"I'm curious why so many Nigerians appear to have such contempt for their Middle Passage brethren in North America." Rosalind.
Thanks, Farooq, for providing us with your past pieces on this issue. I think, though, that the question is flawed. It is a wrong premise, and as my logic professor taught me, wrong premises always lead to wrong conclusions.
Now, there are only two things here: Either (a) So many Nigerians have contempt for their Middle Passage brethren (and sisters, I guess), or (b) So many Nigerians do not have contempt for their Middle Passage brethren. In either case, one has to provide statistics (or at least anecdotal evidence) to validate the claim.
Until Rosalind provides statistics to back up her assertion, which seems to be a product of casual observation or hearsay, it is fruitless to argue on this.
Indeed, it is not true that so many Nigerians have such contempt for their Middle Passage brethren. I don't believe in appearances.
The many Nigerians I know love to mingle with African Americans. Some have married African Americans. When I arrived in America in 2000, I saw African Americans as my natural address. I was not disappointed. My African American dissertation supervisor practically adopted me. My present job was made possible by two African American women to whom I remain eternally grateful.
We intellectuals have been trained to be hypercritical and often to overanalyze sometimes insignificant words, phrases, observations. I think we should also learn to celebrate the little progress in life. Nigerians and African Americans get on well in many places in America, Chicago being one of them. Whoever is expecting a kumbaya, blissful relationship, devoid of conflicts might be making a mistake.
Chielozona
Chielozona Eze
Professor, African Literature and Cultural Studies, Northeastern Illinois University; Extraordinary Professor, Stellenbosch University, South Africa.Fellow - Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Studies, South Africa
https://neiu.academia.edu/ChielozonaEze
www.Chielozona.comhttps://neiu.academia.edu/ChielozonaEze
On Fri, May 31, 2019 at 1:35 AM 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
--I agree with you about the intellectuals of the masses. Where will we be without them?BikoOn Friday, 31 May 2019, 16:01:37 GMT+12, 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:Tough questions,Intellectuals may help to answer those questions but so also will be masses. My suggestions go beyond academic institutions to include activism ion our communities towards the United Republic of African States. There will still be problems even after unity but we will have the strength to solve more of those problems. Unity is neither uniformity nor unanimity but a little goes a long way - Cabral.BikoOn Friday, 31 May 2019, 15:33:32 GMT+12, Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:Biko:I apologize as I did not frame the question with any level of intelligence.
How does your recommendation help Rosalind? This is how I should have framed it.
You and I as scholars tend to exaggerate our sense of importance. The academy deludes us into thinking that we are relevant. If we were why do things remain the same or get worse?
What I am looking for is how academic reorganization that you stated so brilliantly solve Rosalind's key question. Molefi Asante is a great friend of mine and I have participated in his impressive annual programs.
Thus, if we mount programs the way you mentioned, how does that affect street politics?Students listen to us, receive their grades and move on.TF
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On May 31, 2019, at 4:10 AM, 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
Kikiwin,
You no go provoke me today o. I beg, go and sleep and leave the forum to take care of itself for once. I actually agree with everything you said, so you no go decline this post.
I admired your program when I participated in the evaluation. I liked the way you strategized to secure huge funding from the administration and the way you shared the resources with African and African American Studies. Congratulations on attaining departmental status. Many others remain programs of Africana Studies but a departmental status is always the golden fleece.
The academy remains a conservative space but the few critical voices that have managed to thrive make all the differences because they offer something that the majority are afraid to offer. There will always be struggles for ideas and priorities in Africana Studies as in every field of study.
The launch of Africana Studies across Africa is something we can accomplish overnight without much additional costs. Then let us allow a thousand flowers to blossom - the careerists and the scholar-activists will have their say, the western servant scholars and the Afrocentrists, the nationalists and the Pan Africanists. History will justify the relevance.
Do Not Agonize, Organize!
Biko
On Friday, 31 May 2019, 14:18:45 GMT+12, Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu> wrote:
Biko:
I see this as your main thrust:
"transforming all the distinguished Centers of African Studies around the world into Centers of Africana Studies under the paradigm of creative, critical, and Africa-centered scholar-activism at home and abroad"
Can you expand on the above? I think you once evaluated our program at UT Austin which is now a Department.
Opinions are divided about this:
1. The Asante-Gates model
2. The Title six model
3. The mainstream model
4. The Africology model, etc.
In general, the integration of African studies and African American Studies remains unsuccessful in many places. I have served as an official evaluator like you but I have not seen the integration in many places.
Also bear in mind that the current recruitment of young Africans into the academy is to turn them into careerists. Careerists write about Africa for Western consumption, they seek non-African validation, they don't publish in black-oriented journals and they have been deceived to accept ranking over and above relevance. We can see their contributions in terms of advancing strictly academic issues but not of nation building. Thus one can now become a full professor of Africa but there is actually nothing for Africans in the scholarship.
TF
Sent from my iPhone
> On May 31, 2019, at 2:57 AM, 'Biko Agozino' via USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> wrote:
>
> transforming all the distinguished Centers of African Studies around the world into Centers of Africana Studies under the paradigm of creative, critical, and Africa-centered scholar-activism at home and abroad
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