MzDarkSkin:






I am of African American and Jamaican descent. Both sides have a significant amount of Igbo roots however we cannot forget about Senegal, Ghana, the Kongo, Benin, Togo, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Angola who have all contributed to the slave trade.  I have all of the above in my blood  or heritage.

You are right that Nigeria contributed the most however the reason we reach out to and invest in/move to Ghana is because they are the most inviting. Ghana, apart from the 'first world countries' and Panama/Costa Rica, has the highest number of Jamaican nationals/descendants who have settled abroad living outside of Jamaica there, Rita Marley being one of them. Even in Jamaica where we are CLEARLY a mix of Igbo (a little Yoruba), Ashanti and various Congolese tribes each contributing to the culture (Igbo and Akan/Ashanti being the two biggest influences) we still have more of a sense of connection with our Ghanaian roots. The way we are taught is like Nigeria was much more ruthless and cold in regards to sending us away so there is a lot of resentment as far as Nigeria goes despite the fact that most of our heritage began with a walk from the N. Delta to Badagry. There doesn't seem to be an interest in us when it comes to Nigerians which is why we avoid Nigeria on a larger scale.

ezeagu:

Where did they get this from? Nigeria, well, eastern Nigeria doesn't even have any slave castles.

The reason why many Jamaicans feel more connected to the Ghanians is not necessarily because of culture, or Nigerian evilness, but because of the living culture of the Maroons which they can still see and hear today, unlike Igbo culture which is hidden inside overall Jamaican culture. The other reason for the connection is because most Jamaicans think that they are mostly from Ghana because of 1. the popularity of the Maroons 2. because of the exaggeration of Ghanaians in European books and 3. because of Jamaican ignorance to the rest of the continent of Africa. An average Jamaican does not know that unu is a Igbo word, or obeah is Igbo spirituality or that akara is a Nigerian snack. Jamaicans even shout 'awoh', which just shows how ridiculous it is to feel more connected to Ghana, I mean, many Jamaicans look exactly like eastern Nigerians.

bokohalal:

@Ezeagu, @ChinenyeN, @EzeUche, please help me out here.An Igbo colleague of mine told me that over 90% of Igbo slaves in the new world were Osus.Is this true?

ezeagu:

Most Igbo slaves were people who were seen as criminals.

A.Chigozie:

This is a horrible lie that too many Africans have "convinced" themselves of, I understand why people would embrace such lies, it helps one justified the treachery committed by one's ancestors. I don't have any animosity towards the current generation of Africans, I only have animosity towards the people that participated in the raids and kidnappings of my ancestors. I curse those individuals who did such acts, for they through their wickedness and greed bought the wrath of God onto to their descendants. This is why the continent has suffered wars, famine, poverty, corruption, colonialism, etc. for centuries. Not until ALL current day Africans, STOP promoting such LIES that the people who were sold into enslavement were criminals or thought to be criminals will the curse be lifted.

The enslavers purchased children as young as five years old, how could those babies possibly be criminals? The enslavers bought men and women in their prime, they did not purchased the elderly of infants (unless the enslaved women were already pregnant), you mean to tell me the millions of Africans were all criminals? Please stop with the distortions of history, you only continue the curse.

Abagworo:

@topic@ezeagu.It is not true that most slaves were criminals.My ancestors fought a war of survival against the Aro and Abam that had some of us taken as slaves and sold to America.The abolishing of slave trade however saved some who are now natives of Buguma in Rivers State.We however still communicate till this day even though their ethnicity has changed to Kalabari.

The Aro Igbos and their Abam brothers pushed people of the Eastern and Midwestern Nigeria into giving up their brothers and sisters for slavery.

MaziUche0:

The fact remains that most Igbo slaves were captured in warfare between the various clans. That is why I say to many of my AA friends, that some of your ancestors were indeed warriors, but were just people who lost wars. Some slaves were the outcast of communities such as criminals and others were warriors who were captured in battle.

MaziUche0:

Now I know why you have so much hostility towards me. Must I pay for the sins of my forefathers? 

ezeagu:

What I would say is that I would change 'criminals' to 'war captives', I mixed up criminals with war criminals. So anyone captured in wars were sold as slaves (this was different to raiding because those were captured on the battle field along with some families). These were the majority of the slaves shipped out to the Americas, enriching other people lands.

A.Chigozie:

My comment to that is that Africans didn't sell their "own" people, I may be wrong and please correct me if I am, but it is my understanding that only in rare cases, did Africans "sell their own", meaning they sold people outside of their communities and families.  So an Aro-Igbo wouldn't have any qualms about selling Igbos from different areas.  But they wouldn't necessarily sell Aro-Igbos, Is that assumption correct?

