Can we really learn Africa?
This question might sound absurd, not totally necessary, frivolous, or even ambiguous, but it is actually the question each individual hoping to learn about anything from the continent should answer. Africa is not just a continent, she is an animate being with seeds spurned across various regions of her field. While we can’t learn all about Africa, we can learn from her various seeds (Tribes) in the continent. Learning about Africa starts with a mindset, just as most innate philosophers would say
“The journey of a thousand miles begins by buying good shoes”.
That’s the magic! A fertile mindset. Until we choose to learn, a conscious choice, we would never get to.
So what makes Africa quite different?
Africa might not totally be different from other people in other continents of the world, but what makes us quite different is the intriguing keenness the world possess while searching about us. The major voyagers who sailed across our shores called Africa “A dark continent” not just because of our skin colour or hair colour, but because of the many secret that were wrenched in the tube. Taking timelines across our cultures, you would see jaw-dropping scenes. For example, the caning of a Fulani suitor who wants to marry his lover; if he gets to endure to the end, he is deemed fit to shoulder the responsibility of his prospective family. Better still, the kidnapping of a bride amongst the tribes in Ethiopia is sight to behold.
Learn Africa: Tribal marks
Not just that, the tribal marks most tribes have tell a story about them. Tribal marks are face scarifications used for identifying clan/tribesmen in ancient times. If the skin is cut smoothly and arched beautifully, it might turn out to make these certain individuals alluring.
Should we also talk about weavings?
Should we also talk about weavings? The kente material of the Ashanti people of present day Ghana seems to be the true African attire. The various colours mixed in a weaver turns out not just to clothe nakedness, but to beautify the wearer.
Fortunately, everyday is opened for us to learn something new about the continent Africa. So episode by episode we would study not just African languages, but cultures, artefacts, and history. Remember, we can’t learn Africa, but we can learn about her various seeds, concluding with Miriam Makeba’s quote,
“Africa has got her many mysteries and even a wise man cannot understand them, but he respects them”.
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Author: Joshua Ufedo Baba, Staff writer, Ayekoo Afrique.