There is great power in naming and labeling ones self. “To name, to label, is to bring into consciousness”. And as a people a name is connected with their social role in society. "When one attempts to change their name, they are attempting to change their status and/or position in society or the world".
With all this power behind something as simple as a name every person and people embodies the power and right to define them-selves. (Define themselves, not by someone else’s standards) When this right is taken away those people/that person is suffering from oppression. To be blunter they are enslaved.
How does this relate to today? Too often “black” people deny the title African. Is it wrong to refer to one another as black? No, but when you refer to one another as black in denial of your African ancestry, yes it is wrong. Our ancestors, in their ancient time, referred to one another as black people, but they were well aware of their heritage, and connection with one another. “Black is black where ever you are at", we all have common ancestry. A black man in the islands is African, just like a black man in the Americas. Study your history! The African Diaspora (more popularly known as the Trans-Atlantic slave trade) dispersed Africans through out the world, but mainly in the Americas and Western Islands. Yes, the way they live and their day to day culture is different, but that does not deny the fact that they and we are all African. For example, a black man from California has a different culture compared to a black man from New York, but they are still both African, none the less. If any one disagrees with these statements feel free to PROVE me wrong and we could exchange data, or may you forever hold your peace.
But back to the beginning quote. “To name, to label, is to bring into consciousness, and therefore to transform consciousness.” This suggests that when a person or people accept a name given to them they internalize that name as well as the ideologies, beliefs and consciousness behind that name as well! Therefore he who posses the power of naming, posses the power to control the social construct of a community through the minds of a people. We as Africans, especially in America, have taken the names given to us: Nigga, ganagsta, negro, bitches, whores, and etc. All these names suggest a certain ideal someone else imposed upon us and we continue to act them out. These names represent no suitable place in society, and suggest we are the destroyers of the communities, and yet this is how we describe ourselves. Yes I have been guilty of this crime as well but I have acknowledged my downfalls and am willing to make a change. So for those of you who are trying, you are not alone.
As a people Africans are the only ones who remain nameless, and as long as we are nameless others will impose their name, and their power upon us. We have been under the illusion that we have been able to name ourselves, but this has truly yet to happen, for several reasons; one being, we have been victims of an oppressive system that forces its values and ideologies upon us therefore giving us a mind or frame of reference that only benefits this oppressive system. (In other words our thoughts are not of our natural selves but of that which has been artificially created through a merciless system) Finally we cannot just name ourselves as Africans and think its ok, but we must name ourselves with the understanding that our name reconnects us with our rich heritage, legacy, and ancestors. That is the beginning of the liberation our mind, soul, and consciousness.

thought provoking...thanks

Define African....

Good point...Any one from or having heritage roots to the African Landbase. Even though this may not be it's original name, for the sake of those who do not know I simply use the word "African" for the understanding that everyone needs to identify with their original Landbase, regardless of how they name themselves.

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Originally posted by negrospiritual:
thought provoking...thanks

No Problem

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Originally posted by I-D-Entity:
Good point...Any one from or having heritage roots to the African Landbase. Even though this may not be it's original name, for the sake of those who do not know I simply use the word "African" for the understanding that everyone needs to identify with their original Landbase, regardless of how they name themselves.

It is your contention that Black people should define themselves based off land mass?

What did Black people call themselves before the wide use of the term African?

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Originally posted by Khalliqa:

It is your contention that Black people should define themselves based off land mass?

What did Black people call themselves before the wide use of the term African?

Yes, due to the social conditions of today, and the confusion of identity, it is necessary to do so. I believe John Henry Clarke said the best when he stated "every person has a historic landbase from which they must identify themselves, regardless of their placement on this earth now" (don't quote me exactly....) But this is a way to hold your history, especially in the psuedo world will live in today.

Our ancestor reffered to our land base as land of blacks, and to one another as black individuals, or people of color with words such as ethiopain, kmt (or kemites, people of kemet, the original name of egypt) and other names that I would have to look up to be exact for now, but I'll be sure to bring them back to you. Good examples can be found in Dr. Bens Africa the Mother of Western Civilization.

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Originally posted by I-D-Entity:

Yes, due to the social conditions of today, and the confusion of identity, it is necessary to do so.

