The Idea of Culture and Religion for Africans - Literature review Example

Introduction Edward Wilmot Blyden was a politician and regarded as the father of pan-Africanism. The writings of Blyden have been influential in both colonies. Blyden felt that African Americans could return at some point of time to Africa and redeem Zionism. The writings on pan-Africanism attracted the attention of many developed countries and were significant at the time of slavery years. The major work of the author is Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race. Africa and the African is one of the article presented in the book to promote the idea that the practicing of the Islamic culture and religion was more rewarding and unifying for Africans. The article covered the cultural and etymology nuances of various Africans and their way of life at the time of primary Islam and Christianity. The prime purpose of the paper is to provide vivid information about the opinion and issues presented by the author. Discussion Edward Wilmot Blyden is known to be as one of the chief cultural nationalists who hold many views to improve the lifestyle of Africans. Blyden was an ideologue, visionary and outspoken critic. It is fascinating to know that the creator of African cultural nationalism was of African dissent but not an African. According to Hollis R. Lynch “Blyden was dedicated to promote the progression of the Negro race and respondeddeeply against the occurrence of racial discrimination of Negros in the New World”. Edward Wilmot Blyde’s writing on varied variety of themes is much more significant achievements than that of impressive credentials. The famous volume of the author Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race includes the personal viewpoint on the effects of Christianity which is being regarded as mostly detrimental to Africans. Blyden is one of the strongest and chief believers in African nationalism, who personally believe that it vital for entire continents to undertake any initiation which can help them to work together to avoid getting alienated by the European powers. The slavery in the United States existed in the 18th and 19th centuries. The existence of slavery in the United States is regarded as the legal society of chattel slavery. The basis of an evolving pan-African vision is articulated in the article Africa and the Africans. According to Robert W. July “Edward Wilmot Blyden is an effective articulate exponent and principal African nationalist of African nationalism”. The elimination of Slavery in the United States in regarded as the important link in the renewal of Africa. The American Emancipation and American slavery cannot be forgotten by many present day Negro writers. The author stated that the people of Africa have become a hunting-ground for other counties. The Negro and people of Africa had no other destiny than to remain in enslavement to their abettors and the man-hunters. The use of Negro as a labor was the prime process of slavery in the United States. It was totally difficult for Negros to come of their houses. One of the serious problems at the time of slavery in the United States was the emancipation of millions of people of an unfriendly and overseas race. The relation between five million of blacks and thirty millions of whites were severely hampered. There minor portion of blacks has been set free. But several proposals have been sent by many people to send five million of slaves to the Great West. Many people also thought that there should of new territory in the United States. Some of them also proposed that they should be now free men. But no one stated that they should be deported to Central America or the West Indies. The author tried to provide vivid information about the history of Negro and their struggle towards the abolishment of slavery. Every minor aspect has been thoroughly analyzed by author to provide vibrant article. The idea of African personality was firstly espouse by Edward Wilmot Blyden which was separated from the influence of Europe. Blyden hold on the view of building a new progressive empire in Africa that can help to immigrate large-scale of Negro to the fatherland. The belief of Negro race inferior to white race has been effectively rebutted by Blyden. The physical appearance of black people has been the main cause of rise of era in which black people are regarded as inferior to white people. Edward Wilmot Blyden presented in the book to challenge against the argument of inferiority of black people. The popularity of blacks has been increased by the immense sympathy of race and irresistible instincts. An organization named Exodus Associations is formed by the blacks. The movement for emigration to Africa is comprehended by the Negros in the United States. It was believed that the movement would help to save from possible extinction and success for perpetual degradation. The author also presented that minute effort has been made to study about the man of Africa. Edward Wilmot Blyden believes that very little has been written about the people of Africa and their culture. The author stated that scientific men and numerous travelers would have written about the Man of Africa had Negros not been seen as a laborer in the eyes of world. This is really hard to say that only Negro will be able to explain about the life of other Negro to the whole world. Blyden specified sympathy towards the ignorance of description of people and Negro of Africa. Many travelers of Africa with greater or lesser degree travel all over the world but ignore the lifestyle of Negros. This is not set by any rule nor the travelers have any intention to be unfair towards the Negros, but these processes of ignorance are partly for the influence of atmospheric surroundings and fixed notions of the Negro. Blyden states that “the people of Africa must not subject to use European texts and European education by their unavoidable conception of the inferiority of the black people”.Blyden also tried to focus on the four classes of Europeans that an intelligent Negro traveler has to come across. The first class of any Nero traveler is professional philanthropic. The second class consists of those who have the feelings of hatred and malic. The third class is composed of who care to display neither aversion nor kindness. The fourth class consists of treating the individual as white man with same grade of behavior. Blyden provided a brief survey of the African slave trade and also stated the mistakes of the Westminster Reviewer. The horrible traffic of the African continent has stimulated the discovery of America. The availability of visible facts and quoting from Livingstone provided enough information to the Westminster Reviewer to create a statement which rightly characteristics towards the bad condition of the lifestyle of Africans. The occurrence of slave trade has created a huge impact the Negro race and Africa. Many European writers ignored the damaging effect of the Negro race. Blyden also stated the consequences of the slave trade and slavery which drove Africans to remove discrimination between the Mendi and the Mandingo, the Timneh and the Foulah. An element of force that contributes to the change in influencing people and cultural ideas is social force. Edward Wilmot Blyden tried to focus on the improvement of African and Negros lives. It is quite clear for the article that travelers and researchers forget to reveal stories about the struggle of Negros at the time of Slave trade and slavery in the United Sates. Social force is one of the important forces that can be implied in the article. The author tried its utmost best to being change in the mentality of people regarding the issue of slavery and Negros. The love of music and lifestyle of Africans has been masterfully demonstrated in the article. The author thinks that this book can help to bring change in the society or can encourage any people to bring change (Zimmerman 350). Several qualities of Negros have been noted in the article such as love of music and love of playing cornet. Another force that contributes to the article is the political force. The major central source of concern for politicians was the presence of slavery in the UnitedStates. The Confederate States of America was established by the slave states. The political forces used to submerge the importance of Negros in the mankind (Lamothe 162). Blyden thought that Liberia as the center of the creation of new West African civilization. The author vividly describes the influence of political forces towards the African countries and Negros. Conclusion This can be concluded that Edward Wilmot Blyden does not only prove a ground-breaking and proffer original study material but also delivered a well-designed and masterful demonstration on the effect of slavery in the United States towards Negros and Africans. The author believed that that each race has its own quality and it should be respected. The transformation of a society mainly occurred by the emergence of a slave society at the time of colonial era. The arrival of indentured servants transformed the way of life, the culture and the economy. The dreadful and disturbed scenes at the time of slavery in the United Sates cannot be forgotten. At the time of slavery, the Negro race is being taken as granted. This is mainly due to the fact that other powerful countries can continue their dominance towards Negro and African countries. Edward Wilmot Blyden tried to provide a detailed presentation on the relationship between Africans and other advanced countries. Works Cited Lamothe, Darphne. Inventing the new Negro: Narrative, culture and ethnography. Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania, 2011. Print. Zimmerman, Andrew. Alabama in Africa. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2012. Print. Read More