The Conscious Community (TCC) is an informational newsletter focusing on information that has a connection to people of African descent. The Conscious Community e-letter is an activity of 'Imani Is My Foundation' which is a electronic media campaign that promotes the Uplift of People of Afrikan descent. The information posted comes from numerous sources and contributors.
Come buy the Flavor of Hampton Roads this
weekend at the Hampton Convention Center and visit Alkebulan
International Services, LLC vendor booth where we'll be debuting our "ALL NEW" line of "Moringa Drinks." We will be giving out free samples.
Visit our website to see all our Moringa and Aloe Ferox products
By striking down Section 4, the Supreme Court just gutted the Voting Rights Act.
Join the movement for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the freedom to vote:
Dear beloved, Just hours ago, the United States Supreme Court handed down a decision in the case of Shelby County v. Holder that gutted a signature achievement of the Civil Rights Movement, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, placing millions of people of color, women and young people at the mercy of a dysfunctional Congress.
While I was hoping that the Supreme Court would do the right thing, after hearing the arguments, it's hard to be shocked at today's result. Justice Scalia even described the reauthorization of the Voting Rights Act as "the perpetuation of a racial entitlement." Since it was uttered from Scalia's lips, that phrase — "racial entitlement" — has lingered in my mind for months now.
For Black people, voting has never been an entitlement, it is a freedom that has been earned through extraordinary sacrifice. But because the freedom to vote is not explicitly guaranteed in the Constitution, conservative state legislators have been attacking that very freedom in states across the country.
That's why we need a constitutional amendment that guarantees the freedom to vote for everyone, wherever they live. Will you join us on our new website? Without an amendment guaranteeing the freedom to vote, each state sets its own electoral rules, leading to confusing and sometimes contradictory policies with regard to polling hours, registration requirements, voting equipment, ex-felon rights and even ballot design. The result is an electoral system divided — separate and unequal.
For decades the Voting Rights Act has protected voters in pockets of the country with a history of racially discriminatory voting practices blocking more than 1,500 voting laws aimed at making it harder for us to vote. Just this past election, it allowed the Justice Department to block attempts by politicians in Texas, South Carolina and Florida to manipulate the voter rolls. Now that the Court has overturned Section 4 of the Voting Rights Act, previously protected states such as these are now in limbo.
Will you go to freetovote.org now and join me in the fight for a constitutional amendment for the freedom to vote? Voters need protection regardless of where they live. Current right-wing efforts to make it harder for people to vote are not bound by geography or a history of racial discrimination — they are widespread, targeted and coordinated. And when you really begin to dig into the types of right-wing voter suppression bills that are spreading across the country — discriminatory Voter ID laws, proof of citizenship requirements, laws that prevent groups like the League of Women Voters and Rock the Vote from organizing registration drives, attempts to purge people with ethnic names from the rolls, and limits to weekend voting hours in urban communities — it is clear that far-right politicians are trying to keep the rising American majority of young people, women and people of color away from the polls.
Shifting attitudes and demographics demand a new approach to protecting the freedom to vote. We have to stop playing defense and work to enact bold change to expand the freedom to vote.
Please visit freetovote.org now and join me in ensuring all Americans have the freedom to vote.
The Voting Rights Act was the result of decades of hard work, advocacy, protests and marches, and courage before fire hoses and police dogs. It was one of the crowning achievements of a generation.
The road to a constitutional amendment for the freedom to vote is similarly long and paved with obstacles. This is no ordinary campaign, but one that will require years of hard work to win.
Let's keep rising together and ensure every American has the freedom to vote. Thanks and Peace,
New Orleans, June 19 / JUNETEENTH.com -- The observance of Juneteenth is about the journey and achievement of African Americans - from a horrific period of sanctioned enslavement to the pinnacle of human endeavors. It is a story of pride, resilience and determination that will always be of historical and spiritual importance – as it serves us well to understand that together, we can overcome all obstacles in our path.
As we know it, June 19th 1865, was the day word reached the enslaved in Galveston, Texas that their emancipation had been made formal, though it had been so since January, 1, 1863. And with those words, our country changed, this world changed. And, with bold and contentious decisions, we have continued to change – striving always to make it right, to make it better for all.
Again, we have the opportunity to look back at this nearly century-and-a-half journey of progress. We pay homage to those who have gone before us, those that have paved the road to freedom – many with their lives. We stand on their shoulders. We, as a collective, from all walks of life, are a part of this victory. We celebrate freedom.
