Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author(s) do not represent the official position of Barbados TODAY.
by B.G Davids, Mixed African
This is a month that always amuses me as far as the celebration of black people or African people or both is concerned. Often people split hairs about whether countries with majority blacks should be celebrating Black History Month or African Awareness Month or whether Black History Month should mainly be celebrated in countries where blacks are the minority.
For me, and I could be wrong, it is much ado about nothing. Whatever form celebrating the contributions of persons of colour, black people or persons of African heritage take, I believe it is a good thing.
We waste so much time trying to put an academic brush on everything, or trying to appear scholarly, when the end justifies the means in this instance. And by the way, for those scholars who make a fuss about the two, I am yet to see white people celebrated during African Awareness Week. Yes, there are indeed white Africans.
Irrespective of the genetic spin one might try to put on it, many generations of whites far removed from any European origins, have been born on the African continent and are Africans and have contributed to the development of Africa. Do we celebrate white contributors during African Awareness Month? Of course not – to be African is to be black only it seems.
Do we celebrate white contributors during Black History Month? Of course not and why should should we? The month should be dedicated to telling the story or repeating the story of the thousands of black people who left an indelible mark on human civilization but because of historical bigotry, ignorance and disenfranchisement, many stories are yet to be told.
Black and white Bajans see themselves mainly as Bajans.
Black and white Africans see themselves as Senegalese, Ghanaians, Kenyans, Tunisians, Egyptians, wherever on the African Continent they come from. Then they see themselves as African. It is a natural thing to do. So, let us all just be honest and upfront with this thing and celebrate Black History African Awareness Month – if names are so important. We are celebrating the achievements of black people more so than that of “African” people.
