What is Africa to Me?
by Chuck D, Rapper and Author
Africa and all the areas of the "Third World," which I call the First World, have been raped, maimed, and robbed of their power, solidarity and structure. I recognize that Black people are a world majority and it will take a lot of work for us to unify that effort.
Going to Africa was an enlightening experience because in the people I could see the potential that Africa has, but it was also a damper because I saw what was in the process of happening. It was a bittersweet visit. Everything I saw that was supposedly an advance, I saw as being an advance for the conqueror and not for the native people of the land. The sweet part of Africa was seeing that the continent is not over and done with. The sweet part of Africa was seeing the warmth of the people and them embracing us and welcoming us home to get involved to help make a change. The sweet part of Africa was actually seeing African history in motion.
People from other nationalities have a place to go and call home. The Italians go back to Italy, back to their motherland, the Japanese have Japan, the Chinese have China, the Irish people go back to Dublin and get reconnected. Right on down the line. There are some black people who say, "I want to go to Rome. I want to go to London." Black people have to go back to Africa. If we can't physically go back, we need to develop an African state of mind. People from the Caribbean have the closest thing to an African state of mind because they had less of a cultural breakup than there was in the vast continent of the United States.
Excerpted from his book: Fight the Power: Rap, Race and Reality. © 1997 Carlton Ridenhour and Yusuf Jah. Used with permission.
