The Impact of African Culture on Occidental world

The cultural contribution from enslaved Africans is undermined by Africans and non-Africans alike. African culture in its various form, is only prevalent in today’s society but have a widespread, deep-rooted impact throughout the Occident.

During the slave trade era, Africans slaves were prohibited from religious practices. They had to call upon their creativity to camouflage spiritual rituals and cultural artifacts to maintain their roots. Thus, they blended into the New World’s  prevalent cultures and customs creating a cultural dimension that still survives today.

The contribution of Africans are evidenced in various forms including :

Agriculture: Africans supplied the intense labor, and cultivation of the first rice seeds. They are responsible for successfully introducing and transmitting rice culture into the New World.  Rice was first introduced from Madagascar to the farming market of South Carolina in the  1700s. During this time, enslaved Africans used three indispensable systems: ground water, springs and soil moisture reservation.

 

Southern Cuisine: At the time of the trans-Atlantic voyage, black-eyed peas, okra, kidney and lima beans were gathered and collected in Africa for Africans slaves. Synonymous with soul food, traditional African dishes and techniques such as deep frying, gumbo, fufu and millet bread have been passed-on in American food culture.

 

Nursery Rhymes: Folklores such as Chicken Little, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, were derived from Africa. African stories, fables and oratory traditions have been embedded into American culture, providing a childhood infrastructure for learning and development through the use of nursery rhymes.

Indigenous Art: African art has played an important role in the culture and history of the world. It’s distinctive characteristics and inspirations have influenced many artists to adapt their own interpretation of the art in their own time period. Characteristics of African art had made its way into many paintings in the Cubist period, among others. If one examines the European avant-garde artistic movement of cubism, founded mainly by Pablo Picasso, they can find many themes adapted from African art.

Enslaved African craftsmen and visual artists laid the foundations of the African-American visual arts tradition during slavery as well. Slave craftsmen made furniture and other utilitarian objects, some of which carried unique New World African visual arts expressions.

Vernacular dances such as jigs, shuffles, breakdowns, shale-downs, and backsteps, as well as the strut, the ring shout, and other religious expressions, were danced to the accompaniment of these drum-less rhythms and to the fiddle, the banjo, bows, gourds, bells, and other hand or feet instruments—all New World African inventions by enslaved Africans.

During the slavery era, enslaved Africans became the musicians of choice for white and black celebrations and festivities because they were recognized by whites and blacks as the best musicians in their locales

Ironically, the most frequently reported occupation of fugitive slaves in New York during the colonial era was “musician,” by a very wide margin. Two indigenous African-American musical forms—the spiritual and the blues—were created by enslaved Africans during the slavery era. African-American religious and secular songs trace their roots to the spirituals and the blues, respectively.

Many more aspects of the African culture have been integrated into Occidental culture especially in the United States and Glorified as unique and valuable aspects of these societies without attributing due credit the African Minorities. Nevertheless it is something that we, as Africans should know and be proud of.

 

Credits to: National Geographic and Donteria Terell

 

Andreae, Christopher. “Picasso as a Cubist Landscape Painter.” Christian Science Monitor 13 Nov. 1995, SIRS, Inc..

News.nationalgeographic.com. (2017). America’s Cultural Roots Traced to Enslaved African Ancestors. [online] Available at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/02/0205_030205_jubilee4_2.html [Accessed 25 Jun. 2017].

Terrell, D. (2017). The Untold Impact of African Culture on American Culture – Atlanta Black Star. [online] Atlanta Black Star. Available at: http://atlantablackstar.com/2015/06/03/cultural-influences-africans-american-culture/ [Accessed 26 Jun. 2017].