Afrikan-Centered Cultural Traditions in Black Liberation

Hotep!!! (Peace)!!!

Take notes!!!

"Culture is a weapon in the face of our enemies" - Amílcar Cabral (He was one of Afrika's foremost anti-colonial leaders)

In the spirit of Afrikan-centered Black consciousness and Black liberation, Afrikan languages, phrase, customs, beliefs, words, and traditions are used by Black people in the Pan Afrikan conscious world community to liberate the Black community from the cultural domination of White supremacy and racism. Black Conscious Pan-Afrikan Terms, Greetings, Customs, and Salutations include the following:

Afrika is the cradle of humanity, civilizations, and religions.

The original Blackman and Blackwoman means the first people on the planet earth starting in mother Afrika. All humanity comes from Black people.

Afrika spelled with a k is the Kiswahili way of spelling Africa.

Hotep (Ancient Kemetic / Egyptian) for Peace. It comes from the Medu Neter (Europeans and Arabs call it the hieroglyphics). Hotep is the oldest word for peace in human history.

Amen-Ra (Ancient Kemetic / Egyptian) for the unseen hidden supreme one and Creator of the heavens and the earth. The term Amen-Ra comes from the Medu Neter (the hieroglyphics) and the Kemetic book Coming Forth By Day and Night (the Book of the Dead)-this book is oldest religious in human history. Amen-Ra is one of the oldest terms for the one Creator (God) of the universe in human history. Within western religions, when one ends his / her payer with amen amin, they pay tribute to Amen-Ra. Afrikan people created the concept of monotheism, the belief in one God, that the world’s western religions follows to this day.

In traditional Afrikan culture, it believed that the Supreme Creator (God) of the universe is both the male and women gender principles. In Afrikan faith traditions, the one supreme Creator can manifested itself spiritually as a male symbol (God) and as a female symbol (Goddess).

The Laws of Ma’at are from ancient Kemet ( Egypt) in Afrika. They are 42 negative confessions established thousands of years before the 10 commandments even existed. Ancient Kemetic (Egyptian) Black people believed that in order to have an after life, one have to live by the negative confessions (the laws of Ma’at). The 42 negative confessions can be found in the the Book Pert Em Heru (the Book Coming Forth By Day). Europeans and Arabs called this book Book of Dead.

Ankh, Udja, Seneb (Medu Neter for life, Prosperity, Heath).

Traditional Afrikan Religions are monotheistic faiths before the existence of Judaism, Christianity, and Al-Islam. These Afrikan faiths are still here in the world. Many of them are in the form of Yoruba and Kemetic (Egyptian) spirituality practice by Black people today.

Traditional Afrikan spirituality is the root origins of all western religions (i.e Judaism, Christianity, and Al-Islam). Western religions borrowed their monotheistic concepts and rituals from Afrikan spirituality.

Black liberation theology means explaining God, religion, and spirituality from a Black empowerment perspective. Afrikan-centric spiritual leaders, such as the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad (co-founder of the Nation of Islam) and Dr James Cones ( a Black Christian theologian), reestablished Black people and their experiences at the center of religious expression.

Kemet (Afrikan) is the original term for Egypt. It means the land of the Blacks.

Dua (Medu Neter) for thank you.

Maa Kharu (Medu Neter) means true voice.

Jambo (Kiswahili) for what’s up/ hello/ or hi.

Habari Gani (Kiswahili) for what’s the news. This salutation is frequently used during Kwanzaa (December 26 to January 1. The response is Habari njema (Kiswahili) for good news. However, during Kwanzaa, it is customary to say Habari Gani each day, but the response each day should be a principle of the Nguzu Saba (Kiswahili for seven principles) of Kwanzaa. For example, day 1 of Kwanzaa , one says Habari Gani. The response should be Umoja (Kiswahili) for unity-to strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation, and race. Day 2 of Kwanzaa, one says Harbari Gani. The response should be Kujichagulia (Kiswahili) for self-determination-to define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves instead of being, name, created for and spoken for by others. Day 3 of Kwanzaa, one says Harbari Gani. The response should be Ujima (Kiswahili) for collective work and responsibility- to build and maintain our community together and make our sister’s and brother’s problems our problems and to solve them together. Day 4 of Kwanzaa, one should say Habari Gani. The response should be Ujamaa (Kiswahili) for cooperative economics-to build and maintain our own stores, shop and other businesses and to profit from them together. Day 5 of Kwanzaa, one should say Habari Gani. The response should be Nia (Kiswahili) for purpose-to make our collective vocation the building and developing our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness. Day 6 of Kwanzaa, one should say Habari Gani. The response should be Kuumba (Kiswahili) for creativity-to do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it. Day 7 of Kwanzaa,?one should say Habari Gani. The response should be Imani (Kiswahili) for faith-to believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders, and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Habari njema (Kiswahili) good news. This phrase is frequently used during Kwanzaa, and community events, as a response to Habari gana (Kiswahili) in the community.