Through our celebrations we reflect this independence. Through grass roots organizing and community collaboration we enjoy the creativity and dedication that produce celebrations from the dinner table to the backyard barbeque, from the neighborhood block party to the city wide parade, and from the school cafeteria to the corporate conference room. There is no governing body that sanctions or approves Juneteenth celebrations or Juneteenth organizations. We encourage everyone to participate in a local event or start their own tradition. Strengthening the ties that bind us should always be our objective. Unity and peace are our goals.
As we pay tribute to the journey, we acknowledge the many roles and contributions of the African American spirit to our society. We embrace the past as well as the future that only unity, respect and appreciation can bring. To the countless supporters, organizers and attendees of Juneteenth celebrations hosted all across this nation and beyond, you are writing the history of our country and our world – there can be no greater honor than that. We thank you.
As mentioned here before, the National Juneteenth Holiday Commission http://www.juneteenth.us/, is working feverishly to get June 19th set aside as a national holiday, ala the Black 4th of July! Their campaign is based on the historically false premise that Lincon's Proclamation actually freed our ancestors from chattel enslavement. (See Lerone Bennet, Jr, "Forced Into Glory: Abraham Lincoln's White Dream" and my 2001 essay, "Juneteenth Is Mis-guided!", for the historical truth about the proclamation)
Rather than press for a June 19 holiday,the Commission would at least be on firmer historical grounds by calling for a holiday on December 6. Why? Because on December 6, 1865, the several states ratified the infamous 13th Amendment to the constitution which legally abolished chattel slavery, if they just have to have a so-called Black Independence Day! The 13th Amendment didn't happen out of the goodness of the euro's heart; they were forced into it via the heroic efforts of the thousands of Black soldiers who fought in the Union Army against the south.
But, even that date, based on the amendment is perilous to the aspirations of our people, due to the double-edged sword nature of the language of the amendment:
1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, EXCEPT as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."
The euros kept open the slavery door as a means to "house" and control our people by still permitting slavery "as a punishment for crime ", ANY level of crime, misdemeanor or felony! Who did you think they had in mind? US! Lincoln wanted to deport our ancestors back to Afrika, without meaningful assistance to support them. Further, onced liberated, many of our ancestors, were forced to work for bare-bones wages at the same "jobs" that they did while enslaved. Many others could not find work and thus were considered idle persons/vagrants. Dr. Charsye McIntyre ("Criminalizing A Race") pointed out in her book that many states/cities. counties in the 1800s deliberately enacted criminal laws making vagrancy a felony, thus paving the way for the states to continue a form of legalized enslavement of our people via the 13th Amendment! And today, our people and Hispanics are the majority population of the country's jails and prisons and are ALL candidates for state-sponsored enslavement!
The salient issue is this: why are we still begging euros to sanction/legitimize us? Dammit, if we want a national holiday, then make it so! Do the same things many of us did before Dr. King's birthday was made a euro-approved holiday. I can recall that I would not go to work on Dr. Kings birthday, and would not send my children to school on that day, and would further send a note to the teacher telling them why I was doing it. Many, many others of us across the country did the same thing.
Frankly, I think there are more serious issues confronting us that we need to devote our limited energies and resources to. But, if we truly want an independence day, get off your knees and,
Saturday June 29, 12 Noon on the Norfolk waterfront (the scene of the crime), in the Unpaved Parking Lot next to the Elizabeth River on the same side of Park Ave as Harbor Park 150 Park Ave, Norfolk, VA.
This event, again, recognizes the tragic and deadly forced march and shipping of over 1,000,000 of our enslaved ancestors from Norfolk to the deep south, beginning in 1790, to clear the swampy, treacherous Gulf Coastal area to build and work sugar cane prison farms (aka plantations). This episode in our history is little known and rarely commemorated by our people. For further information contact Kwasi Imhotep afk708@aol.com .
I will recount the Norfolk history of this deadly occasion as well as bring new information about the historic 1811 revolt of our ancestors against chattel enslavement in New Orleans. This revolt was the largest in the history of this country's enslavement genocide against our people! Larger, and preceded by 20 years, Nat Turner's Revolutionary Army Revolt of 1831, and may well have played a role in inspiring Nat Turner and other revolts.
{At ALL of our events, I not only commemorate our Ancestors lives, but we also teach our history through our own eyes, not via the oppressors. Thus, we avoid using such derogatory, romanticized (Roman/Greek /euro based), racist, terms such as Middle Passage, Slaves, Maroons, Diaspora, and the like.}
Historian/activist Leon Waters of New Orleans is expected to be with us to more fully inform us of this 1811 revolt, and of his ancestor, Hannibal, who took part in it.
