Cheikh Anta Diop/john Henrik Clarke

[Baba Ahmed]

Greetings of mutual help!

Just yesterday, Wednesday, I saw a term for the first time: Diopian. It moved me to re-read a work by one of Cheikh Anta Diop's students, friends and companion: and they both had common interests. We in America and in other English speaking lands owe appreciation and gratitude to our honored ancestor, Dr. Clarke.

Lets put aside the egomaniac Cristio Colon (Christopher Columbus) but remember that to celebrate any European Holiday is akin to madness; for to do so aids in our own brainwashings and oppressions. I'll cite a long entry by Dr. Clarke from a book put out by his last living Secretary Mama Anna Swanston: Dr. John Henrik Clarke: HIS LIFE, HIS WORDS, HIS WORKS Its titled "Harlem - My Window on the World." He's returned from a trip abroad, and writes:

'While stopping over in Paris, on my way home from Africa, I had met Alioune Diop, the publisher of the magazine,
Presence Africaine. He was such a warm wonderful man that it was easy to maintain a friendship based on common interests and mutual respect. When he came to America, I was the one that he thought would understand the importance of African culture. During the years I had allowed him to read the articles I had written about my travels in Africa including, Third Class on the Blue Train to Kumasi, The Morning Train to Ibadan, and A Journey from Accra to Lagos, the longest of the many articles I had written on Africa and he was impressed with my writing style and what I had learned of African culture and was the first publisher to publish one of my articls on Africa, "The Celebration of a Wake Among the Ga People." My acquaintance with Alioune Diop would lead to my acquaintance with many of the other leading historians of the day, including Father Eckelbert Mvane. We remained friends until he died.'
'When the leading Africanist of the day met, at the first Conference of Africanists, being broke and newly married, I could not attend. However, I was to later learn that this conference opened with quotations from John Henrik Clarke. Imagine a conference opeing with quotations from a distinguished international scholar, who did not have enough money to attend the conference. I was overwhelmed. But, I begged, borrowed and would have stolen the fare to attend their second conference, which I attended in Dakar. We had learned much between the two conferences. We played, at this conference, the game that is play in our field. When one of the Black speakers got called to the podium, we would speak briefly and then say, "I will pass the poduim to the next distinguished speaker, my colleague from (any Black country)." This meant that Black speakers dominated the conference. And dominate we did. And the voice of Africa was boldly presented to the "Africanist" at this conference.

'I learned more about Cheikh Anta Diop and his work at this conference. I had met the leading member of the Diop family, Alioune. However, at this conference, I would now meet David Diop - one of Africa's finest poets - and learn of another Diop - a vetenarian, who is much older than his famous Diop relatives. Their's is a very renowned family. There is not one amng them who is not brilliant. I had never met Cheikh Anta Diop, but I had read several of his books - in French, along with their rough translations. I had made an in-depth study of this man and his interpretation of African history, which he backed with scholarship that could not be disputed. I knew. that the town he was born in Diourbel, had a long tradtion of producing scholars and oral historians, and had inspired in him an intense interest in the history of Africa, the humanities, and in the social sciences. His research in the hard sciences, was rapidly earning him a reputation as the leading historical and political thinker in modern Africa. I was excited to elarn that he was there, in Senegal. I was determined to meet him.
'I hurriedly borrowed one of the translators at the conference - a girl named Jeannette Stovall - and during a break went to Dr. Diop's office and laboratory, which was right across the campus. He not only greeted me kindly, but sent his son out to get the new books he had written and I had not seen. We became friends from that moment. My twenty year relationship, with this man, was one of the most treasured in my life. We were very close, and remained friends until his death.'

'After I had the chance to read his new works, I spent the next seven years trying to get his work published in English, in this country. I, literally, walked the streets of New York, from publisher to publisher, knocking on doors and bending ears. It took me seven years before the first book, 'African Origins of Civilization: Myth or Reality, came out. It was shortly followed by, 'The Cultural Unity of Africa, which was published by the The Third World Press. His book, on the origins of civilization is a useful examination, and fine appraisal of the matrilineal system, (not the matricach concept which is a Hollywood invention) and the role that women played in these societies. He told of a society in which the man was secure in himself, and intelligently conceded what was a woman's all along - equality. So, the women in these societies rose as high as their talents could take them. He told of societies, in which for the first time: women became gods; women headed a state; women rode at the head of her army, and men rode behind her, without feeling insecure; and men could worship a female as god, without feeling less than a man.'

