

Music

Other than the British and the Caribbean's Bermudas music is basic
off African music along with the dancing such as the Gombey dance,
that also has Christian practicing in some parts of the island. Also the
instruments used are steel pans that now used in local schools
around Bermuda and others.

Others music are reggae, calypso which are very popular to the locals
as well as choral music, gospel music, drum majorette bands, jazz
and other styles.

jazz

reggae

Language

The language in Bermuda is a mixture of British, North American, and

various West Indian versions of the English language. Azorean Portuguese is
still spoken and preserved in some Portuguese homes. In the Bermudian
accent, sometimes V s and W s are transposed.

Sports

African influenced a lot of sports that Bermuda has right now, such as football,
running, basketball, Kayaking, sailing, tennis and many more. But the one most
important is cricket. Cricket has a special meaning to Bermuda than any other
country or continent, because amongst black ex-slave Bermudians, this day was a
joyful day like no other since was the day that slavery was elimination from our
island. In Bermuda, it is celebrated on the Thursday before the first Monday of
August. It is better known as the first day of Cup Match, a two-day cricket
tournament some called it Emancipation Day.

Cricket is one of the most popular sports in Bermuda. Every summer, the whole of
Bermuda enjoy an annual cricket tournament between the two rival cricket clubs
from Somerset and St George's. It is known as Cup Match. The first Cup Match
tournament was held in 1902.

Resource

http://blog.syracuse.com/entertainment/2009/12/hoppin_john_a_traditional_dish.html

http://caribya.com/bermuda/culture/

http://
webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:ICMVP2QEpJIJ:www.africandiasp
oratourism.com/index.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle

http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/soul-food-brief-history

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Africa_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Day

http://www.gotobermuda.com/about-bermuda/our-island/

http://www.everyculture.com/A-Bo/Bermuda.html