Additional speakers include:
Seba (Great teacher) Heru Ka Anu of Baltimore. Founder of Ta Nefer Ankh (Way of Life), Kemetic Spiritual leader, Member of the Kemetic Counsel and former ASCAC Spiritual Commission member, historian, lecturer and broadcaster. Seba Heru will also speak at the House of Consciousness later from 5:30-7:30pm. 600 W. 35th St, Norfolk
Sister Diana Chappelle-Lewis, long time activist, teacher, lecturer, community leader and former member of the original Black Panther Party for Self Defense.
Baba H. K. Khalifah, Black books publisher, long time historian, Afrikan cultural activist and N'COBRA leader who operates the historic Nat Turner Revolutionary Trail Tour in Southampton County, VA.
The program will also include Ancestral Libation; lighting of small candles (representing our ancestors spirits) and group cast them into the river as an act of reconnection/tribute of their ultimate sacrifices.
Tour of the Nat Turner Revolutionary Trail in Southampton County, VA (apprx 1 hour south of Norfolk) on Sunday, June 30. Everyone is encouraged to take this tour in recognition and tribute to our very brave and courageous ancestors who struck the blow for our liberty.
We are calling for DRUMMERS/SINGERS/SPOKEN WORD ARTISTS and more to join us-This is your local/regional/Gulf Coast history!
Open Mike for any person of Afrikan descent to briefly relate to the people their testimony concerning this and related history.
ALL PARTICIPANTS SHOULD CONTACT ME (Kwasi Imhotep) ASAP!
Bring your family, friends, co-workers, Afrikan bells, drums, noise makers, instruments, voices, lawn chairs, umbrellas, sunscreen, and make this a momentous tribute to our ancestors. Open to ALL people of good will. Only Afrikan descended people are allowed to actively participate.
Please circulate widely to your contacts.
Kwasi Imhotep
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Directions:
Follow Park Ave at Brambleton Ave across from Norfolk State Univ. (President's Bldg which should be on your left and behind you as you go down Park Ave). Follow Park Ave as it winds down towards Harbor Park (150 Park Ave) on your left. Then cross the trolley tracks and the Unpaved Parking Lot is on your left next to the Elizabeth River. Please avoid stopping on the trolley tracks.
ALL PARTICIPANTS SHOULD CONTACT ME (Kwasi Imhotep) ASAP!
Bring your family, friends, co-workers and make this a momentous tribute to our ancestors. Open to ALL people of good will. Only Afrikan descended people are allowed to actively participate.
We are proud to announce the first annual FEST FRIDAYS: Jazz In The Park festival series taking place summer 2013 in Downtown Hampton, VA. FEST FRIDAYS will be a four month summer series featuring regional and national jazz artists to be held at Mill Point Park on the Downtown Hampton Waterfront.
Jazz In The Park is a free event designed for professionals and adult patrons to listen, lounge and enjoy an outdoor evening filled with great music and delicious foods while overlooking the Hampton River. The event series will be hosted by notable on-air media personalities with featured food and beverage selections from area restaurants and vendors. With a live performance stage and breathtaking views FEST FRIDAYS is the perfect atmosphere to celebrate summer in style.
FRIDAY, JUNE 21 First Day of Summer Celebration- BRANDON BARBEE
FRIDAY, JULY 26 Jazz Jamboree- HAMPTON ROADS JAZZ ALL-STARS
FRIDAY, AUGUST 23 Summer Finale! TBA
Whether you're traveling into the area or hosting out-of-town guests make your hotel reservations during any FEST FRIDAY event weekend for a special reduced rate.
*Accommodations by Crowne Plaza Hampton Marina. Reservations can be made by calling 1-866-727-9990 and mentioning “Fest Fridays - Jazz in the Park”
*Valid for the following event weekends only: June 21, July 26 and Aug 23
All rates and availability will be based on the availability of the hotel and are not guaranteed.
BlackImprovement realizes that some cannot fully enjoy this blessed celebration of Fatherhood.
For those with difficulties, here are some solutions: Dr. Umar Abdullah Johnson presents concerns and solutions towards ending 'Fatherlessness' and 'Motherlessness' problems that affect communities of people of African descent. Watch the video here: http://youtu.be/S2GNakv5AjI
This is a focused section from a longer video in which the presenter deals with prblems affecting children of African descent in American schools as well as he does questions and answers towards the information he presents. The original full legnth video may be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvDwVILVGVo
Clever
Communities In Action & Universal Zulu Nation Ch 30
Present
Fatherhood in the Black Community
On Saturday, June 15th, 2013 we will
have a panel discussion about fatherhood. Our panel will consist of married,
divorced and single fathers plus fathers who are raising their children on their
own. We will celebrate, dispel stereotypes, identify challenges and work on
solutions pertaining to Black fathers.