'I have used Diop's guidelines to measure the present-day insecurities of Black men America. Because, when you take a people out of a cultural container of their own creation, and put them into a new kind of cultural chemistry - alien to their being -they take on the traits of the new cultural incubator, even if it was not better than what they had. The Black man, in this new container, imitates the European man, who basically dislikes women. This imitation of men, who bassically feel superior to women, and the men who - at the same time are afraid of women - and who deem that women should be controlled and made subordinate, produces a type of man who has lost much of what made for the long-enduring African cultures.'

'I have also used Diop's guideline to call attention to what was a stabilizing factor in our culture here in America. This fctor, that we once treasured - is what I call "Big Mamaism." Take our churches. Behind the scenes of every church, with no exception, there is a Big Mama. She is rarely the pastor. But, while she's rarely the king, she is the king-maker. She chooses the pastor. She rules the deacons, and the deacons rule the pastor. It there is an upcoming election to select a new pastor, it appears as though the men are making the decision whe, in fact, every single man has gone home and consulted his "big mama" on how to cast his vote. This does not make us one might less a man. It has made us more of a man, by virtue of the fact that we have realized something that the European has yet to realize. To insure a sane society, you cannot have one half of that society barred from full participation in the society. To have a well function society, you cannot imprison the minds of half of the society.'

'When you look at your African background, you will see that the African always respected the position of the woman in their society. He didn't debate her equality. The idea, of what was proper for a woman, was based on her ability, and she always played a major role in the shaping the society. The African, traditionally had female Gods. The influence, of the Goddess Hathor - sculptured with the torso of a cow and the head of a female - spread as far as India. This is where India got its concept of the sacred cow. Another great female God, Nut, was given the assignment of taking down the sun, at the end of the day; taking it in through her vagina, and hanging it up in the sky in the morning. The idea here is, if a man trusts a woman to symbolically light the world - turn off the sun and turn it back on - it means he has no fear of his woman. I have had three deities in my life, and they were all female: my great-grandmother, my mother, and Miss Evalina Taylor.
'Every time I tried to get into mischief, I would imagine one of these women looking over my shoulder. She'd say, "uh uh," tap me on the arm and say, "That's not nice John. You know you shouldn't do that." They have kept me out of more temptation than anything else in my life. I am kind of glad they did this for me because, in doing so, they molded my character, made me believe in myself, fostered my belief in my people, and inspired in me a belief that I could use my life to make a statement to others. They set a standard for me, and made me set a standard for myself. They made me set, within myself, a standard of integrity, in my human relationships, with both men and women.' - p. 142-145

[Baba Ahmed]

Bump up! in honor of our honored Ancestor

Nana Akawasi Aeyemeny

Akawasi meaning, born on Sunday; Aeyemeny meaning, Man who saved his people.

Who will be celebrated 15 May 2005 here in Atlanta

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Baba note: I visit a few forum sites frequently. On each one, there're mucho problems among us Wombmen and Men; MUCHO lacking what Milt Jackson/John Lewis etc of the Modern Jazz Quartet played: plenti plenti PLENTY SOUL. That methinks lives in our thoughts but not our speech and or actions. Cultural speech and actions. Some from our old time ways and more from our Ancient and traditional cultures. There's more Eu-rope-an speech and actions results from our b n educated here and growing in and from a White Supremacy culture. This example presented by Professor John Henrik Clarke will bear fruit if both some of our wombmen and men read it critically and let the lessons into our souls, thoughts, speech and actions to help us TO BE AFRIKAN. Afrikan men who fear not their wombmen; Afrikan wombmen who know their Afrikan roles and understand that there are some bruthas who respect and honor u. A final suggestion: I was taught to not demand respect, but to give it. And I've learned that when there is a problem between two people, ea has input in it. So each has to admit his or her input and both should strive to do the best, not necessarily to be right. This journey to reclaim our Afrikan selves is bigger than ea of us. White men and women have historically been at odds with ea other. We must purify ourselves of their cultural ways. They conflict with our ancient, traditional and re-learned/lived fruits of Sankofa!

I ask that we all bcome the best Black in Blacknesses of Afrika! The world awaits us...

Watoo ma boori

[Sourakhata]

Cheikh Anta Diop/John Henrik Clarke that's real Panafrikanism here!

[Prince]

Originally Posted by Sourakhata

Cheikh Anta Diop/John Henrik Clarke that's real Panafrikanism here!

Word, I often quote Dr. Clarke in my daily life. Just to help me to bring my mind in line with his an the rest of our ancestors.