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Jaylaan Bennett
Professor Raymond
UWRT 1104
21 July 2016
I am African
After much research, I discovered many things I did not know. My fathers side of the
family is originally from England; whereas my mothers side of the family is from Africa. Both
places differ in history, customs, and values. I was very interested in researching to discover
things about both places and find out things I did not know before.
I did not research a lot on my dads side of the family because for our family tree project
I am focusing on my mothers side. My ancestors are in fact from Africa; however, my great
great grandparents were an Indian Prince and Princess. I could not find information on if my
ancestors from Africa were captured and participated in the Triangle Trade. Most of my
information stopped at my great great grandparents being Indians. I am sure if I knew more
names I could find a connection of what exactly happened. When I interviewed my grandmother
she informed me that we are from Africa; however, she was not sure which of our ancestors
actually live in Africa. I will claim Africa as my familys origin because this is all I have to
believe with the information I have so far.
Scientist have proven that Africa is the birthplace for mankind. World Atlas states,
About 1.75 million years ago, early man spread throughout parts of Africa. They became
aggressive hunters, lived in caves and used fire and their ability to create stone tools just to
survive. When I read this statement I understood how it was possible for my ancestors to be
Indian and also from Africa. Then I remembered anyone who had a pinch of black blood in them

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was considered African American. My ancestors could indeed be Indians however; if they were
not fully white they could have been a part of the slave trade on the Triangular Trade. As I
continued to read interesting facts about Africa, I learned how to two most interesting
geographical features are the Nile River and the Sahara Desert. The Nile River is a massive river
which flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Sahara Desert on the other hand is the worlds
hottest desert, covering almost one-third of the continent.
Africa is a very special continent. The country is broken down into 54 African states, and
each state has its own flag. The African Union is the highest Political state in Africa. It is made
up of all the heads of state or government officials from each state. Nations Online provided me
with the significance and description of the African Union Flag. They stated:
The flag has broad green horizontal stripe at the top followed by a narrow band of gold. A
broad white stripe bearing the Emblem at its center followed by a narrow gold band and
broad green stripe at the bottom. The symbolic significance of the flag is its color. The
color green symbolizes African hopes and aspiration to unity. The gold color stands for
African wealth and bright future, and the color white represents the purity of Africa's
desire to have genuine friends throughout the world.
Africa as a whole is a continent of hope, prosperity, and unity.

Figure 1: African Union Flag

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Source: "National Flags of Africa." Flags of the World. Nations Online, n.d. Web. 20 July 2016.

Before Africa had its first democratic election, the country had two National Anthems. An
official one and an unofficial one. The official anthem was Die Stem. The unofficial anthem,
Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, was a symbol of independence because the African people wanted their
independence.
There are many famous individuals who have originated from Africa. As a big public
figure, Nelson Mandela, was an active member in the protest against apartheid in South Africa.
After being arrested for twenty-seven years he became the first democratically elected president
of South Africa.
After researching many information on Africa, I wonder which African state my family is
actually from.

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Works Cited
"Africa." Map / Map of. N.p., 12 July 2016. Web. 20 July 2016.
"Famous African People ." Biography Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 July 2016.
"National Flags of Africa." Flags of the World. Nations Online, n.d. Web. 20 July 2016.
"SouthAfrica.info." South Africa's National Anthem. N.p., Nov. 2015. Web. 20 July 2016.