THE DETAILS
Who:All of
us
What: Fatherhood!
Where:House of Consciousness
600 W 35th Street
Norfolk, VA 23508
When:Saturday, June 15th, 2013
4:00-7:00pm
Why:Because "As a woman who was raised by a
single-father, I refuse to accept the way this society has branded Black men as
the poster children for deadbeat parents."
Come out and join the conversation, listen, inspire and be
inspired. Please forward this email and download the flyer above to share with
your family and friends on facebook, twitter and
instagram.
Last year, The Economistpublished an article about Christianity in Ghana and Nigeria. As a Nigerian, it came as no surprise to me that my country is the second most devout nation in the world. The only surprise was that there was a country on earth that was even more devout than Nigeria. Ghana took that dubious honour, with 96% of their population adhering to religiosity of some sort. Nigeria's second place wasn’t too far behind, with 93% of the population professing a religious belief. In Nigeria, only 1% of the population identifies as atheist according to a WIN-Gallup International poll. In Ghana, the number of people that identify as atheist is so infinitesimally small, their numbers don’t even register. Officially, it is 0%. Atheism map of the world
With those statistics, one can only describe the plight of anyone who openly identifies as atheist, agnostic, irreligious or a non-believer in those societies as skating on thin ice. As a non-believer, traversing terrains where religion is embedded in every facet of life is extremely difficult and dangerous. While atheists in the west like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and the late Christopher Hitchens are free to have public discourse about their lack of faith without much fear of bodily harm, the same can’t be said about Nigerian atheists.
Leo Igwe
The brilliant human rights activist Leo Igwe (Leo’s website) is one of the few vocal Nigerian atheists. He has been assaulted in the past for daring to take a stand against the barbaric condemnation of children as witches and egregious human rights violations by Nigerian churches. Igwe’s piece for Sahara Reporters on atheism in Nigeria hits the nail on the head. Nigeria has a serious problem with hyper-religiosity, and it’s time for all Nigerians to acknowledge it.
Religious composition map of Africa, 2010. As of 1900, both Muslims and Christians were relatively small minorities in sub-Sahara Africa. The vast majority of people practiced traditional African religions” (“Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa”, The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life)
Another vocal Nigerian atheist was the late Tai Solarin (more about Tai here). Solarin was a long time atheist, civil-rights activist and humanist. He founded Nigeria’s first and only secular school, Mayflower School, in 1956. He named it after the Mayflower ship because many of the pilgrims aboard the ship were fleeing religious persecution. He wanted a school that did not centre on religion or have a religious curriculum. It was an extremely brave move on his part and the school was a success. It’s unfortunate, but unsurprising, that no one else followed the path Solarin blazed in 1956.
Non-believers in Nigeria tend to keep their lack of belief to themselves because they fear being ostracized or worse. In some Northern Nigerian states where Sharia has been instituted, the punishment on the books for apostasy is death. You don’t proclaim your abandonment of faith under such circumstances. And you can forget about opening a secular school in Northern Nigeria. It would be destroyed by Boko Haram, Ansaru or some other jihadist outfit.
I expect some Nigerians who read this (both Christian and Muslim) will be tempted to say the country has more pressing matters than secular education, such as the religious conflicts between Christians and Muslims, but that would be to miss the point that a secular education is the best antidote for religious conflict, and thus very important for the future of the country, at least a peaceful future. It’s too late for the older generation of hyper-believers. They are set in their ways. We need to focus on the young if we want Nigeria to be a prosperous nation, rather than one in which its citizens shout to deities for salvation while fighting one another because their fellow countryman’s deity isn’t to their liking.
Something the stats on religion in Africa don’t show is that the spread of hyper-religiosity across the continent is a fairly recent phenomenon. This is the case with Christianity in particular, and it has been happening at the behest of Western evangelists. The influx and influence of western evangelists has left an indelible and, in my opinion, destructive mark across the continent. It has dramatically changed the hearts and minds of people, and the change has been catastrophic.
