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Gil Puyat

AFRS 340

Prof. Yansane

My Eyes: A Triple Perspective

Africa? Why would you ever want to go there? is the most common question I

hear when I say that Id love to be able to ride my motorcycle through the continent. Most

of the people I have encountered only know what they hear on the news and see in those

foreign aid advertisements that depict starving and malnourished people, barely clothed in

rags and crying in anguish. Though this is true in many regions throughout the land, the

African heritage is one of the richest and undiluted cultures of our times. As we saw in the

video, Africans: A Triple Heritage, narrated by Dr. Ali Mazrui, Africa is a product of its

mixed influences from its own traditions, to Islam, and Western culture.

In the video, Dr. Mazrui tells us that Africa is the cradle of mankind, where the first

human remains were found. He went on to state that Africa was the birthplace of human

culture. This was an exciting fact for me to learn, and it makes me want go and visit even

more. Anthropologist discovered human remains of early ape-like humans that dated as far

back as 7 million years ago. They also theorize that the Sahara may have been a habitable

and fertile land before the Ice Ages. The fact that Africa boasts the densest and most

diverse forms of wildlife seems to support this theory.

Africans, however, never advertised themselves and seemed content in their ways

being close to nature, where they lived off the land and the oceans. What really interested

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me is their view of women and how it compares to the more submissive and repressive

roles that western women take. Dr. Mazrui says, In Senegal, the African man is the hunter,

while the woman is the mother, cultivator, and market woman, as central to the economy as

men. I believe this to be important, since men need strong counterparts to be their anchors,

as well as their shelter.

During the 7th century Islam came from the west and took a hold of Northern

Africa. Western transportation was responsible for the spread of Islam throughout Africa,

and the cry, God is great is spread throughout the land, also scattering the Arabic

language through its teachings. Since water was a scarce and important luxury in the

region, a high importance was placed upon it as it became equated with heaven. The strict

teachings of Mohammed forced a newfound discipline on the Africans, who then found a

new sense of direction as they prayed towards Mecca.

The Western influence is heavily embodied by the Suez Canal, as there is no more

eminent symbol of European power and planning. The spread of colonization due to the

heavy industrialization occurring in Europe was the main catalyst in introducing Western

tastes and culture into the region. Coming from the Philippines myself, a former colony of

Spain, I have first hand experience in this sort of immersion. Many of the customs and

habits I have come to know as my familys and my own, have come from the periods of

Spanish occupancy. I am sure that this creates an imbalance on the Africans as it did to the

Filipinos, due largely to the suppression of the indigenous culture as the colonial influence

is assimilated.

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Coming from a culture that is as much influenced by others as the Africans were, it

is easy to see what problems may arise. There are many things good and bad that can be

learned along the way. One thing for sure is that we should all consider ourselves lucky to

have new perspectives other than our own, which may in turn aid us in better understanding

the world around us, and hopefully to be able to understand ourselves.