A.Chigozie:


I appreciate you being more clear in your word usage.  The white supremacist society of the US, has always tried to classified AAs as criminals or anything not worthy of respect.  They would have us believe that Africans were and are savages and that they (white people) did our ancestors a favor by enslaving them. 

ezeagu:

Aboh people were said to be as aggressive as the Aro, and they even held Hausa slaves, but they are less popular, maybe because their kingdom didn't last to the very end of the time Africans were free, like Aro did and of course because of Ibin Ukpabi.

ezeagu:

The assumption is correct as it is for most other parts of Africa as well, and it also extended to who were made human sacrifices. I hear some people (white or black) actually believe that an African, for example, saw a mirror and decided to sell their daughter for it. The only instance I know where Igbo people sold their own, or the people they saw as their own were in civil wars (e.g in villages) and when there was an abominable crime as mentioned before, but even then the motives of the war would never be for profit for slavery and the civil wars lead to people being executed because whatever led to an actual civil war actually happening would have been very serious. Again, people have to remember that those who were sold had families left behind and the trade wouldn't have lasted 200 years, well Africans wouldn't have lasted 200 years if they were so open to selling their family members in such a profitable thing. Even in Things Fall Apart, you could see how the villages were about to go to war because of the murder of one of the villages women and the offended were open to sacrificing the other villages members, I wish there had been some sort of unification among the people that would have lessened the impact of slavery.

And as you can see, even your ancestor was still holding onto his Igbo identity, which means he saw nothing in the new world that was supposed to have 'saved' him.

By the way, how can you say Africa is cursed, but say nothing about the people who were actually abusing the slaves?

A.Chigozie:

I do have plenty to say about the people who committed those horrendous acts of cruelty, during and after enslavement.  For the most part AAs were very forgiving people, after the Civil War, they just wanted to find their families and create a fulfilling life.  But the evil white supremacists and the cowardly white people who didn't stand up to the evil whites, but gladly benefited from the continue social and economic oppression and exploitation of AAs. 

The trans-atlantic enslavement trade went on for more than 200 years, it went on for 4 centuries, that is 400 years.  The enslavement of human beings should not have been "lessen", it should have never happen in the first place!  What kind of people sell other human beings to strangers?  What kind of people think selling another human being is even o.k.?  When I was in college, I took a African History course, and the texts and the professor argue that enslavement in Africa, wasn't like the chattel enslavement Africans and their descendants experienced in the Americas.  He said enslavement in Africa was more akin to servant or apprentice.  I questioned how accurate that portrayal is.  Anyway, in case you haven't I strongly encourage you to read Walter Rodney's "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa", you will see how Africa being complicit in the enslavement of fellow Africans, sowed the seeds of its continued woes. 

Being that the enslavement trade went on for 4 centuries, I'm inclined to think that must have created an atmosphere where people lived in constant fear of being kidnapped or having their love ones kidnapped, if possible could you please recommend any books on that subject? Thank-You.

 

ezeagu:

I didn't say the slave trade should have been "lessen", I said it would have been lessened with unification. The slave trade became significant in the Bight of Biafra in a period that lasted around 200 years (something like around 1750—1850) which is more like 100 years. Africans know that the dealings with Europe has made Africa the poorest continent, but it cannot be because it is cursed because the children of who actually did the torturing aren't feeling anything. You need to read Olaudah Equiano's narrative to understand the slave trade in Igboland better.

PhysicsMHD:

^^^^

Your position is not logical.

It is not logical to you, and others, but that is the truth.  All you have to do is read Walter Rodney's book.

The Portuguese, Dutch, French, Spanish and  British have never suffered from any "curse" and it's unlikely that they will anytime in the future.

Those countries didn't kidnapped and sell other Europeans, the Africans committed the that heinous act of selling other Africans.  Look I'm not going to keep going back and forth with you and others you refused to accept the truth.  Although some Africans became wealthy by enslaving other Africans, their evil deeds sowed the seeds for poverty, wars, exploitation, colonialism, etc.

That's what ezeagu was pointing out.
He himself acknowledged how Africa has been damaged and exploited, he just refuses as you do, to accept the truth about why such a continent as resource rich as Africa remains at the bottom. 


Furthermore, this is the map of Africa: 
That map is of the transatlantic enslavement trade, the trans-sahara enslavement trade aka Arab slave trade, was just as bad, and effected the southern and eastern part of Africa, which includes what is now Zimbabwe. 

Are  you actually asserting that those African countries that are suffering and doing poorly today are specifically those that took part in the slave trade?

YES!!!!!!!!

Look at that map again.
Go look at the trans-sahara aka Arab enslavement trade.
Ghana is improving each and every day, while Zimbabwe isn't. There are also some other examples.
Ghana "improvements" is still not up on the same level as more advance modernize nations. 

And are you even claiming that those communities within each country that were either victims or powerless bystanders to the slave trade are also bearing the brunt of the "curse" from the actions of those around them, for no reason?

YES!!!!!! but you failed or refused to admit there is indeed a reason, it is the selling of fellow Africans.  All you guys have to do is apologized for the evil acts of your ancestors and asked for God's forgiveness for their souls and asked for unification with us in the diaspora. Many of you are rightly ashamed by what your ancestors did, and show us in the diaspora nothing the but love and kindness.  But there are too many present day Africans who act as if nothing happen or feel as if we in the diaspora should "get over it".  For the most part we have, but it makes it difficult when present day Africans spew ignorance and hatefulness towards us and our ancestors. 


Moreover, there is really no such thing as a curse. There isn't even karma, anyway.