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October 18, 198^The Maroon Tiger/Page 5
An African Perspective
During the summer of 1982, I was
granted the opportunity to visit the
glorious, and yet for many of us the dark
and mysterious” continent of Africa.
For two months I explored and examin
ed the eclectically political ideologies and
cultures of four countries in the sothern
region of Africa: Zimbawe, Lesotho,
South Africa, and Botswana. Upon visiting
each of these countries, I discovered that
each enjoys a rich livelyhood and cultural
traditions; and that the people were
fervently concerned with the welfare of
their distant brothers who lived in coun
tries that they had only heard of. Upon my
visit to each of these countries, I dis
covered individuals who were profound
and meticulous in their thoughts about
religion, about life, about God, and about
America and the blacks who live here. It is
because I have had the opportunity to
visit Africa and reap some of the benefits
and contact with its people, that I wish to
share this with my fellow brothers here at
Morehouse. It is my hope that I might be
able to shed light on and offer insights
into a place that many of us have come to
closely identify with.
For the next two issues of the Maroon
Tiger, I will write about my experiences in
Africa this past summer and share with
you information about the program,
“Operation Crossroads Africa,” that
allowed me to take such a venerating
journey.
Just this year, this program has become
an official charter of the Dr. Martin Luther
King, Jr. International Memorial Chapel,
falling under the directorship of Dr.
Lawrence E. Carter. I have been officially
appointed by Dean Carter to act as
chairman of the program, which we hope
will quickly become ingrained in the
interest of the students here at
Morehouse.
Beginning with the second week of
October, much information will be
provided about the program, the applica
tion process, the expectations of those
applying, and more subjective perspec
tives from me on my trip this past summer.
The opportunity to travel to Africa is
there for those who are sincerely in
terested. So do stay keenly aware, and
look for future announcements.
Pan-African Series
Kwame Nkrumah
On African History
The history of Africa, as
presented by European scholars,
has been encumbered with
malicious myths. It was even
denied that we were a historical
i people. It was said that whereas
other continents had shaped
history, and determined its
course, Africa had stood still,
held down by inertia; that Africa
was only propelled into history
by the European contact. African
history was therefore presented
as an extension of European
history. Hegel's authority was
lent to this a-historical
hypothesis concerning Africa,
which he himself unhappily
change, and now began to
present African culture and
society as being so rudimentary
and primitive that colonialism
was a duty of Christianity and
civilization. Even if we were no
longer, on the evidence of the
shape of our skulls, regarded as
the missing link, unblessed with
the arts of good government,
material and spiritual progress,
we were still regarded as
representing the infancy of
mankind. Our highly
sophisticated culture was said to
be simple and paralysed by
inertia, and we had to be en
cumbered with tutelage. And
Freshmen;
Here’s Some Advice For You
“The history of a nation is, unfortunately, too easily
written as the history of its dominant class/’
By Mr. Patrick Royster
Assistant Academic Dean &
Director of Freshmen Studies
Freshmen, I once had a foot
ball coach who would end each
week of practice — the day
before the big game — by saying,
"Gentlemen! The hay is in the
barn!” Well, I believe this saying
provides an appropriate ending
for New Student Orientation
Week. However, as you begin
your career as a full - fledged
college student, I would very
much like to take this opportuni
ty to emphasize some points that
may or may not have been
covered during Orientation
Week.
To begin with, you have em
barked upon what many con
sider the four best years in your
life. I urge you to enjoy these
years to the fullest. When you get
to be 31,41 or 71,1 hope that you
can look back on this time with
fond memories. Even though I
do urge you to enjoy yourself,
you should not lose sight of the
primary objective of your enroll
ment at Morehouse College, i.e.,
the successful completion of
your course of study.
This point in turn leads me to
my next one. Be patient. Do not
try to graduate from Morehouse
by the end of the first semester of
your freshman year. Many of you
feel that if you do not have a
prescribed number of credit
hours by the end of this
semester, then you’re not going
tomake it or you won’t be a
sophomore. Keep in mind that
this is not high school. So one
does not pass into the
sophomore grade. Classification
at this point is somewhat
superfluous; it is more important
to remember that you have four
whole years to satisfy the re
quirements for a degree at
Morehouse.
A source of frustration for
many of you is the remedial
course(s) in which you are
enrolled. The remedial program
was established for your benefit.
If you feel that you have been
misplaced, then this will be
discovered by the instructor, i.e.,
you have a chance to prove
yourself early on. Rather than
being angry or carryinga chipon
your shoulder, I would en
courage you to use this energy to
dive in the course, master it and
move on as quickly as possible.
Remember, the remedial
program has been around a lot
longer than your years in life and
I would not be at all surprised to
find numbered among the
graduates of the program some
of our most distinguished alum
ni.
I believe, finally, that you were
admitted to Morehouse because
you have, at least, the potential
to succeed. However, it is up to
you to do so. If you have the
discipline and the motivation,
there is no reason for you not to
succeed. A distinguished
Morehouse professor has summ
ed it up this way, “Success and
high achievement in college are
not os much a result of possess
ing above average intelligence as
they are a result of self - dis
cipline and application.”
At this time you have a clean
slate before you. It is up to you,
and only you, to determine what
will be written on that slate
during the next four years.
“Gentlemen! The hay is in the
barn!”
helped to promote. And
apologists of colonialism lost
little time in seizing upon it and
writing wildly thereon. In
presenting the history of Africa
as the history of the collapse of
our traditional societies in the
presence of the European ad
vent, colonialism and im
perialism employed their ac
count of African history and
anthropology as an instrument
of their oppressive ideology.
Earlier on, such disparaging
accounts had been given of
Africa society and culture as to
appear to justify slavery, and
slavery, posed against these
accounts, seemed a positive
deliverance of our ancestors.
When the slave trade and slavery
became illegal, the experts on
Africa yielded to the new wind of
this tutelage, it was thought,
could only be implemented if we
were first subjugated politically.
The history of a nation is,
unfortunatley, too easily written
as history of its dominant class. ,
But if the history of a nation, or a
people, cannot be found in the
history of a class, how much less
can the history of a continent be
found in what is not even a part |
of it - Europe. Africa cannot be
validly treated merely as the
space in which Europe swelled
up. If African history is inter
preted in terms of the interests of
European merchandise and
capital, missionaries and ad
ministrators, it is no wonder that
African nationalism is in the
forms it takes regarded as a
perversion and neo - colonialism
as a virtue.
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