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Saving Elements of African Culture

However, the reality was quite different as substantial evidence indicates that Africa was by no means inferior to Europe1. Africa's population consisted of civilized, organized, technologically advanced people,2 long before the arrival of the European enslavers, who tried to suggest they were backward people. In Africa, the kingdoms of Ghana, Benin, Mali and Songhai were all extremely powerful and prosperous and the cultures were diverse and rich. Europeans were cognizant of this fact but yet deemed the Africans as subordinate thus enslaving them and strangling their heritage.
             A major element of suppression utilized by the planters was that of breaking family ties. After embarking the ships and the journey to the West Indies commenced, many families were separated; split between husband and wife, mother and children. It was a sympathetic occurrence, moreso a sorrowful sight to behold but such was one of the abundant cruelties the Africans had to endure. To cope with this situation the Africans formed relationships with shipmates. The 'shipmates' undertook the roles and duties of parents to their shipmates' children and embraced brotherhood and sisterhood with each other. This connection was to the extent that when a runaway woman in Kingston3 was caught and punished, the only way her owners could get her to eat was to solicit her shipmate's help in talking to her. Kinship links were recovered upon arrival in the Caribbean which serviced the needs of desolate children as they were 'adopted' by older saves who fulfilled the roles of parents. This facilitated cultural continuity4 especially since the elderly slaves took on the responsibility of assisting in raising the children. Here is where cultural traits were transmitted from one generation to the next.
             The planters degraded the slaves and they sought this degradation through culture. They started by labeling Africa as 'uncivilized' and that the slaves were captured in the 'jungle' or 'bush'5.


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