Defining cultural independence

There are many definitions for Culture. When you look at the ones that are most common and list them, you can�t find any of these words defining culture independent of our experience and relationships with Western thinking. These are some of the words that dictionaries use to define culture: Cultivation, heritage, background, tradition, breeding, enlightenment, history and manners and mores.

When talking of cultural independence, you first have to talk about your cultural roots. Cultural roots for Black Americans must go beyond slavery. Whatever was produced during slavery, we consider today our culture and that culture has a root. The actions of people in a nation always plays a role in the advancement or the decline of a culture.

During some of my lectures in the United States and inter-nationally, I often quote the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, leader of the Nation of Islam, who has the awesome ability, while speaking, to adjust his lecture to fit any type of audience.

"A study of history is to know what was, in order to understand what is, and to make a projection on what is to be," says Min. Farrakhan when responding to those who may feel that the history of slavery, especially its brutality, should never be addressed publicly.

As I repeat Min. Farrakhan�s words, I am reminded of an African symbol�a cultural sign showing that our fore parents shared the same insights. The African symbol called "Sankofa" is a bird with his body and feet facing in one direction and his head leaning back over his shoulder looking back in another. Min. Farrakhan states that in order to go forward you must know from whence you came.

Whatever remains of our culture that has survived slavery has been synthesized with our slave and post slavery experience. Our walk, way of speaking, our music, our worship service and our literature have all been influenced by our experiences. From our beginning in Africa, throughout our slave experience, up to our present circumstance, all has played a part in who and what we are.

I was recently in Libya at the Extraordinary 4th Meeting of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). It was a very historical gathering, pulling together 43 African heads of state. According to various news reports, this particular OAU Summit was the largest gathering of African heads of state since the OAU celebrated its 30-year anniversary in Cairo in 1993. The purpose of the 4th OAU was to take a serious look at making Africa one, a "United States of Africa."

During this historic summit, Libyan television played the television mini-series "Roots," which was watched by many of the summit delegates. The following morning the conversation among the delegates was "Roots." The delegates that watched were getting an insight into some of the cultural nuances of Africans in the Diaspora who have experienced the horrors of slavery. The most striking comment came from one of the Nation of Islam delegates, Mustapha Farrakhan.

"I thought I was over this, (slavery)," he said. His voice breaking, he continued, "Last night I cried as I watched �Roots� again." After the room became completely silent, the son of Min. Farrakhan gathered his thoughts and said that when he returns to the States, he plans to have all five of his children sit down and watch every episode of "Roots."

This is 23 years and two generations after "Roots" was first aired on national television. Our slave history has definitely had an impact on our culture. We can never have cultural independence until we understand what our forefathers went through during this horrible experience.

In order to understand cultural independence, we must find a way to deal with our identity crisis, the problem of self-esteem, and obtaining an in-depth knowledge of self. We must have a knowledge of our ancestors and tradition�a knowledge of our history so that we can be knowledgeable and enlightened. We must be able to understand what happened during the breeding process that took place on the slave plantations. We must understand what racism in this society produced in us in the form of manners and mores.

To be continued.