The Afrikan Studies Klub would like to take this opportunity to thank the community for their participation in our annual wreath-laying ceremony at the start of this month. We would also take this opportunity to not just respond to Roger Harris’ letter in the Feb. 14 Beacon, but to engage our wider community in light of Black History Month.
Over the 11 years of our annual wreath-laying ceremony and ancestral tribute, we have seen a few critics, as one might imagine given the nature of the event. We welcome such engagement as it offers us an opportunity for dialogue that can benefit all of us.
To Mr. Harris — who suggested that enslaved Africans who died in transit during the trans-Atlantic slave trade should not be described as “ancestors” — we say that the use of the word “ancestor” is not so linear, particularly from an African perspective. Besides the obvious fact that a brother, sister, uncle or aunt who perished during the trans-Atlantic slave trade’s so-called middle passage is a blood relative, an ancestor is not limited to blood lineage.
‘Afrocentric perspective’
It is here that the rubber meets the road. As a child of Africa, I take it as part of my responsibility to help set the record straight with respect to African culture and its practices. We must look at the use of the word “ancestor” from a broader, Afrocentric perspective. In Webster’s Dictionary, “ancestor” is defined as a parent or “any person from whom one is descended,” such as a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent, and so on.
I submit, however, that this definition represents a Eurocentric worldview, as African people don’t use the term in that way. The African view is more expansive, more inclusive. Today we live in a Europeanised mind space, and our concepts of law, government, family and so on are all defined in that construct.
The book Muntu: African Culture and the Western World, by Janheinz Jahn, goes into great detail on this issue, explaining how two cultures can see the same thing in different ways — each through a different lens, if you will.
This can be seen in the way in which the terms “auntie” and “uncle” are used from the African perspective. It’s not unusual to hear a mature woman coming into a family circle be referred to as “auntie,” even though there is no blood relation. The African view is more expansive, so when we say “ancestor” it’s not restricted to kin or family relations. It extends to larger groupings such as clan, a grouping not limited to bloodline, but a deeper spirit assembly. It also extends to prominent members of community that throughout their life made great contributions, taking on the role of elder to the entire community — a “moko jumbie,” if you will, with “moko” being a title of high rank and “jumbie” being an ancestral spirit. It is from this perspective that we “pour libations,” giving due respect and gratitude.
An invitation
There is much to say on this issue, and we invite the public to engage us, as such dialogue provides an opportunity to educate and spread the good news about Africa and African culture. As Africans in the diaspora, we must begin to assert our view, if only to bring some balance to systems that have proven to be out of balance.
Mr. Christopher is the president of the Afrikan Studies Klub.