The African Diaspora free essay sample

The African Diaspora refers to tales of how Africans, although dispersed, managed to keep hold of their cultures, traditions and ways as they reform in identities conforming to a new world. For a period longer than four centuries, about four million Africans were captured, taken away from their homes and shipped to the Caribbean Islands and North America to work as slaves[1] The change of location and lives motivated the need for African culture and ways to be upheld in the new home away from home. Despite this separation from their tribes, cultures and people, Africans living in Diaspora managed to maintain different aspects of their culture including language, religion, and folklore which they linked to their past. The Americanization process saw the Africans form a new culture called Afro-Americans also known as Creoles[2]. Permanent ties between Africa and North America were created by the Trans Atlantic slave trade having being the biggest in the world. We will write a custom essay sample on The African Diaspora or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Africans from all over the African continent especially the coastal regions were relocated to different parts of North America. The Bantus of the coast of Guinea followed by the Mande had the biggest cultural homogeneity. This made the African-American culture experience a great influence in the Diaspora by the many people coming from these regions. Culture Maintained Afro-American culture differed from one region to another. However, religion was the only homogeneous aspect amongst most of the regions. Christianity is a good example of how Afro-American culture fused its beliefs with the existing religion producing a new theology[3]. The religion spread so fast among the slave communities which saw the Great Awakening sweep the colonies with an influx of evangelical Christianity. The Africans could identify and understand life better with this new wave, which was once used by white slave masters to attract them as potential slaves. The captives later on took Christian teachings of equality which had initially been used as a tool of manipulation by their owners and used it to liberate themselves from captivity[4]. The conversion to Christianity saw the slaves maintain most of their traditions despite having newly acquired some which they blended with their African religious ways. Language is yet another aspect of culture that affected the slaves who moved from their home countries to colonial territories. Pigeon English, also referred to as Pidgin English, has been in the past used largely by Africans even though it was seen as their incapability of using proper English[5]. Studies however show that African Americans’ way of speaking English is tied to some African Languages. Creole languages are still spoken in parts of the USA currently and have gained much acceptance reflecting the survival of African culture throughout slavery and westernization[6]. These languages include Pigeon English and Gullah. This use of two or more varieties of the same language is referred in â€Å"Down by the Riverside: A South Carolina Slave Community†, a book by Joyner. The writer terms this variance in language as Diglossia.[7] African Americans merged their old ways with the new ways the learnt in the new land. These included, cooking, woodcarving, story telling and the tradition of singing gospel songs.[8]   They added their spices to already existing western dishes. The blending of cultures was inevitable at some point as both cultures borrowed aspects of the others’ culture at some point. Western dishes ay some point made use of African spices to enrich their food. Africans living in diaspora kept their culture alive by maintaining their African symbols with their meanings. The placing of familiar snake symbols on metal gates and frames of windows and doors was widely used. Wood used by the carvers played an important role in culture preservation. This led way for carvers to make statues, sculptures, canes in form of chains so as not to forget the days of their bondage and the endurance the went through. The detailed carvings had relevance to family and friends of the carvers. Songs sung while working in the fields to pass time evolved into gospel music which later on constituted themes of freedom from captivity in conjunction with salvation. These songs came with a distinct style of native dancing which varied from one colony to another. These aspects of culture indicate the merger between western and African culture. As documented in â€Å"The African diaspora: African origins and New World Identities†, the writers show marriage among the natives of Africa as having enhanced the maintenance of the original culture for a long while. In the colonial days, women could not own property on their own unless they were married.[9]This resulted in many black natives intermarrying among themselves so as to own property in the new land. The culture of marriage charged the woman with the responsibility of bearing children and teaching them the African ways and cultures. The writers further show how blacks were assimilated into white culture through marriage. Middle class educated black men in Venezuela were the first to be socially accepted to marry white women.[10] They thought that would bring an end to racial bias. The process took some time before the acceptance of mixed marriages, its inclusion into both cultures was expected to reduce racial prejudice. However, racial violence against the Afro-Cuban society was highly noticed in an effort to discouraged mixed marriages. With more time, racial interactions and intermarriages became more tolerable. Black men were better placed to intermarry out of their racial circle as opposed to black women. As documented in â€Å"The African Diaspora: African origins and new world identities†, the issue was widely known to a point of being coined into a saying: â€Å"White woman for marriage, mulata (biracial) for sex, black woman for work.†[11] The gradual subdivision of the colony into diverse social groups was inevitable because of the social and cultural development as well as the changing needs of the society. In â€Å"The African Diaspora†, writers Harris and Jalloh shed light into the development of an elite group of merchants, military officials, church officials, planters and officials of the state. Another group was categorized by artisans, professionals, and people with influence in the church.[12] A third lower group consisted of soldiers, hawkers, and professionals of a low level. The emotional pain suffered by the Africans under captivity was great. However, all slaves were affected differently. Some were emotionally torn by the experience, others died, while other got the better out of the traumatizing experience. Benefits of captivity included, getting education, mastering crude western technology and ways of life like administration, literature, politics, farming, food and religion.[13] An article on Race and History by Barton shows that Black history and its influence on the world is important not only to the blacks in America but the whole world too. The understanding of this history and the need to remember it is important at this point when globalization has hit the world making it a task for all people of different origins. Culture is important to preserve a people and nation too. Blacks in the USA and the rest of the world should in this spirit preserve their culture through music, traditions, language and other aspects despite being assimilated into westernization. Aspects such as the strong structure of the family, matrilineal systems, respect for elders and rites should be upheld to ensure continuity in the African culture[14].

