Gil Puyat AFRS 340 Prof.

Yansane My Eyes: A Triple Perspective

Africa? Why would you ever want to go there? is the most common question I hear when I say that Id love to be able to ride my motorcycle through the continent. Most of the people I have encountered only know what they hear on the news and see in those foreign aid advertisements that depict starving and malnourished people, barely clothed in rags and crying in anguish. Though this is true in many regions throughout the land, the African heritage is one of the richest and undiluted cultures of our times. As we saw in the video, Africans: A Triple Heritage, narrated by Dr. Ali Mazrui, Africa is a product of its mixed influences from its own traditions, to Islam, and Western culture.

In the video, Dr. Mazrui tells us that Africa is the cradle of mankind, where the first human remains were found. He went on to state that Africa was the birthplace of human culture. This was an exciting fact for me to learn, and it makes me want go and visit even more. Anthropologist discovered human remains of early ape-like humans that dated as far back as 7 million years ago. They also theorize that the Sahara may have been a habitable and fertile land before the Ice Ages. The fact that Africa boasts the densest and most diverse forms of wildlife seems to support this theory.

Africans, however, never advertised themselves and seemed content in their ways being close to nature, where they lived off the land and the oceans. What really interested

me is their view of women and how it compares to the more submissive and repressive roles that western women take. Dr. Mazrui says, In Senegal, the African man is the hunter, while the woman is the mother, cultivator, and market woman, as central to the economy as men. I believe this to be important, since men need strong counterparts to be their anchors, as well as their shelter.

During the 7th century Islam came from the west and took a hold of Northern Africa. Western transportation was responsible for the spread of Islam throughout Africa, and the cry, God is great is spread throughout the land, also scattering the Arabic language through its teachings. Since water was a scarce and important luxury in the region, a high importance was placed upon it as it became equated with heaven. The strict teachings of Mohammed forced a newfound discipline on the Africans, who then found a new sense of direction as they prayed towards Mecca.

The Western influence is heavily embodied by the Suez Canal, as there is no more eminent symbol of European power and planning. The spread of colonization due to the heavy industrialization occurring in Europe was the main catalyst in introducing Western tastes and culture into the region. Coming from the Philippines myself, a former colony of Spain, I have first hand experience in this sort of immersion. Many of the customs and habits I have come to know as my familys and my own, have come from the periods of Spanish occupancy. I am sure that this creates an imbalance on the Africans as it did to the Filipinos, due largely to the suppression of the indigenous culture as the colonial influence is assimilated.

Coming from a culture that is as much influenced by others as the Africans were, it is easy to see what problems may arise. There are many things good and bad that can be learned along the way. One thing for sure is that we should all consider ourselves lucky to have new perspectives other than our own, which may in turn aid us in better understanding the world around us, and hopefully to be able to understand ourselves.