Growing up in Africa, culture surrounds you, it engulfs your being, consciously and subconsciously. The warmth of welcoming guests, the greetings and the goodbyes and oh yes the food.
Family is the most important aspect of African life, sharing the joys and sadness, the burdens and the blessings. The African's kidnapped and forcefully brought to the Americas still maintained the tradition of keeping family at the front and centre, despite the savagery meted out by their white oppressors. They still stood tall despite the indignities, the black woman still raised her children and they survived.
Today the African family in the diaspora is under serious threat. The black man is M.I.A leaving the black woman carrying the 'can', why??! I look back at our history, where the black man was king, he was spiritual, he was an innovator, a warrior, a protector of his family, always standing tall and proud.
It is imperative that we teach our children the authentic African history, not the adulterated half-truths taught in schools in the west. Truth be told a lot of us are ignorant of our history and our culture and that is something that must be corrected soonest.
Family is what has kept Africans going through all the struggles, the black man MUST continue to keep family front and centre.
