Truth Excellence Service

R27
MARZAN, Kylie Ricka Kristina G. 04 October 2019
Project Essay

Africa is often perceived to be a land of merry-making and indulgence of nature. One

could even say that they are one of the wisest descents for their passionate songs and proverbs.

But it might be true that those who are tremendously wise have gone through long and difficult

journeys. These journeys are most often discussed in their literature, which usually focuses on

drastic changes in their culture, their religion and racial discrimination against them.

Africans are known to love music. They could get lost in dancing or playing their

drums. They still brought this behavior even when they were enslaved, and they danced and

played music through the encouragement of the captains of the ships. These captains believed

that dancing “enlivened the captives’ spirits and reduced their sense of pain, suffering and

longing” (Dodson, 2003). But that changed when the United States discovered the possibility

of Africans using their drums to communicate discretely. Despite this occurrence, Africans

improvised and created hand clapping and foot tapping. One could determine through those

events that Africans are creative, strong (not necessarily physically) and confident.

Aside from music, Africans were devoted in their religious beliefs and philosophy. The

modern African religions are Islam and Christianity, which are mostly influences of

neighboring continents. But before all that, Africans were generally animistic, believing that

everything has life and possesses essence. They had traditions and festivals dedicated to gods

of stone and wood. Their religions are diverse nowadays, and it’d be troublesome to generalize

them once more.

How can one tell that someone is African? Is it the way they talk, or flip their hair, or

sit on the bus? No; one would have to be less observant to tell, because the most identifying
feature of Africans is their color. Once a person sees someone black, thinking that they’re

African is quite inevitable. In the 1900’s when apartheid was implemented, Africans and the

European settlers were separated. There were specific places and shops meant to be entered

only by the “whites”. The “blacks” however, would be punished for disobeying these rules

despite them being in their own respective countries. It’s not a secret that these Europeans saw

Africans with disgust, due to the slave trade having provoked disease, famine and poverty in

their continent. But Africans will be Africans, and they fought for their identity and freedom.

Most protests worked after years of working hard for independence, but in reality, they aren’t

free. They’re driven by Neo-colonialism from their former colonizers.

Africans have experienced many hardships; they’ve encountered more than one could

handle. But they managed to go on, side by side, through thick, and thin. Experience has shaped

their culture. Their failure has fueled their success. As the African proverb goes, “No person is

born great. Great people become great when others are sleeping.”