When to Cite a Source in a Paper

When to Cite a Source in a Paper Write an essay and back it up with facts. How many times have you heard a teacher or professor say this? But many students might wonder what exactly counts as a fact, and what doesnt. That means they dont know when it is proper to cite a source, and when its OK not to use a citation. Dictionary.com states that a fact is: Something demonstrated to exist or known to have existed. Demonstrated is a hint here. What the teacher means when she/he tells you to use facts is that you need to back up your claims with some evidence that supports your claims (sources). Its one trick that teachers use to make sure you actually use some references when you write a paper, instead of simply offering a list of your opinions. This may sound easy, but its actually tough sometimes to know when you need to back up a statement with evidence and when it is fine to leave a statement unsupported. When to Cite a Source You should use evidence (citations) any time you make a claim that is not based on a well-known fact or common knowledge. Heres a list of situations when your teacher would expect a citation: You make a specific claim that could be challengedlike London is the foggiest city in the world.  You quote somebody.You make a specific claim that is not common knowledge like the Indian Ocean is the youngest of the worlds major oceans.You paraphrase information from a source (give the meaning but change the wording).Offer an authoritative (expert) opinionlike germs cause pneumonia.You got an idea from somebody else, even through email or conversation. Although there may be interesting facts that you have believed or know for many years, you will be expected to provide proof of those facts when youre writing a paper for school. Examples of Claims You Should Support Hot water can freeze faster than cold water.Poodles are friendlier than Dalmatians.American Chestnut trees are nearly extinct.Eating while driving is more dangerous than talking on the cell phone while driving.Thomas Edison invented a vote counter. When You Dont Need to Cite a Source So how do you know when you do not need to cite a source?  Common knowledge is basically a fact that practically everyone knows, like the fact that George Washington was a U.S. president. More  Examples of Common Knowledge or Well-Known Facts Bears hibernate in the winter.Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees F.Many trees shed their leaves in the fall.Some trees do not shed their leaves in the fall.Bears hibernate. A well-known fact is something that many people know, but it is also something that a reader could look up easily if he/she didnt know. Its best to plant flowers in the early spring.Holland is famous for its tulips.Canada has a multilingual population. If youre not really certain about something being common knowledge, you could give it the little sister test. If you have a younger sibling, ask him or her the subject youre pondering. If you get an answer, it could be common knowledge! A Good Rule of Thumb A good rule of thumb for any writer is to go ahead and use a citation when youre not certain whether or not the citation is necessary. The only risk in doing this is littering your paper with unnecessary citations that will drive your teacher crazy. Too many citations will give your teacher the impression that you are attempting to stretch your paper to a certain word count! Simply trust your own best judgment and be honest with yourself. Youll get the hang of it soon!