#west african history

[panafrocore]

Exploring the Legacy and Influence of Cheikh Anta Diop: A Pivotal Figure in Academia

Cheikh Anta Diop was a multifaceted Senegalese scholar whose far-reaching work spanned the realms of history, anthropology, physics, and politics. He emerged as a prominent figure in the study of the origins of human civilization and pre-colonial African culture, asking pivotal questions about cultural bias in scientific research. His profound insights significantly contributed to the…

[cool-it-action]

pinned post; lets go.

essentially a blog where my personal experiences as a (first gen american) black queer person will be talked about through a lens of analyzation, as well as analyzing theory from those who came before me. thats the main purpose, anyway. will also probably get silly sometimes on here. what can i say; its in my nature.

antiblackness and my frustration with it will be a heavy topic here, and mentions of violence, both historical and present, will be mentioned quite a bit here. i will tag it as needed.

transmisogynoir will also be a topic here, and i'll be pulling from black trans women who are essayists, my own birds eye view of it as a black person, and lived experiences of black transfems who i know and love. mentions of violence from this will be properly tagged as well.

the tagging system will probably grow larger as we go along, but let me set out the baseline now:

#sign of my times - my own personal ramblings and vents through an analytical lens. theory will be drawn upon here, but it'll be applied to my own experiences.

#mental digest - analyses of the essays, books, and other such i've read.

#tales from the table - writing about the experiences of others, sometimes collaborating directly with them, sometimes not.

#point n' click - me analyzing antiblackness in media or spaces that were not dedicated to it or written by other black people, but still intrigue me. will be almost entirely my own thoughts on the piece.

#no place like - specifically studying theory, black, queer, or otherwise, from Ghana. it's where my family is from, and the situation over there at the moment for my queer family is dire. sometimes will be my own thoughts on it as well.

[lightdancer1]

Wrapped up the next book:

This book covers the history of the Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai from an emphasis at both decolonization and an emphasis on a changing, not static African world and from the simple recognition that the written history of this part of the world is overwhelmingly an Islamic one and one written by peoples who had millennia-ancient Arab prejudices against the Zanj (aka Black) peoples of the Bilad al-Sudan. In the writings of the Islamic consensus the Bilad Al-Sudan was a realm of monsters and subhumans without a history, infidels who worshiped fell gods in sinister rites involving cannibalism, human sacrifices, and the pounding of drums in darkling woods. If this sounds like it could have been written by Lovecraft there's a reason for that.

This is not European racism, as the mark of descent is from the status of the father, not the mother, and because it's not rooted in science or pseudoscience, but in the concept of Allah/God the most merciful marking peoples by skin color in a category of superiority for the white people (aka Arabs and let this stand in turn as a commentary on later European white supremacy, a religious Islamic version of it already existed and Arabs and to a lesser degree some Amazigh were 'white' and therefore innately blessed with rationality, control of sexual impulses, and all the other things they said the Black people, the Sudani, did not have).

Now why does all this matter? Because under Ghana, Mali, and Songhai West Africa underwent a transformation from an ancient region of urbanized areas led by sacred kings and religions that worshiped many gods to the monotheistic Jihad-societies of Ghana and Songhai, with Mali in between and marking the point where the Islamic world went from the kind of syrupy condescension used for modern African states to actually taking African Muslims seriously.

Equally crucially this shaped the medieval Sahelian Ruling class's self-perception. It downplayed Blackness and demonized it in line with the tradition of Islamic history, it created the same artificial bullshit whereby European nobilities were somehow descended from Trojans or Roman Emperors with Yemeni and the Al-Qays tribes of Arabs. It also shaped the specific dynamic of West African Islam, that of Ghana (and the founder of the Songhai Empire, Sunni Ali), a heavily syncretic version but also that of Mali and Songhai at their height cosmopolitan and with a global ambition that shaped the Islamic world at its own heights.

In short, too, the African states that arose were not ancient traditional concepts, they were new creations charged with the self-serving mission of Jihad at the expense of pagans, and the fallen old empires were neatly redefined as pagan to suit their new successors, to boot. Their impact on the ethnogenesis and self-perception of Sahelian West Africa was very real and this book notes that the Griot traditions match up fairly closely with the Islamic written tradition and as such the dismissal of oral histories is, in actual fact, bullshit.