Take Uganda for example. The scourge of ignorance, hatred towards and attacks on gay men is happening primarily because the people have been (and continue to be) groomed and instructed to feel that way by their pastors and by the Western evangelicals who bankroll their churches. Western evangelicals are funding this phenomenon, and the Ugandan clergy has obliged by inciting violence against their gay countrymen and women. Money. That’s what it boils down to. It gets tiring to hear time and time again how Africans are homophobic, with Uganda being used as evidence. This has become the standard narrative, but not everyone who says these things even acknowledges the role of the Western evangelist-proselytisers of hatred and prejudice, let alone take a critical look at it. As recently as 20 years ago, Africans weren’t inciting violence towards gay people. If you are old enough to remember life 20 to 25 years ago, this venom was absent even from the most devout. But in two decades, the social landscape changed for the worse. I had a very religious family member tell me with all the sincerity in the world that Hurricane Sandy hit New York City hard because they legalised gay marriage. How do you even begin to have a logical conversation with someone who believes something like this?
One of the consequences of the notorious “kill the gays bill” has been that when media outlets acknowledge the role and influence of western evangelicals in Africa, they tend to focus on Uganda. However, recent western religious influences are to be found elsewhere on the continent as well. In Ghana and Nigeria, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (aka Mormon Church) continues to grow thanks to American Mormon missionaries. The conversion of thousands of Africans is perplexing when one examines the core tenets of Mormonism, which can only be described as puerile and insane. They believe that the Garden of Eden was in Missouri, USA. They believe that the Native Americans were the 10 lost tribes of Israel. They believe that a resurrected Jesus came to America.
For most of its existence, the Mormon Church was a racist organisation. In the Mormon tradition, they believed that Cain was a black man, and that he loved Satan more than God, which is why he slew his brother Abel. God then punished Cain by making his skin black. Essentially, black people (the seed of Cain) have dark skin because they bear the mark of Cain, thus having dark skin is a punishment and a curse according to their beliefs. The Mormon Church had an official racist policy regarding black members up until 1978. Blacks weren’t allowed to be clergy because as their beliefs dictate, blacks were cursed by God. This isn’t something from the days or slavery of from the reconstruction era, this is modern day stuff.
To add insult to injury, in 1954, Mormon leader, apostle and President of the Mormon mission, Mark E. Peterson, decreed that faithful blacks would be granted acceptance into the afterlife only as eternal servants. His exact words were“If that Negro is faithful all his days, he can and will enter the celestial kingdom. He will go there as a servant, but he will get a celestial resurrection.” This is what they believed until 1978, and their stance only changed due to outside pressure and the fact that it wasn’t politically expedient.
The official stance of the church has been amended (in some cases edited - i.e. racist passages in the book of Mormon being reworded), but the Mormon Church was in Africa proselytising their faith prior to 1978, when they had an official racist policy. The Mormon leaders and elders today were around when all this was going on. They were adults, so they can’t feign ignorance. The leadership is largely the same. Some of the people at the helm in those racist days are still there, and if they passed away, then their children are at the helm. How any black person could be a part of this organisation is baffling. I can only surmise that they are either completely in the dark about the still relatively recent history of the church, or they've been thoroughly brainwashed.
The Mormon Church is growing exponentially across West Africa. There are over 100,000 Mormons in Nigeria alone at the moment. That number might not seem that large given Nigeria’s population, but we should keep in mind that most of the growth happened in just the last two decades. In 1983, Nigeria only had a little over 2,000 Mormons. The movement is still in its infancy; American Mormon missionaries have found a new frontier in West Africa, and they view proselytising and the conversion of “natives” as God’s work. We’ve been here before and we know how it turned out.
Map from 1913, in which the traditional cultures are dismissed as “heathen” (Source)
How Africa Got her groove whacked (Image courtesy of Egregores)
THE GOSPEL OF PROSPERITY
Another troubling aspect of the newfound hyper-religiosity of Africans is in faith healing, prophecy and prosperity gospel. Anywhere you see these kinds of teachings, calamity isn’t usually far behind. Faith healing is silently claiming the lives of many, while enriching the pastors who have become veritable superstars. Many sick people are instructed to stop taking their medication in favour of prayer and blessings. These charlatans claim to be able to cure cancer, HIV, blindness, paralysis and just about anything. It is heartbreaking to see the words of the African clergy cripple and stunt entire communities, but the trust and faith that many have in these pastors and what they preach is unbreakable. You simply cannot get someone who has such faith to consider the idea that maybe that perhaps a pastor can’t really bless someone and pray AIDS away, and I speak from personal experience of trying to get people to do just that. Some seem ready to die defending their pastors.
David Oyedepo is the wealthiest pastor in Nigeria with a net worth of around $150 million. He presides over a mega-church with a 50,000-person seating capacity, the largest church auditorium in the world. He has a global network of churches in hundreds of cities, and they all deify this man. He also assaulted a young girl for allegedly being a witch in front of his congregation.
