By Chenhotep Freeman
I want to tell you
about the touring museum exhibition that covers more than
13,000 square feet and will visit
a total of ten major (African/Black) cities during it’s
four year campaign across the
U.S. It is supported and presented by
broadcaster and author Tavis Smiley and organized by the Cincinnati Museum Arts
Center, and the Arts & Exhibitions International, the exhibit displays more
than 200 artifacts from 1600 CE to Present day. This exhibit was inspired by a
quote from the late African intellectual W.E.B. Dubois, “Would America be
America without her Negro Peoples?” By the conclusion of this reading I plan to
clearly answer this question, and also to expose the misleading content that
comprises this campaign.
Being a proud member of the African Diaspora, when I heard
about this traveling exhibition in the celebration of our ‘imprint’ on American
society, like so many others I was excited. As any honest and freethinking
human being should be aware of America’s history with Africans is full of lies,
genocide, and fierce resistance on behalf of the Africans who were kidnapped
and dehumanized by the European ‘Americans’. Although, there were still many
events to be celebrated during the last 500 years of African peoples struggle
to reclaim our self-determination. The modern day lavish lifestyles of American
living were built and still exist on the murderous exploitation and oppression
of African people. Before entering the exhibit I began to think critically
about the involvement of Wal-Mart, seeing as they are notorious for their profits
over any and EVERYTHING, business policy included. My next observation was
during my first trip to view the exhibit when I recognized that there were NO
people of African decent who were hired in order to operate this exhibit (no
ticket taker, janitors, security, etc.) not a SINGLE one of US.
The entrance to the exhibit is a hall filled with the faces
of many of the finest son’s and daughters of Africa covering a span of five
centuries, even though there were no names to identify each individual or their
great accomplishments. Some of the artifacts in the museum were accompanied by
an audio description with both Tavis Smiley and Kornell West, and these
description were petty-bourgeoisie explanations for the behavior of
Euro-Americans and their brutality towards Africans. Now we move into the room
in reverence of pre-colonial African society, a few sculptures of warriors from
great African nations. The first segment of the exhibit concludes with the
enslavement of the Africans that includes slave dungeon doors from Ghana and
displays a map that uncovers the global triangle trade of slavery and how
Europe and America robbed the African land of its human and material resources
in the pursuit of profit. From there we enter the era during which the peak of
the western hemispheres slave trade was lead by the United States. This room
consisted of the various torture tools used against the captured Africans, at
this point notice that there has been no mention of the Africans constant
resistance to institution of Capitalism and its products slavery and racism.
The next body of the exhibit is where the majority of the
information is compiled, which is intended to stir up a feeling of ‘American
Identity’ or patriotism within the captive peoples of African decent kidnapped
for centuries. Now we enter a room with the document of hypocrisy ‘Declaration
of Independence’ on one wall and the over coat of Fredrick Douglass. From here
we advance through a hall that displays various anti-slavery activist and
artistic poetic expressions, now is the first time that any light is shed onto
the fierce resistance to American imperialism. A handful of slave revolts are
mentioned, and then we are taken into the era of the ‘Civil War’ and
reconstruction and bombarded with images of Black soldiers fighting in the
‘American Revolutionary’ war. This is where in the exhibit we view the 13th,
14th, and 15th (reconstruction) amendments to the U.S.
Constitution, these are misleading, these three documents are what have evolved
into the American Prison Industrial Complex (PIC) as well as the welfare state
that Africans in America are so well familiar with. From here until the end of
the exhibit it’s as if the historical timeline of events moves into fast
forward. Next we enter an adjoining room dedicated to the ‘Jim Crow’ era of
modern oppression, when states passes laws to restrict Blacks (Africans in
America) from sharing public spaces with Whites (Euro-Americans).
As the museum steps forward we enter the room dedicated to
the impact that religion had on the Africans, and how it was used to keep the
descendent of African slaves docile and subservient. Here is where we find the
personal diary and Quran of El Hajj Malik (Malcom X) as well as the M.L.K. Jr.
and a replica of his ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ holding cell. This room also
displayed a video montage of the music and influence of the Black church on the
masses of suffering oppressed African children in America. On the conclusion of
the section dedicated to religion there is a display of a large white hooded
KKK uniform along side some chess pieces, in the same room as some of the first
historically Black Colleges and Universities, this also is misleading and confusing
for the viewers of the exhibit. Now we enter the final gallery, this one is
dedicated to the many Africans who have dominated the entertainment industries,
everything from Muhammad Ali’s Royal Rumble boxing robe, a hand written poem
from Tupac Shakur, and the performance outfits from various singers. Finally,
the exhibit ends with the compilation of multimedia clips that display the
hijacking of Black culture in entertainment by the copycat entertainers of then
and now.
In conclusion, and response to the W.E.B. Dubois question,
No, America was born from the murderous enslavement of African peoples, this
country would not exist if it were not for Africa (the land) and its children
being kidnapped, killed and exploited. We must recognize that the exhibit was
organized by various ‘black elite’ neo-colonial forces in partnership with a
few monopoly capitalist enterprises. This fact uncovers the campaigns true
intentions to further mislead the Africans in America to believe in the idea of
a post-racial American society. I would recommend to all of my fellow peoples
of African decent invest your time and money into building awareness of our
constant and continuous struggle against the system of European and American
(white) capital imperialism.
QUOTES:
Atlanta Civic Center
- Atlanta
, GA
- Sun, Sep 6, 2009
Posted 09/07/2009
by Akil
The exhibit was
absolutely excellent. Tracing the African American experience from African to
America was presented in a very factual and chronological way. However, I do
not recall seeing any form of presentation or representation about Elijah
Muhammad, Minister Louis Farrakhan and The Million Man March or Miles Davis.
Why?
Atlanta Civic Center
- Atlanta
, GA
- Sat, Sep 5, 2009
Posted 09/06/2009
by stewkhandi
The expectation our
family had upon arriving was a history lesson that would help fill in the gaps
on historical things we did not know. As it turn out we knew more history than
what was shown. The beginning of the exhibit was impressive. The room of the
Ghana slave port castle was great. Once we left there it was down hill the rest
of the way. The rooms that followed were filled with artifacts, some real ,some
replicas and other that made no sense. Each room had a theme, which most of the
time went off track. The most confusing being the "Music Room"? The
best part of the exhibit was the ending short film. In whole it was as if the
exhibit was not completely done. Too many people and contributions were left
out. Especially in the fields of medicine and science.It was as if Dr. Charles
Drew, Dr. Ben Carson, Benjamin Banniker, Eli Whitney and George W. Carver did
not exist. We could have done better taking our children to the library. We
didn't pay for the audio tour guides, and it was a good thing we didn't. People
around us were having problems getting them to work properly. An audio loop for
each room would have been better. Oh and by the way, WHY CAN'T YOU TAKE
PICTURES!
Posts
0 Response(s):
Post a Comment