This book also notes that both the novelty and the scale of expansion created its own problems and its own weaknesses, and that the endemic inability of Islamic states to solve the succession problem in a way to simultaneously satisfy political and religious elites created major weaknesses and civil wars, with the endemic civil warfare prior to the Battle of Tondibi contributing at least as much to the final fall of the Songhai Empire as Tondibi itself did.

9/10.

[theredpharaoah]

Is there any pre-colonial West African drawing styles? I know about sculpting and textiles but I’m looking for drawing/painting specifically. Also y’all got any book suggestions for West African Vodun and Bakongo religion specifically?

[katrinaftw44]

This is a colourization I did of a Senegalese woman wearing traditional dress. The original b+w was taken by Mama Casset.

This took 3 hours to colourize.

I got the original b+w from @vintageeveryday

[readyforevolution]

[kaiyastarz]

Sayed

[yearningforunity]

Jamaican Obeah

Jamaican Obeah refers to the practice of Obeah, a spiritual and magical tradition rooted in West African and Caribbean cultures. Obeah has a significance presence in Jamaica and holds cultural and historical importance on the island. Obeah in Jamaica has its roots in the spiritual beliefs and practices brought to the Caribbean through the transatlantic slave trade. Enslaved Africans brought with them a rich tapestry of religious and spiritual traditions, and Obeah emerged as a distinct syncretic practice in Jamaica. Individuals who practice Obeah are often referred to as "Obeah men" or "Obeah women". These practitioners have a deep understanding of the spiritual realm and are sought after for their abilities in healing, protection, divination and other spiritual services.

It's crucial to approach discussions about Jamaican Obeah with cultural sersitivity, recognizing the diversity of beliefs and practices within the Afro-Caribbean spiritual landscape. Different individuals and communities may have variations in their practices, and interpretations may differ among practioners. Respect for cultural beliefs and traditions is essential and fostering understanding.

[lionofchaeronea]

Ivory double bell (egogo) from the Benin kingdom in present-day Edo State, Nigeria, depicting the oba (king) with his arms upheld by two attendants, possibly high priests. The oba wielded the egogo during the Emobo rite that concluded the Igue festival, using its sound to repel troublesome spirits. Artist unknown; early 16th century. Now in the Brooklyn Museum. Photo credit: Brooklyn Museum.

[panafrocore]

The Historical Significance of the Benin Moat in Nigeria's Edo State

The Benin Moat, also known as the Walls of Benin, holds a significant place in history as a remarkable feat of ancient engineering and a symbol of defense for Benin City in Nigeria’s Edo State. Dating back to around 800 AD and continuing to 1460 AD, these massive earthworks were constructed through extensive manual labor and earth repurposing, forming a structure of immense historical and…

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #ManateeAppreciationDay:

1. original watercolor by Joseph Wolf (German, 1820-1899) for ZSL, 1879 via ZSL Library 2. published version, plate 7 in Biologia Centrali-Americana: Mammalia, 1879-1882 via BHL

More info via ZSL Library: "Watercolour on paper, in window mount ; art - 35 x 27 cm., mount - 57.5 x 44.5 cm. Signed by artist in black paint in lower right corner: 'J. Wolf. 1879'." "Mss title in ink and pencil, in unidentified handwriting, on label pasted on mount: 'Manatee (Manatus americanus) from a specimen living in the Westminster Aquarium 1879. See PZS 1879'."

"According to the caption the painting was made of an animal living in Westminster Aquarium. A manatee - said to be Manatus americanus - was living in the Westminster Aquarium in 1879 and a note about it by Dr James Murie was published in 'PZS' 1879 : 552. This refers to Murie's forthcoming paper on that manatee based on observations of the great mobility of the upper lip and use of the limbs in feeding when it was living in the Aquarium and brain structure (after it died). This paper was published : Murie, J. (1880) 'Further observations on the manatee', 'TZS' 11 : 19-48 5 pls (by C. Berjeau). On p. 21-23 Murie states the adult female manatee was caught in a net on the Dauntless Bank, off the Island of Lequana, near the mouth of the Essiquibo River, British Guiana, taken to London and purchased by the Aquarium in June 1878. It died on 15 March 1879. Wolf's painting is [therefore] presumably of the West African manatee, Trichechus senegalensis."