Please explain the social conditions to which you are referring and expound further upon what you deem to be our confusion of identity and how naming ourselves African will be an asset to these two issues.

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I believe John Henry Clarke said the best when he stated "every person has a historic landbase from which they must identify themselves, regardless of their placement on this earth now" (don't quote me exactly....) But this is a way to hold your history, especially in the psuedo world will live in today.

Every culture springs forth from the ties of the people as they settle on land mass... How does the social interaction of people and the subsequent development of culture tie in to the land the people have decided to settle upon?

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Our ancestor reffered to our land base as land of blacks, and to one another as black individuals, or people of color with words such as ethiopain, kmt (or kemites, people of kemet, the original name of egypt) and other names that I would have to look up to be exact for now, but I'll be sure to bring them back to you. Good examples can be found in Dr. Bens Africa the Mother of Western Civilization.

I am aware of the debate raging over the meaning and significance of the term kmt.....



Thank you for taking the time to answer...

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Please explain the social conditions to which you are referring and expound further upon what you deem to be our confusion of identity and how naming ourselves African will be an asset to these two issues.

The social structure I am referring to is racism, correctly termed as White Supremacy, in its establishment, operation, motive, and continuity. This social structure has a global establishment through European (Aryan) strong holds such as America, the UK, and Russia (there are more). The operation of the system is seen through the streets of our neighborhoods everyday. Violence and uncontrollable sex are the two sole means by which it runs; as seen in their own mythology and cultural asili. Through its operation racism has a motive to seek and destroy all non-white peoples, especially those who pose the largest threat, Africans. Being that the white population represents less than 10 percent in the world; whites are facing extinction in the coming years! We see this in the color scale; any color you mix with white comes out more so that other color. (You have to systematically keep adding more white to the color in order to come close to the original white you had). White Supremacy has been implemented to be an everlasting system, in effort to preserve the white race. In order to achieve this and control everyone else whites must systematically institute a backwards system to keep everyone else confused and disconnected from their roots. Willie Lynch spoke of it best: “THE MIND HAS A STRONG DRIVE TO CORRECT AND RECORRECT ITSELF OVER A PERIOD OF TIME, IF IT CAN TOUCH SOME SUBSTANTIAL ORIGINAL HISTORICAL BASE: AND THEY ADVISED US THAT THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH THIS PHENOMENON IS TO SHAVE OFF THE BRUTE'S MENTAL HISTORY AND CREATE A MULTIPLICITY OF PHENOMENA OF ILLUSIONS, SO THAT EACH ILLUSION WILL TWIRL IN ITS OWN ORBIT, SOMETHING SIMILAR TO FLOATING BALLS IN A VACUUM.” This is just one example. So as you can see we must touch our original historical basis, and what is more original then Africa? In calling our selves African we connect ourselves back to our historical land base therefore taking the first step in reclaiming the re-correction of self. As of now we have people who refuse to see where they are from or who they truly are because they are in the cultural vaccum Willie Lynch spoke of. If we knew who we were, as a group of people, we would have a different attitude towards one another and would see the true problem at hand. Which was stated above.

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Every culture springs forth from the ties of the people as they settle on land mass... How does the social interaction of people and the subsequent development of culture tie in to the land the people have decided to settle upon?

In what ever land people decide to settle upon, historically speaking, they bring their culture from the whence they came with them. Some variation may change due to the natural environment, as far as customs and practices but the underlying basis is constant. We see this with the people of early India, the Dravidians. They were exclaimed to be Ethiopians/Egyptians (these terms were interchangeable to outsiders) in the Far East by Herodotus, Western culture’s father of history and other travelers. Because of the geography and environment a people may interact with one another completely different than those in another. A great example is the assimilation of the African culture versus the European. Africans cultural asili was developed in a warm tropical environment, with plenty of food and resources, therefore social interaction with one another was rarely a confrontation while in contrast the European asili was developed from a cold, glacier environment where food and resources were scarce, therefore making the environment and interaction with one another harsh. From these two different environments grew a different people. In America the African culture has constantly tried to resurface but because of outside influence (racism) it remains repressed (as a people not individuals).

