Tagged With "Names"

My early life was defined by deep emotional pain and turmoil. In exchange for all that I endured, I was gifted reunification with the Motherland. As a young person, I stood on the same shore where my ancestors lost their freedom as the clear blue ocean water licked my feet and enticed me with her beauty. It was an anointing. Finally, I was home. For the past 27 years, I have been deeply submerged in West African culture. Throughout that time, I have lived on and off the Continent; spending...

Over the next few days, I am going to provide a little food for thought about the loss of cultural identity that has profoundly impacted Africans across the Diaspora. Remember that the descendants of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade that live off of the Continent, are perhaps the only collective in the world that does not know their origin. We are African, but Africa is a continent of fifty-two countries with thousands of different cultures and dialects. Today’s micro-discussion is on names.

Thanks for thinking about this topic. Every time I face this, I find it difficult to contain my emotions, and looking at how many people lose their identity, I reflect on how to help them. As a teacher, I try to deal with these issues with children. We discuss and analyze essays about American Identity at the link so that children form their own vision on this matter. It’s more complicated with adults, so I try to talk about this problem in my lessons, and I hope that children’s...