🆔Manatee, likely West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis); Kingfisher, likely Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima)

FYI, there are three living species of manatee, and Wolf's illustration has gone through the confusion of first being misidentified as one, then another, before finally being correctly recognized as the third! More info on the blog:

[lightdancer1]

First in the list of the Niger-Congo languages to be covered is Fula:

The speakers of this language played a vital part in the recent history of West Africa in the form of the Fulani Jihads, and in the following history of the region in resistance to colonialism. As with Hausa for obvious reasons the Fulbe languages have influences from Arabic, while as with the Hausa and the Yoruba the languages are spoken across multiple states in the region.

And as will be noted, the Fulani and the Hausa in particular have longer and more complex histories. Specifically, in this case, one intertwined enough that speakers of very different languages with different roots can and do converge with each other culturally.

[jewreallythinkthat]

Jewish food 😂😂 more like stolen land and food

Girl (gn) I hope you've never eaten a bagel in your entire life, you wouldn't want those nasty Jewish cooties we garnish them all with 🥱

[nickysfacts]

I just love how shea butter, from creation to its use is about supporting women!

🤎🚺🤎

[kemetic-dreams]

Long before it arose in New York City and became an influential style of music around the world, salsa music has its seeds in African rhythms and traditions that came to the Caribbean through the slave trade. Centuries of enslavement caused many cultural changes in Cuba, including the music that led to salsa.

Some people know Bobby Day’s 1958 “Rockin’ Robin” or Michael Jackson’s remake but the origin of the song goes back to the days of slavery.

The majority of the Africans that were enslaved and brought to the Americas were of West African descent where the drum was used as a form of communication. In the Americas, enslaved Africans used the drum in the same way — communicating with the enslaved on distant plantations and ultimately planning uprising.

The enslavers caught wind of this and enacted a ban.

It is absolutely necessary to the safety of this Province, that all due care be taken to restrain Negroes from using or keeping of drums, which may call together or give sign or notice to one another of their wicked designs and purposes. — Slave Code of South Carolina, Article 36

That ban went down in 1740 and soon spread throughout Colonial America.

But the beat is in the heart of the African.

We soon found other ways to imitate the sound of the drum; stomping, playing spoons, washboards, or anything other household item. We also “slapped Juba” or played “hambone” where the body became an instrument where the player slaps their thighs and chest for the drum beat. (How did young boys in 1980s Park Hill, Denver know “Hambone?”)

Although we kept the beat, we lost the tradition, a cultural marker snatched away from us.

While the American enslaver worked feverishly to destroy any vestige of African culture, the Spanish enslaver of Cuba felt that it was in his best interest to allow the enslaved African to maintain his culture. In support of that, the Spanish allowed the Africans to organize Cabildos (or social groups) based on their nation of origin. Thus you had the Abakua (or Ekpe) from the nations known as Nigeria and Cameroon, the Madinga (or Malinke) from Sierre Leone, etc.

Our focus is primarily on the Lucumi, the Cabildo founded for the Yoruba of Benin and Nigeria. This lineage would be the cornerstone and origin point for what is now called “Salsa.” And what is this “Salsa?”

When we spoke of the drum being forbidden among the enslaved Africans in America, we forgot to mention that there was one place that didn’t enact that ban. That place was the port city of New Orleans, Louisiana — some even call New Orleans the Northernmost Caribbean city.

Similar in the way that the Spanish allowed for Cabildos in Cuba, the Louisiana enslavers permitted Sundays off and were okay with the dance and celebration so long as the enslaved African did so outside of the city limits in a place called Place des Negres (eventually known as Congo Square).

After the Civil War, Africans in America were able to get a hold of surplus brass instruments and shortly thereafter began composing music based on the popular music in the Caribbean at the time, the Cuban Habanero. Many say that this is one of the foundations of jazz music itself and the basis of the habanero, the tressilo, can be heard in second lines. Self-proclaimed jazz inventor, Jelly Roll Morton had this to say:

Now take the habanero “La Paloma”, which I transformed in New Orleans style. You leave the left hand just the same. The difference comes in the right hand — in the syncopation, which gives it an entirely different color that really changes the color from red to blue. Now in one of my earliest tunes, “New Orleans Blues”, you can notice the Spanish tinge. In fact, if you can’t manage to put tinges of Spanish in your tunes, you will never be able to get the right seasoning, I call it, for jazz. Jelly Roll Morton

Because of those qualities, a young musical prodigy from Cuba, Mario Bauzá recognized the similarities between jazz and Cuban music straightaway. Bauzá fell in love with jazz having heard it on Cuban radio but it was his trip to Harlem, NYC in 1927 that convinced him that New York was where he wanted to be and jazz was the music that he wanted to play.