Equally alarming as Oyedepo’s assault were his apologists, and there were lots and lots of them. The man is a vile opportunist who has built a fortune preaching nonsensical prosperity gospel and exploiting people who don’t know any better, but that doesn’t matter.
Recently in Accra, Ghana, thousands of congregants flocked to a Synagogue Church of All Nations service, to receive “miraculous holy water”, which they believed had healing powers. The church is run by T.B. Joshua, a Nigerian pastor who built his fortune on prophecies, faith healing and prosperity gospel. Of course, no one was healed of anything. What happened instead was a stampede by congregants eager to get the miraculous holy water. The stampede claimed the lives of four people and critically injured dozens more.
Often when we get wind of stories like the stampede in Accra or Oyedepo slapping a young girl with thousands in attendance cheering in approval, we usually react in one of two ways (and Africans who live abroad are particularly guilty of this). We either rationalise and excuse the behaviour by saying that most Africans are poor, so in trying times they turn to religion, no matter how dubious the preachers or absurd the religion may appear to be. Or we say that Africans are historically very pious and have simply merged indigenous beliefs with Christianity.
I won’t deny that poverty and hardship turn many to faith, but that does not explain the whole picture. Furthermore, Africans abroad are just as devout as the ones back home, and who would argue that Africans in the West are not, on average, in a better financial situation than their kin back home? All these mega churches aren’t being built in poor, remote villages. They are in large, urban centres where the congregants are the wealthy and poor alike, worshipping together. In fact, the wealthy people are favoured in prosperity gospel since they can tithe and donate more. That is the end goal. Prayers and blessings are given based on finance. The poor congregants aspire to be favoured and blessed like the rich ones. These days, prayers are doled out not only for salvation, but for monetary and material wealth. It’s not uncommon for pastors to pray for jets, cars, mansions and sacks of money. Just go to any prominent Nigerian prosperity gospel preacher’s Facebook page. You will be inundated with people hitting the “Like” button and typing ‘amen’ for a prayer of wealth. Often times, the preachers actually demand that you hit the “Like” button and type amen for such prayers.
Many of us today look at traditional African faith systems through a post-colonial lens. Vodoun from Benin, Yoruba Orishas, and other African belief systems are seen as interchangeable, when, in reality, they are all distinct and different practices. Colloquially, the layman will lump them all together and call it “Juju”. With the exception of Togo, no African nation has a population where the majority practices indigenous belief systems. They have either a Christian or a Muslim majority, so this idea of rogue African traditions running wild is not true at all. Furthermore, I find it telling that when faith systems are syncretised, it’s the African systems that are said to be responsible for barbarism, not the hitherto foreign beliefs. That speaks volumes about the collective mindset of many of us today: we remain mentally colonised.
Percentage of population practicing traditional religion
So while syncretised religions by Africans worldwide are nothing new, most of what is happening now is in no way related to traditional beliefs. The latest thing is the expulsion of “child witches”. This fairly recent development is led by preachers like Helen Ukpabio, and money, again, is at the root of it all. She married hardcore evangelical bible thumping with witchcraft, and built her Liberty Foundation Gospel Ministries into an international conglomerate that produces movies (all supernatural and usually dealing with child witchcraft), books and other products. She did all this by preaching about child witches and grew wealthy because of it. From Nigeria she has expanded into Ghana, Cameroon and South Africa. In one of her books, she wrote “If a child under the age of two screams in the night, cries and is always feverish with deteriorating health, he or she is a servant of Satan.” Again, this seems like really stupid stuff that any thinking person would scoff at, but her ministries are large and she has many followers. No one builds a following as large as hers on the fringe.
To reiterate, it isn’t “African tradition” to abandon, torture and murder children because you believe them to be witches, and it is foolhardy to call these human rights violations “African traditions”. Even if they were, that still wouldn’t excuse the actions. The larger question would be why many Africans are so trusting and quick to believe nonsense, and why they are joining hyper-religious movements in mass numbers, more so than anyone else on earth. I have no answer to that. Maybe you do.
NO BREATHING SPACE FOR UNBELIEVERS
Black people are not a monolith, but when it comes to matters of faith, individuality is not given much, if any, breathing space. This is true for black people across the diaspora, not just in Africa. On the subject of atheism, my experiences with African-Americans mirror my experiences with Africans. You’re supposed to fall in line and believe. Belief in God is the rule, not the exception, and being an atheist in any black community is heresy. It’s certainly not something black people feel they can wear proudly, so those who are atheists tend to keep their thoughts and feelings about who they really are to themselves.
