A few weeks ago, I embarked on my seventh trip to Africa. Every time I go to Africa I learn something new, and expand my knowledge and understanding of the heritage and connection between Africa and the Caribbean and America. This trip provided new insight.
I believe it is important for every Bahamian, if at all possible, to travel to Africa, as this journey is a powerful tool in understanding history and connecting the dots to who we are and where we are today.
Every region of the world has some unique characteristics. Europe is different from America, so is Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the Caribbean.
On this last trip, I traveled first to London, then Amsterdam and it once again provided a window into how our planet is unique in each of its settings. Some things are simple, other things are more complicated. In Europe the ground floor is zero, in the United States, the ground floor is one. Electrical outlets are different and customs are different. What may not be an offense in the USA might be an offense in Europe. We are as different as our locations, customs and culture.
Leaving Europe and traveling to South Africa is a unique experience, even in Africa, because South Africa is one of the weirdest cultural combinations consisting of a white usually wealthier minority coexisting with an overwhelmingly Black and brown minority. Even within the Black population of Africa there are massive differences. Various tribes have major differences. The Zulus are different from the Khoisan and the list goes on.
One of the most interesting discoveries for me is the complex issues that plague Africa as a result of colonialism. In Africa the colonialists met a governing system in place but essentially displaced the existing structures and imposed their own.
In much of Africa, the dominant system was based upon tribes and tribal chiefs and kings. These were displaced by the colonialists, but the people of Africa still very much respect and revere the chiefs and kings even though they do not govern the countries. There is a tacit agreement to allow chiefs and kings to share power with the colonially imposed democratic governments some of it official and some unofficial. I had a chance to meet some of the chiefs and kings, and it was interesting to watch their interaction with their communities and political leaders.
This is something you don't hear much about in the western world, but it is a very important part of African history and culture that still tremendously impacts everyday life.
One of the more enlightening experiences I had was going into the remote and less developed tribal areas. Life is simple and hard in some cases. No light or water, thatch roofed huts, wild animals roaming and rudimentary establishments like bars and restaurants off dirt roads.
In Zambia, what was compelling was the absorption of wildlife into daily routines. At several of the hotels, zebras grazed on the lawn, giraffes walked around peacefully and baboons woke me up in the morning as they peered into the window of my villa.
Many speak of Africa as if it is one single country and that all of Africa is the same. Even the term African American to describe Black people really does not make sense. The continent of Africa is not all Black. There are white people, Asian, Indian and Arabs. If you are filling out a form as a white or Arab African it may be confusing to the people collecting the data.
Americans and the world have made assumptions about Africa without actually understanding Africa. This is why people who call themselves African American should actually go to Africa and learn their history and the history of the continent in order to dispel the myths that exist and gain a true understanding of our connections to Africa.
As I have traveled, I see similarities in food, culture, way of life that can be traced back to Africa. I have a tremendous appreciation for the atrocities of colonial rule, but I also understand that colonial rule and the slave trade not only involved Europeans but as many or more Africans were enslaved by Arabs and Africans. Intra African slave trade is a revelation because, in some cases, it is actually ongoing to this day. Slavery is actually an insidious ideology that is not attributable to one race of people or one region.
There is a lot I could say, but my point is that Bahamians and Black Americans need to go to Africa to gain a full appreciation of who we are, what our history has been and how it relates to our current environment.
• Pastor Dave Burrows is senior pastor at Bahamas Faith Ministries International. Feel free to email comments, whether you agree or disagree, to pastordaveburrows@hotmail.com. I appreciate your input and dialogue. We become better when we discuss, examine and exchange.
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