NERUKHI ATO OSEI
THE REPEATED call for African history's inclusion in our school curriculum has once again surfaced as an issue for discussion.
The issue of respect and acknowledgement of African culture has been a topic by numerous calypsonians, activists and historians before and since the Black Power Movement of the 1970s. From Cecil 'Maestro' Hume with his legendary hit Black Identity in 1973/74 to the Mighty Sparrow, Duke, Bro Valentino and countless others, the issue has never been allowed to die.
The recent gem by calypsonian Kurt Allen (Subconsciously) is yet another reminder that despite the demands for a more progressive approach to teaching our youth and our society the true history of all our peoples, there continues to be attempts to maintain the colonial status quo amid token concessions.
Having personally gone through the name-changing process in the early 1980s on my journey to cultural connection (having both indigenous and African heritage prominent within my DNA) it is a topic that is close.
I have personally been discriminated against, mocked, denied opportunity and disrespected by family, strangers and associates alike for daring to distance myself from the tag of the colonial plantation owner. I have had direct experience where politicians and political parties have mocked the African name and used it as a political football, claiming in some instances that voting for a particular party would result in the descendants of Africans having to change theirs to the names of their own ancestors.
What a tragic state of affairs when the culturally traumatised turn their own culture into something negative for supposed political gain (that never materialises).
I have had to forcefully stand in defence of my ancestry, taking the blows and holding the line. I was privileged to have joined the movement to have Emancipation Day declared a public holiday in 1985, working alongside countless committed men and women of NJAC, ESC and those of other groups. Many of us took the bold step to change our names to reflect the right to embrace the heritage and culture of our ancestors.
I have seen many buckle under the pressure, resorting to their previous western name in an attempt to survive the discrimination as people were denied jobs and other opportunities. I have been complimented on the position that many of us took and proudly hold and have seen thousands of young children being proudly named in the tradition of their ancestors as a result of our efforts. I have seen people who previously scorned and despised their culture (as I once did) embrace it with love and honour.
I can't say that I have seen it all...there is always more to see, learn and experience.
As we commemorate another Emancipation Day, we must take a sobering look at our progress to reconnecting with our culture and our true selves.
Our education system sadly remains a mildly tweaked model of the same system that indoctrinated and trained those under the illegal oppression of a colonial dictatorial system. We ha