Quite a few black people have confided in me about their atheism, and told me that they go to church because it is a custom, though they know deep down that they are non-believers. As mentioned in the video above, church is a place for gathering and being communal, not just a place of worship. The last thing you want to do if you grew up in a communal part of society is become an outcast, which is what could happen if you declare your atheism.
From an article about the taboo of atheism among African Americans: Black America's religious problem isn't that it's highly religious—most of America is religious—it's that, in my experience, it's highly religious to the point of exclusion, as if black people living their lives without God don't count. Black atheists or agnostics are often looked at by other blacks as alien or pitiable. Another [black atheist] in the Huffington Post said that declaring she was an atheist to her black friends was "social suicide." At least in this respect, Africans and African Americans see eye to eye.
DATING AS AN ATHEIST IN CHRISTIAN COUNTRY
The relevant scene begins at the 10:23 mark
In my experience, nothing meets with more negativity than telling a black woman you’re an atheist. I was once on a date that was going quite well until my date mentioned that she wanted to switch churches and asked which one I attended (note her assumption that I was a Christian). I told her I didn’t attend church. She paused, recovered, then said she knows some people who just privately read the bible and are non-denominational Christians. I told her I didn’t read the bible and that I was an atheist. From the look of sheer horror that spread across her face it was as if I’d just told her I was a pedophile. Her next words were that she could not be in the company of a man who was not “God-fearing” and that she had to leave. It’s something I can laugh about now, but it certainly wasn’t funny back then. For a few years, that single experience made me traverse carefully the subject of religion with black women, because, I discovered, if there is one thing many black women love, it’s Jesus. Go to any predominantly black church, and I guarantee you that the female congregants will be the majority.
After a few more negative experiences with black women as a result of being open about my atheism, I softened my approach. I wasn’t an atheist anymore; I became “spiritual”, which, in hindsight, was more or less meaningless. Nothing about my lack of belief in a God changed. I was still in fact an atheist, but identifying as spiritual proved to be more acceptable to black women. Even black women who weren’t devout were turned off at the mere idea of atheism. You had to have faith, even if you didn’t lead a life according to the tenets of Christianity. You simply weren’t going to get far denouncing God. I’ll never forget one individual who felt it was her duty to chastise me because of my atheism, and asked if I was a Satanist. I had to remind her that the only people who believe Satan exists are the religious. In fact, the basis of Christianity is doing everything you can to avoid spending an eternity with him in the afterlife. Despite this, many devout people still equate atheism with the devil.
Thus black atheists are in the closet, and remain so in their family life, their friendships, and in their romantic life. Whether you’re in Africa or in the African diaspora, you simply cannot denounce God in black communities without raising suspicion. The consequences are too heavy. So we remain in the closet while we attend religious services.
James Baldwin once said “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticise her perpetually.” Likewise, my criticism is born out of love. Fortunately, the internet has given rise to more outspoken people, who in turn are letting others know that they aren’t alone (see AtheismAfrica: Secular values from an African perspective and FreeThoughtify. I am glad to see some push-back from black atheists; it’s long overdue. Maybe Africans and the African diaspora (and everyone else in the world) will one day cease ostracising people who don’t believe in sky gods. I certainly hope so. Everyone now loves Fela Kuti, especially Africans. If that is true, then we all need to listen to the lyrics of Shuffering and Shmiling and take what Fela said to heart.
OMi's Note: I do not use profanity in any of my posts unless it's to quote someone else. This is a post I have been wanting to do for awhile but could not figure out a way to express myself without the use of profanity. So if you are easily offended by it, skip it. While anyone is free to read my blog, this post is directed to the bros. I don't want to hear any of the bros redirect any of this blame to the ladies. So if that is the first part of your defense (really this can't be defended), then don't read the rest of this post.
I have worked with quite a few young people over the years. Many of them come from single parent homes. Too many of them don't even know who their father is. I notice that once we learn that, we make all comments about the mother's "choice" in men. We make all types of comments about the moral failings of the mother and barely mention a word about the father. I mean it's been a few years since I have taken biology but it does take two to tangle.
When I talk to some of my younger students, I love to hear them speak about a new girlfriend. I dig young love. It's inspiring and refreshing. Once I let them know that I get right to business: are you wearing protection? About 90% of the the time, these young men will come out of their faces telling me it's none of my business. After much probing and insulting, I learn that 90% of these young men are NOT wearing a f__king condom. All this s__t must cease.
