Introduction: Racism and How It Is Reflected in ‘Africans in America’
Racism (a human anti- homogeneousness), more than any other sentimental tool of sectionalism, has placed humankind on a point of worry- especially as depicted in black and white hatreds; what can best be described as black/white social wars. These hatreds have continued to be issues to reckon with in America for centuries particularly since the beginning of black slavery. America has pronounced racial issues, not just black and white incompatibilities but also disputes involving Asian-Americans, Native-Americans, Latin-Americans, and even European-Americans. However, differences between white and blacks are most frequent and intense; and at times could involve assaults, xenophobic exclusions, imperialism, and legal imposition of sanctions. The implication of this is that for centuries, America has been in a dilemma and chaos; certain races are considered “true human” more than others based on their place of origin and body color- a situation that is best likened to what Orwell related in Animal Farm:
‘…all animals are equal but some are more equal than others’ (Orwell 1945).
Indeed, racism could be pictured as “some humans are more equal than others”, and Africans in America have attempted to identify this human-natured aspect.
The documentary has rightly identified the institutionalization of black slavery as the backbone which has supported black and white racist issues the most in the US. It notes that black slaves were looked at as mere properties- that could be bought, used and sold at will.
Before slavery was institutionalized in the US, Africans and Non-Whites who migrated to the US became ‘colonized’ and were considered as equals who served in sharecropping together with whites. This was only set apart after slavery took over trafficking. According to Meltzer:
After the institution of slavery the status of Africans was stigmatized, and this stigma was the basis for the more virulent anti-African racism that persisted until the present (Meltzer 1993, 73).
Africans in America therefore has presented a revelation of the institutionalization of human anti- homogeneousness particularly as it is the case with the US.
Africans in America: The Transformation Synopsis
Quite a historic story as it is, the four series of Africans in America presented from WGBH-Boston reconsiders the institutionalization and personalized nature of how the US inherited slavery. It also discloses and invites third parties to consider the realities about slavery and racism which schools might have failed to identify with. The fist volume of this series dwells the time 1450-1750 when Portuguese searching for gold discovered Africa and began capturing a number of workers from there. This brought about Northern American colonies’ rapid advancement as well as that of the Caribbean. Studies conducted by Ronald on the issue relate the transformation at this instance to be:
…the several concurrent transformations in America, including the slow, deliberate process in which indentured servants became slaves for life, the transformation of free colonies into slave states, and the loss of hope among Africans who began to realize that their children would inherit the scourge of slavery (Ronald 1993, 108).
The first of the series exhumes the situation as it was before slavery began to haul Africans to their New-Worlds. It also exhumes economic situations that nurtured slavery at the time. The series is maximally dependent on existent imageries as well as on factual accounts in the reenactment of the drama. The series has equally identified present-day perspectives/interpretations that have become very necessary in promoting a common culture in the United States. Bassett Angela narrates the story that also includes Barry Unworth, Colin Powell, and Edgar John in the cast- where as Orlando Bagwell executively produces the series.
A Reflection on ‘Africans in America’
As a documentary movie, Africans in America are confronted with several hindrances and raises the doubt as to whether such a medium offers the most accepted platform for the exploration of the subject-matter. The peculiarity of the subject-matter makes the presentation specific and demanding. From Treffert’s point of view:
Of course, all film derives its power from its visual effect; the medium is in general less suited for analytical discourse than those that depend on the written word (Treffert 2000, 97).
Based on the fact that the movie is a narrative of non-celebrated people who existed before the existence of movies, there is the challenge of accentuation caused by the non availability of factual footage. It has become very difficult to tell what the movie should present.
The series has however dealt with the issue of what to show by presenting various differing images that, in a sum, have expressed a sturdy-mosaic of enduring long sufferings. The series is expressed by Perdue in the following:
There are still shots of paintings and landscapes; moving shots of rippling water and fields of wheat; occasional re-enactments of dramatic events; and interviews with 35 “talking heads,” mostly historians (those who appear most frequently are Margaret Washington, David Blight, and Norrece T. Jones Jr.) but also public figures (Colin Powell) and writers (Chinua Achebe) (Perdue 2003, 383).
At instances where possibility permits, the series is directed towards conducts of pronounced individuals who have a place in history- quite a few in episodes one and two. Bassett’s narrative of the story is done in a solemn manner, whereas Bernice ensures the provision of plaintive music. When this production is placed side by side with a movie such as Rain Man; where an articulately edited quick-paced movie with lots of distinct and highly captivating pop-music portrays autism as an essential element for shaping society’s view, there is always a point for reconsidering the production (Kael 2000, 72).
To put the point clear, mutated neuroligin- 3 molecules was used in a particular study as an extraction for testing mice from human genomes and infected mice where afterwards tested to access how social they interacted with uninfected ones- the infected mice were caged together with uninfected ones. It was realized that the infected animals retracted from interactions sooner than uninfected littermates. The infected animals were able to locate a relocated podium easier than the rest – probably as they sort to retract from social interactions. The importance of this analysis to US is that understanding movies psychologically would improve how people socialize.
Africans in America’s expression of racism could show an inauguration of a familiar and erroneous media stereotype. However, very often, movies are produced to express psychopathology due to the fact that such expressions exude the mysterious aspect of drama. In movies such as Forrest Gump (1994) or I am Sam (2001), there is the distortion of the reality of racism. Appropriate definition and usage of ups and sounds for a particular movie is equally very essential for achieving an objective of conveying an intended message to viewers. It would have been excellent for the documentary to incorporate ancient African Music such as is played in Soweto, among the Zulus, in Nigeria, among the Tivs, and so on.
As a whole, it can not be denied that the entirety of the episodes have expressed some kind of appreciable strength. The various episodes are a far wider reaching medium for expressing the slavery story as may be compared with other media such as prints. The series preset a few instances of inaccuracy, how these may not be of a worry to any person or persons except they have a deep interest in history. As illustration, the documentary supposes that a compromise of Missouri was responsible for a halt of slave-freedom, and has failed to mention the application of 1820’s law on federal territories. However, there is an excellent usage of thirty-five talking-heads; a number of them have been accomplished person in slavery history.
Conclusion
Africans in America has four serial components and was first presented at PBS in the year 1998. It is a trace of Africans path to the US through slavery. The series was penned by Fayer Steve and takes approximately 360mins. Presently, the issue of racism in the US is on the verge of a turn, even though expectedly the turn might not be so dynamic. In the entire series, there is a great reminder of black resiliencies.
The hatred which erupted in America based on the color of one’s skin is not positive for the general interest of humanity. One movie which can be compared with Africans in America, which has had a very strong message of unity, is Remember the Titans starring D. Washington. The success of the latter is based on its adaptation of football as a common ground of bringing the interest of people together.
Reference List
Kael, Peter Longman. Rain Man at Metacritic.New Yorker: Guya House, 2009.
Meltzer, Milton. Slavery: A World History. New York: A Da Capo Press, 1993.
Orwell, George. Animal farm. England: Secker and Warburg, 1945.
Perdue, Theda. Mixed Blood Indians: Racial Construction in the Early South. Georgia: The University of Georgia Press, 2003.
Ronald, Takaki. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. New York: Little, Brown & Co., 1993.
Treffert, David Anuh. Extraordinary People: Understanding Savant Syndrome. Omaha: Backinprint Universe, 2000.