African American History - The Real Truth

Its a pity young African Americans are not aware of the struggles their ancestors faced in shaping the destiny of the present generation. African American History is a story of hope and desires which started with the abominable slave trade and culminated in a long sought freedom. A people can only know and understand themselves if they appreciate their past and this is necessary for the young African Americans today.

A story can take many forms depending on who is narrating it. The historians of that era when slavery was at its foremost were mostly of European stock so naturally this horrible event in history was very much sanitized for public consumption. The brutalities of the slave trade and the total suppression of African culture, African art and African music are hardly recorded anywhere. It was left to the elders to pass on the stories of the many heroes of the slave trade; those great rebels who helped pave the way for its eventual abolition.

However it was not just African American slaves who suffered, even their brothers and sisters in the Caribbean were abused in the worst possible way. But this abuse and punishment started from the moment they boarded the slave ships where they were herded like sheep below deck in sweltering heat and filthy conditions. Widespread African poverty on the dark continent facilitated this act. The journey which lasted months saw many died en route and thrown overboard. Those who survived were made presentable and sold to the highest bidder and then the inhumane treatment continued on the farms where they were placed.

The above should be enough to convince every young African American to seek more knowledge on their history, their ancestors and where they came from. How else could they know that their ancestors were forced to forget completely who they were, to abandon their culture and adopt the music, food, dress, names and religion of their new masters. So much for the rich diversity of African musical instruments and African food. As if this was not enough they had to pray to the Western god and forget the panorama of gods they used to worship.

Learning about African American history comes not only from the books and encyclopedias on the school syllabus and in libraries around the world. In fact the real facts about African American history come from those who have stories to be recounted and which have been passed from generation to generation.