Only in the last 100 years has the African continent become free of direct European influence. Fewer years have passed since Africans have been able to write history from their perspective, not the one painting them as savages and beneath white men. Both Fred Hampton and Molefi K. Asante have points of view that cross paths in this line of thinking, with the main idea being the support of African thinking and their placement as main characters in their story. With the advent of technology allowing information to spread at incredible speeds it means that ideas like Afrocentrism can take root in the present, with no one being able to hold knowledge back.
Now this isn’t to say it wasn’t possible in earlier times, but coincidentally the notion of racism has decreased alongside the improvements of communications and information technology. Before an African would need to get permission to publish their findings on African culture and history, specifically to publish it for the world to see. Nowadays the world is anyone’s sandbox, with many ways to spread information through social media and journals and other places. This would mean that by taking advantage of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the idea of Afrocentricity would spread.
To start, “Afrocentricity is a paradigm based on the idea that African people should re-assert a sense of agency in order to achieve sanity, (Afrocentricity: Sustaining Africology: On the Creation and Development of a Discipline) ” which allows Africans to define their own history. In a school setting this would not take place for several reasons. One is that schools may not always buy the latest textbooks for students to learn from and will end up showing Eurocentric learnings. Another is that textbook manufacturers have no reason to change the knowledge inside when most of it will be used to help students prepare for tests or basic knowledge. Why change that when there’s no push to fundamentally change the education system?
With recent events such as the murder of George Floyd however, there has been an uptick of posts on social media spreading information about these injustices and ways to intervene. As Fred Hampton said, “If people must express themselves freely, there must be a climate in which they can do this. (Position Paper on Black Power, Let Nobody Turn Us Around)” Social media is one of the freest platforms to spread ideas across, so a post on Instagram could spread Afrocentric history to a much wider audience than say a textbook or a theoretical reading. Almost everyone interacts on social media and Africans could make Afrocentric history teachings that would be widespread and more in depth than a textbook ever would, because the time and effort would be worth it. Yes, it’s not guaranteed anyone will view it. It is however a novel idea that works. As Linus Hoskins puts it, “Afrocentrism presents and deals with an authentic and specific culture and history-a cultural history that did not begin in Father Europe but a human/world history that began in Mother Africa. (Eurocentrism vs. Afrocentrism. A Geopolitical linkage analysis, Journal of Black Studies)” It’s a fresh alternative to the European/American history views that have been negatively portrayed more and more throughout the generations, with people realizing how whitewashed modern history was.
As a whole Afrocentrism combined with the continuing emergence of social media would bring knowledge to a world of Africans who may not know their history, and could empower them more than their ancestors were.
Bibliography
Afrocentricity
By Dr. Molefi Kete Asante
Published 4/13/2009
Molefi Kete Asante is a professor/researcher of African American studies at Temple University. The purpose of his work “Afrocentricity” was to give a new perspective on African history so that Africans could learn about themselves from a black point of view. It covered the process of Afrocentricity and defined it for people of color who may not know of African history other than what white men have written. It gives a way for Africans to connect to their culture in a simple but unfortunately untested way. As an African himself he is more reputable as someone who would be more self-conscious about recording the history and spreading it, as opposed to a white man who doesn’t have to worry about his history being portrayed incorrectly. His audience for this piece would be African students/historians studying and gathering information, as to present them a new viewpoint to organize and present their information
Fred Hampton
Position Paper on Black Power
1967
This was written as an analysis of the Civil Rights movement throughout the 60s, specifically of white people and their positions throughout the movement. As a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, he had every interest in making sure the protests he was a part of/organized would be effective, which is why he’d write a piece critical of white people a part of the movement and preventing it. It’s a reminder that the work isn’t over and that while they may have achieved certain milestones, white people have no skin in the game. He definitely has a bias for African Americans and the Civil Rights Movement, along with a clear bias against white people. It means his work won’t be separated from his beliefs. Overall his work sends the message to white people to dismantle their own systems while reminding blacks that their gaining equality is not much
Linus A. Hoskins
Eurocentrism vs. Afrocentrism. A Geopolitical linkage analysis
1992
Published during his time at Kent State University, his work is a response to backlash against Afrocentricity, given that he responds by saying the term itself is not racist. It is clear that he has a pro African bias since he’s going against Eurocentric ideals and is in support of Afrocentrism. It means he wouldn’t be in support of works that call for both points of view to be acknowledged. As he is African himself this makes sense, and his work is supportive of the ideals published in Asante’s “Afrocentricity.” The audience for this piece would have to be people who are on the fence about Afrocentricity, since they would be key in supporting it. The excerpt seen is ultimately a firm stance of support for Asante’s work with his African bias out on display and is a good supporting evidence piece.
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