(ThyBlackMan.com) “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
Chinua Achebe
The story of Africa was a story created by Europeans that is and in some cases still ignorant and in denial to the beauty, intelligence, creative and innovative spirit of a continent that gave birth to the world.
You can tell the intelligence of a person when they call Africa a country, Africa is a continent, not a country. Africa is composed of many diverse countries and cultures, each with a story of their birth, development and purpose in the life of a continent that had progressive life while Europe was still struggling with understanding that the world was not flat and the sun was the center of our universe not the earth. Africans knew the sun was the center and earth was one of many planets.
The importance of stories can be seen from African writers like 
Chinua Achebe (Nigerian), who is called the “Father of African Literature.” Because of his influences in writing, the written word was his weapon to change the perceptions that Europeans had created. His statement, “there was a gap in the bookshelf,” represented that the truth about Africa was not being shared by Europeans in literature.
His experiences as a student in schools run by Europeans, denied true historical educational knowledge, his culture and history were replaced by European Christian views and even denied to allow his story to develop where he understood the commanding limitations that Europeans placed on African’s. One of the best illustrations was limiting what Africans read about themselves. These writers were Europeans that painted a picture of African’s being savages, having limited education and ignorant to progress, this just touched on the educational atrocities that Africans were subjected to.
“When I began going to school and learned to read, I encountered stories of other people and other lands.” Chinua Achebe
Achebe’s book “Things Fall Apart,” tells the story of European colonization and the adverse changes that occurred in African culture and communities. How the traditions of family life and cultural upbringing could be changed in a matter of years when others were allowed to educate youth to keep them docile and unapologetically dumb-downed.
Similar stories are shared around the world by the Japanese, Indian, Australian and other cultures that were influenced by Europeans and others. Listening to Chinua Achebe there is a wisdom in his words that speak to the importance of reading, literature and engagement about historical truth.
The influence of Europeans helped to create self-limitations and self-denial of what Africans were capable of. Even in Africa Achebe was laughed at for writing a novel, which was his first novel “When Things Fall Apart.” Even in this country it is difficult sometimes, but not impossible to be a published author that is African American. African Americans need to understand that in some cases they too will be laughed at and criticized for their literary talents, but that should not stop them from following their passions and dreams.
Achebe shares his wisdom in the statement that, “No one should tell you how to write your story.” The experiences in Africa are similar to the experience in America when it comes to reading and literacy. Achebe shares in many of his writings that defending your culture should be a priority even when colonized. If you do not know where you come from you don’t know where you are going. If you do not teach the youth they will be lost and not even know it.
The tragedy of colonization is the elders, the story tellers and conduits of history were removed from power and even the children were denied knowing their history as Achebe states often in interviews. In the African culture the elders were wise because of life experiences and the sharing of knowledge. The elders were mature, experienced and well respected. In the United States too many youth do not respect the elders so do not listen to them. American culture does not embrace the elderly as valuable and wise, but in too many occasions as a hindrance.
Assimilation has caused African American children to rebel against their elders and their history. The reality is that the media has portrayed Africa as a poor and powerless continent, lacking education, full of starving people with diseases, wild animals and being saved from destruction by Europeans. This is far from the truth. There are struggles and challenges, but these can be seen in Europe and the United States.
The late Dr. Edward Robinson uses the correct term “prisoners of war not slaves,” in his discussion on why African Americans do not know their history and being denied knowledge that could free their minds. Posted by Troy Wontstop Brooks on Thursday, December 31, 2015
https://www.facebook.com/troy.brooks2/videos/10206395351815915/
African Americans cannot continue to have colonized mindset because they are losing their history and the cultural respect of their elders. This is by design, to keep generations from communicating with each other and uniting to be stronger culturally and as a unified body with influence in politics, commerce,
community and culture.
“Colonialism hardly ever exploits the whole of a country. It contents itself with bringing to light the natural resources, which it extracts, and exports to meet the needs of the mother country’s industries, thereby allowing certain sectors of the colony to become relatively rich. But the rest of the colony follows its path of under-development and poverty, or at all events sinks into it more deeply.”
Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth
Staff Writer; William D. Jackson
Find out more about this talented writer over at; OCS For Education.