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Originally posted by I-D-Entity:
and what is more original then Africa?

Who were we before we called ourselves African?

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In what ever land people decide to settle upon, historically speaking, they bring their culture from the whence they came with them. Some variation may change due to the natural environment, as far as customs and practices but the underlying basis is constant. We see this with the people of early India, the Dravidians. They were exclaimed to be Ethiopians/Egyptians (these terms were interchangeable to outsiders) in the Far East by Herodotus, Western culture’s father of history and other travelers.

We are aware how much change has taken place with our people here in America... how much and how long of a cultural change has taken place within the various cultures of Africa?

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Who were we before we called ourselves African?

It depends on what empire or time frame you are referring to. But at most points we were considered people of the land and that name changed with time and the progression/regression of people.

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We are aware how much change has taken place with our people here in America... how much and how long of a cultural change has taken place within the various cultures of Africa?

[/QUOTE]

Well for one we must understand that our change in America is not separate from that in Africa. But even before the trans-atlantic slave trade the Arab slave trade was very detrimental to our culture and society!! So it has been at the least 2000 years of hardships and change as a people.

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Originally posted by I-D-Entity:

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Who were we before we called ourselves African?

It depends on what empire or time frame you are referring to. But at most points we were considered people of the land and that name changed with time and the progression/regression of people.

Are you saying that each migration produced a change in name for our people? We called ourselves whatever land mass upon which we settled?

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quote:

We are aware how much change has taken place with our people here in America... how much and how long of a cultural change has taken place within the various cultures of Africa?

Well for one we must understand that our change in America is not separate from that in Africa. But even before the trans-atlantic slave trade the Arab slave trade was very detrimental to our culture and society!! So it has been at the least 2000 years of hardships and change as a people.[/QUOTE]


Are you aware of any significant changes in our culture before the Arab slave trade?



Salaam....

Nice post I-D-Entity,

I whole heartedly agree.

WE ARE AFRICAN PERIOD!

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Are you saying that each migration produced a change in name for our people? We called ourselves whatever land mass upon which we settled?

No, I am saying regardless the title or whatever language was dominant (according to the empire) and regardless of our location in the world (India, Asia, America, Australia), there was a unified name and identity (proof of this is in the artifacts we left behind to tell a story....like the Olmec heads that were obviously decorated in Ethiopian leather war helmets, and statues in Europe and Asia today!). The name of our people in pre-invasion Africa always related to us as a people in a land amongst black people. Hence "land of the blacks” These terms were later adopted and perverted by intruders who cared nothing for our culture. Our identity was collective and traveled with us where ever we went, no matter how far from home we were.

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Are you aware of any significant changes in our culture before the Arab slave trade?

Yes I am aware of many significant changes in culture due to the Arab slave trade....The Arabs were just as harsh if not worse than the Europeans. The Arabs practiced the emfeminization of the black male at a young age by castrating them and labeling them as property. They sexually abused the women and children, fostering "try before you buy" sex farms. And the overall disrespect for the African culture was seen by the pyramid raiding; the destruction of universities for the construction of mosques, and the list continues.....These were just brief introduction to the cultural upheaval the Arabs caused.

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Originally posted by Oshun Auset:
Nice post I-D-Entity,

I whole heartedly agree.

WE ARE AFRICAN PERIOD!

thank you

quote:

Originally posted by I-D-Entity:

quote:

Are you saying that each migration produced a change in name for our people? We called ourselves whatever land mass upon which we settled?

No, I am saying regardless the title or whatever language was dominant (according to the empire) and regardless of our location in the world (India, Asia, America, Australia), .... there was a unified name and identity ......The name of our people in pre-invasion Africa always related to us as a people in a land amongst black people. .... Our identity was collective and traveled with us where ever we went, no matter how far from home we were.

So before you say we called ourselves African we were called by many names, but those names reflected the identity of the people? Why and when did black people collectively begin to refer to ourselves as African ?

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quote:

Are you aware of any significant changes in our culture before the Arab slave trade?

Yes I am aware of many significant changes in culture due to the Arab slave trade.....

Brother I asked if you are aware of any significant changes in our culture before the Arab slave trade?



Salaam.....