Too many times, too many of us get really irresponsible and go raw dog. Then the young woman gets pregnant and left holding the bag. Then we want to hurl insults at her while the father gets away with murder. This is complete and total bulls__t. The crazy part is that too many dudes are running around jumping into everything raw dog and not planning to change that behavior. This isn't something that's relegated to poor folk either so some of you all need to stop kidding yourselves.
When we discuss single parenthood, condoms are left out of the picture. Safe sex is a topic none of us even consider even though the rates of STDs continue to go up. It's daunting to go to a pharmacy and the section on condoms is filled with dusty boxes. So all of you all are going raw dog?
I get it. I love sex as much as the next person. While in the Navy, I did have a child with a woman I really had no intention of maintaining a long term relationship with. It was me who didn't want to wear the condom. While I would never trade back my oldest son for anything, I realized that my decision led to a poorer quality of life for him. That is completely unfair to him because he didn't ask or deserve that. He didn't ask for the years of arguing and bickering between his parents. At the end of the day, its about quality of life. We have to understand that. From what I am seeing out there, too many of the children and single mothers I work with lack a quality of life that will help them be successful in life. The sad truth is that it happened because one person refused to strap up. While a great many children will overcome these obstacles to become successful, too many will not.
The solution is simple: strap up. Pulling out isn't gonna protect you from STD's and it doesn't take much to get someone pregnant. So before we start laying blame on Planned Parenthood, visit your local pharmacy and pick up a 12 pack, if you laying it that way.
Black History DVD presentations continues on Wednesday June 19, 2013 at 6:30pm. This presentation we will show Ashra Kwesi powerful DVD African Origins of Christianity (Stole Religion from Egypt and Ethiopia) Part I. This adult presentation will take place in the children's program room. Seating is limited to 25 people. RSVP: essencebcches (at) aol (dot) com .
Chesapeake Library - Old Greenbrier Road, Chesapeake
“I swear you can’t f*ck with me But I can f*ck your girl and make her nut for me Then slutt for me, then kill for me, then steal for me And of course it’ll be your cash Then I’ll murder that b*tch and send her body back to your a*s” – Lil Wayne, “We Be Steady Mobbin”
Proverbs 18:21 in the bible states that “Death and life are in the
power of the tongue….” are these words creating death or life in the
futures of young black men? Is it a coincidence that black males lead
the nation in nearly every negative statistic imaginable, including
homicides, incarceration, unemployment and education? Yes, there are
systemic obstacles at work which cause these outcomes, but at what point
do we hold ourselves accountable for contributing to our own demise?
Imagine an entire generation of young people hearing lyrics like this
on a daily basis, reciting mantras that glorify drug and alcohol
consumption, the objectification of women, murdering other black people,
anti-intellectualism, financial irresponsibility and every other thing
you can do to destroy your life. Do you REALLY believe that a child can
hear this message every single day, repeating these lyrics literally
thousands of times and not have his subconscious mind altered by the
messages he’s consuming? Do you REALLY think that the corporations
earning billions of dollars from this form of weaponized psychological
genocide care one bit about whether your son ends up in the prison, the
morgue, the rehab center, the insane asylum or the unemployment line?
In a style that only he can deliver, Dr. Boyce Watkins explains the
seven tenants of black male self-destruction that are being promoted
through commercialized hip-hop. Dr. Watkins’ lecture presents an
amazing display of simple, yet thoughtful analysis that leans on his 20
years of teaching at American business schools to explain why
unregulated capitalism and public irresponsibility has not only ruined
hip-hop, but has created a deadly set of toxins for young men and women
who are raised to be fed like cattle into the prison industrial complex.
The truth is that they want your son to die,and
his death is far more convenient if he contributes to his own
destruction. In the words of Dr. Watkins, “When you kill and control
the mind, you don’t have to control the body. At that point, the person
will simply choose to throw himself off a cliff.”
Dr. Watkins loves hip-hop and he loves black people. He also
appreciates and studies the musical talents of many of the artists he
critiques. That is why he feels that it’s urgent to start telling the
truth about what’s happening to young black kids and start demanding
that artists and corporations take responsibility for the lifestyles
being promoted through destructive music on the radio. The time for
making excuses is over, because our children are important too and it is
up to us to protect them.
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Atheism map of the world
Leo Igwe
Religious composition map of Africa, 2010. As of 1900, both Muslims and Christians were relatively small minorities in sub-Sahara Africa. The vast majority of people practiced traditional African religions” (“Islam and Christianity in Sub-Saharan Africa”, 
Map from 1913, in which the traditional cultures are dismissed as “heathen” (
How Africa Got her groove whacked (Image courtesy of 
Percentage of population practicing traditional religion