Bauzá returned to New York in 1930, immediately found work, eventually landing a gig in the Cab Calloway band. Here he brought on the legend in the making, Dizzy Gillespie, and the two became fast friends. Bauzá attempted to play his “native” music to many in the band but they dismissed it as “country” music. Gillespie, on the other hand, embraced it.

For the next eight years Bauzá played in predominately African jazz bands having seen discrimination from white Cubans. Yet he longed to start a group that incorporated the music from his home and his second love, jazz. He shot this idea to his childhood friend/brother-in-law and in 1939 at the Park Palace Ballroom the Machito Afro-Cubans would debut.

“I am Black, which means my roots are in Africa. Why should I be ashamed of that?” Bauzá said in reference to the name.

Bauzá replaced the drum kit, which at that time had only been around for 20 years, with the hard to find congas, timbales, and toms. “The timbales play the bell pattern, the congas play the supportive drum part, and the bongos improvise, simulating a lead drum”. In the 40s these drums could only be found at Simon Jou’s bakery, La Moderna, locally known in East Harlem simply as Simon’s.

Next, the Afro-Cubans needed a home and they would find that not in Harlem nor the Bronx, but instead in Midtown Manhattan, a club called the Palladium.

Salsa is a set of Afro-Caribbean rhythms fused with jazz and other styles. The truth is that its origins have always been much debated, although as a general rule it is mentioned that it comes from a fusion that came from Africa in the Caribbean when they heard European music and wanted to mix it with their drums

These origins focus especially on mambo, danzó, cha cha chá, guaracha and son montuno, later enriched with instruments such as saxophone, trumpet or trombone.

It was the Cuban exiles and those from Puerto Rico who popularized salsa in New York back in the 1950s. But it wasn't until the last third of this century that salsa dancing began to take off all over the world.

Cuba played a leading role in the origin of salsa. Already in the 1930s, melodies and rhythms from Africa were playing on the Caribbean island. Among them was the danzón, a musical piece acquired by the French who had fled Haiti.

History tells us that it was these first rhythms that were then mixed with rumbas such as guagancó and sonero to begin to create their own Afro-Cuban rhythms, including Afro-Cuban jazz, mambo, guaracha, Cuban son and montuno.

The exquisite melody of these new rhythms soon set in other Latin American countries. Puerto Rico and Colombia were the first to welcome these new sounds from the Cuban country.

However, it was not until their appearance in the United States, and more specifically in the Bronx neighborhood of New York, when these rhythms acquired a greater impact. It was the moment in which new musical instruments were added that today form an indissoluble part of salsa.

The great Cuban musicians who moved to New York along with the wave of these new rhythms created the famous tumbadoras, congas or son montuno, and were responsible for introducing trombones and guaracha.

The Origin of the Salsa Dance Steps

Once salsa was defined as a musical genre in the 1970s, the movements and steps of its dance were collected through a fusion of the African with the European.

These steps and movements of salsa fundamentally reflect the influence of the dances that the Africans brought to the Caribbean and the European dances that have been danced in Cuba since the 1930s.

So much so that the basic steps of salsa are precisely the same steps as the Cuban son, just as it also includes steps that can be seen in rumba, danzón and mambo.

The origin of these variants is in the regions where this style comes from, which are the ones that developed each dance, always under the same umbrella of the term salsa.

It is not surprising, then, that salsa is defined as the result of a series of social conditions and the evolution of a series of rhythms and melodies from Cuba, which were developed and achieved repercussion in the United States.

There are those who assure against this mixture that salsa is neither a rhythm nor a style, but rather a term that serves to represent all the music of Afro-Cuban origin that emerged in the first decades of the twentieth century.

In short, the origin of salsa has always been, and will continue to be, much discussed. American musician Tito Puente was right when he said, "Salsa doesn't exist. What they now call salsa is what I have played for many years, and this is mambo, guaracha, cha cha chá and guagancó".