Demetrius McClay
@02663964
Dr. Carr
AFRO-005
2/16/12

Abstract Rebellion is one of the most significant elements of the Africana historical experience that allowed Africans to regain their identity and autonomy from their oppressors. They battle to define themselves when society already labeled them. The recent event of slavery among Africans did not only signify the dehumanization that they were forced to endure, but also how mentally and physically clever they were to revolt against the European culture. Through tolerance and assimilation Africans did not manage to recreate their original home, but was able to create a new home in a different world. The mind was the most powerful and successful defense that Africans used because it stored their culture, values, morals, skills, and intelligence that allowed them to unite and rebel. Throughout their journey of rebelling against enslavement Africans used their mind as a weapon that cherished the memories of their unique culture and rich homeland. This tactic enabled them to transition from “property” to “citizens”1 in hopes of repossessing their heritage and identity. Furthermore, the impact that migration, enslavement, and the pursuit of independence had on our ancestors shaped the way that the modern African descent community functions.

Critical Review of Scholarship In Introduction to Afro-American Studies the novels, atlas, and lectures discussed basic elements of the Africana historical experience. These sources provided descriptive details and evidence of the struggle that most enslaved Africans endured. Being kidnapped from their homeland and forced to adapt to a foreign world challenged their mind, body, and soul. From migration, to oppression, and to rebellion the African culture flowed throughout the world. By being forced to leave their homeland, Africans had no control over anything except their mind. Along with their naked body and heavy chains Africans also brought the memories of their culture on the slave boats to the Americas.

In the novel “The Eloquence of the Scribes”2 the author, Ayi Kwei Armah, expressed his memoir on the sources and resources of the African literature. Armah unearthed buried connections between the oral and written traditions of ancient Egypt, feudal Africa and contemporary Africa. He provided vivid details of how he did not allow the western European’s school system to corrupt him. He expressed how he cherished the knowledge that he acquired from his homeland that enabled him to resist being brainwashed by the European’s ways of teaching. While expressing reasons of refusing to condone to the European norm of “intelligence”, Armah stated, “Once children entered that formal school world, it was impossible, if they wanted to succeed, for them to nurture aspirations of a vocation at once literary and African” (10). Amah asserted that European schooling did not provide efficient teaching of history. Not only were the teachings skewed and racist, but also they rarely acknowledge the African culture. Amah used his cultural intelligence to defeat the European’s cultural intelligence. This explains how the minds of Africans were their most valuable asset because it was a reminder of how clever they were in rebelling against their oppressors. Another book “The Atlas of African-American History and Politics”3 consisted of unique maps that illustrated the African experience throughout the world and in the Americas. The atlas thoroughly traced the complete history of African-Americans and their lives. The atlas provided evidence of the African diaspora and its influence on civilization. This source centered on the essence of migration and how essential it became to the western culture. The African influence and cultural diffusion in the Americas caused by migration exemplifies the customs, values, and beliefs that most Africans cherished and brought with them on their voyage to their new and foreign habitat.