Se alafia ni (Yoruba / Pronounced Shay alafia nee) for peace be you, what’s up, or how are you. This phrase is frequently used during Gye Nyame (the phrase Gye Nyame is from the Akan people in Ghana for there is nothing greater except God). Gye Nyame is celebrated in November around Thanksgiving.

O Dabo (Yoruba) God be with you till we are together again. As a response to Se alafia ni, you would say O Dabo during Gye Nyame.

Bowo ni (Yoruba/Nigerian) means how are you. It is pronounced bowel nee.

E’shay (Yoruba/Nigerian) means thank you.

Harambee (Kiswahili) means people pulling together.

Ibaye (Yoruba/ Nigerian) means you say blessing to the ancestors.

Ase’ (Yoruba / Nigerian) amen or it is so.

Ibaye Ase’ (Yoruba / Nigerian) are said at community events and at traditional Afrikan drumming, dancing, and singing programs. But most importantly, when there are libations to the ancestors, the person leading the libations will say Ibaye after ancestral names are called, but the response after Ibaye is called by the audience is Ase’.

Maafa (Kiswahili) means the forced scattering of Black people in Afrikan to the world. The Black Holocaust.

Maangamizo (Kiswahili) means someone, or something, is intentionally working to annihilating you. This term refers to the Black Holocaust as well in Afrikan centered communities.

Sankofa (Akan) means in order to move forward, you must look back.

Uhuru (Kiswahili) for freedom.

Uhuru Sasa (Kiswahili) for freedom now.

Amandla (Zulu) for power.

Adupe’ (Yoruba) for giving thanks to the Creator.

As Salaamu Alaykum (Arabic) for peace be unto you.

Wa Laykum Salaam (Arabic) for unto you be peace.

Ndugu (Kiswahili) for brother.

Dada (Kiswahili) for sister

Damu (Kiswahili) for blood.

Baba (Kiswahili) for father / Dad.

Mama (Kiswahili) for mother / Ma.

Babu (Kiswahili) for grandfather.

Babi (Kiswahili) for grandmother.

Mzee (Kiswahili) means elder.

Ndio / Ndyo (Kiswahili) means yes

Hapana (Kiswahili) means no

Ninaitwa (Kiswahili) means my name is........

Ninatoka (Kiswahili) means I’m from..............

In the spirit of Afrikan-centric Black consciousness, and Black liberation, Afrikan cultural traditions are used by Black people in the Pan Afrikan conscious world community. Conscious Pan-Afrikan cultural traditions include the following:

Conscious Pan-Afrikan Naming Ceremony: When a person of Afrikan descent, parent, parents, community leader, community activist, community organizer, baby, child, or teenager takes on an Afrikan name, then the conscious community sometimes organizes an Afrikan naming ceremony. The purpose of the Afrikan naming ceremony is for three reasons: 1) to challenge that person taking on the Afrikan name to know and live up to that Afrikan name for their entire life. 2) to introduce the person’s new Afrikan name to world. 3) to teach all people the traditions of Afrikan culture.

Conscious Pan-Afrikan libation Ceremony: When a person passes (dies), traditional Afrikan culture practices ancestor remembrance by paying homage with the pouring of water on the earth, or into a plant, bowel of fruit, or earth, saying ibaye ase’(Yoruba). This pouring of the water on the earth is called libation. Traditional Afrikan culture teaches the world that by remembering an ancestor that person will never go away. They are forever with us. If there is a larger program (i.e Kwanzaa, Gye Nyame, Black History Month, Raising the Black Liberation Flag, etc), then the event organizer should have a person pouring libation to the ancestors. If there is libation to the ancestors, then the person designated to lead libation will say Ibaye as the crowd calls out community and family ancestors. But right after every ancestor’s name is called, the leader of libation says Ase’. When all the ancestors names are called that can be remembered, then the person leading libation will end libation by again saying ase’ for a few seconds very loud.

In closing, in every liberation movement, a revolutionary culture plays an equally important role in the freeing of people. Many Afrikan-centric conscious Black people are drawing inspiration from Afrikan cultural traditions, terms, languages, customs, phrases, words, and beliefs to liberate Black life in America, and in the world, from the vestiges of White supremacy and racism.

Hotep!!! (Peace)!!!

-Bashir Muhammad Akinyele is a History Teacher, Black Studies Teacher, Community Actvist, Chairperson of Weequahic High School's Black History Month Committee in Newark, NJ, commentary writer, and Co-Producer and Co-Host of the All Politics Are Local, the number #1 political Hip Hip radio show in America. I can be reached at bashir.akinyele@gmail.com

Note: Spelling Afrika with a k is not a typo. Using the k in Afrika is the Kiswahili way of writing Africa. Kiswahili is a Pan -Afrikan language. It is spoken in many countries in Afrika. Kiswahili is the language used in Kwanzaa. The holiday of Kwanzaa is celebrated from December 26 to January
1.

#Hotep
#afrocentricity
#nationofislam
#kemet
#blackthelogy
#kwanzaa
#blackstudies