Why An African History Month

Why, An African History Month?

The motherland's histories are complex with over 2000 cultures, constituting, different languages, traditions and customs and they all have their own stories to tell. It would be mutually beneficial to have our history to be accessible in one historical umbrella. Each month would address a different topic. This will plant the seeds of knowledge to be harvest for the future generations. Most importantly, "African History Month" would serve as a catalyst to correct the gross misconceptions, omission and distortions of it's history.of African people globally.

The word African specifically relates to the indigenous people of the African continent and their descents in the Diaspora ( Caribbean , Americas , Arabia , etc). The race-nationality model such as that currently employed by African-American, African-Brazilian and African-Caribbean communities more accurately describes the identity whilst fully articulating the history and geopolitical reality

The miscellaneous usage of the label 'Black' within this site reflects its contemporary use as a means to denote a specific
sociocultural and political context. It is recognized as a colloquial term that was fashioned as a reactionary concept to derogatory racial epithets in the 1960's. It is offensive when used as a racial classification code word to denote African people. Other such denigrating terminology when made in reference to African culture, heritage or identity are 'Tribe', 'Sub-Saharan Africa', or 'black Africa '.

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Friday, April 8, 2016

The Color and Flavor of Afro-Cuban Life: A Look at How Black Cubans Have Struggled Over the Years with Racial Identity and Culture

HAVANA – Afro-Cubans have contributed greatly to the culture of Cuba with Havana having the highest concentration of Afro-Cubans in the country. However, there is great controversy about how many people of African descent there are in Cuba—some say 20 percent, while others say upwards of 65 percent. Many people of mixed race describe themselves as mulatto or mestizo, people of combined European and Latin/African backgrounds.
Although some don’t identify with the Afro-Cuban label, preferring to identify through nationality as Cubans more than by race, Blacks in Cuba struggle with racial issues and identity in much the same way as the rest of the world, with historical inequalities carrying over to modern times.
The first group of Afro-Cubans are the descendants of enslaved Africans brought from West Africa. In recent years, the country has also seen an increase of Black immigrants from Jamaica and Haiti, adding to the African flavor of the island.

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