An investigation of the erasure of African history could create new imaginings that would considerably improve the struggle for women’s empowerment in modern societies. This research paper studies The African Slave Trade Account, The Consular Sheet to the U.S. Department of State, and a 1998 White House Publication to determine the representation of women in pre-colonial and post-colonial Africa communities.
The primary purpose is to uncover erased knowledge in the African past that may aid in envisioning racial justice among African-American women in society now. The Ancient African tribes saw women as leaders in society owing to their maternal instincts of caring. Today, empowering African American women is crucial to the health and socioeconomic development of families, communities, and nations. The new method needs that the community reawakens to the importance of maternal instincts in influencing decision-making vital to successful leadership. With the rising existential risks in a world confronting climate change catastrophe and existential geopolitical conflicts, all women must be empowered to contribute their maternal instincts in global leadership.
Lives of the African and African-American People: Lives of the Post-Colonial African and African-American People
The post-colonial Africa is mainly characterized by the influence of the colonization of the continent, breaking Ancient civilizations that had been practiced for generations. As in Figure 2, The African Slave Trade Account portrays the attitude of the Europeans to the dehumanization of Africans in the slave trade (Cairnes & M’Henry, 1863). The commerce spurred the intercontinental migration of people, forming the foundation for the existence of the African-American people in continental America (The U.S. Department of State, 1998). The African slave trade refers to the transatlantic trade of enslaved African people transferred to the Americas and the Caribbean to be used as forced labor (Cairnes A. M., & M’Henry, G., 1863). This trade originated in the 16th century and persisted until the 19th century, when it was outlawed (Galor, 2022).
The enslaved Africans were abducted from different locations, but most came from West and Central Africa. The transatlantic slave trade had a tremendous influence on African Americans, the descendants of Africans who were transported to the Americas during this period. African Americans have a long and complicated history in the United States, and the legacy of slavery continues to influence them to this day.
Post-Colonial African and African-American People Intersectional Theory Perceptive
An intersectional examination of the experience of colonial Africa uncovers overlapping systems of oppression. The African Slave Trade Account illustrates the interlocking systems of racial, class, and gender oppression (Cairnes A. M., & M’Henry, G., 1863). As established, the slave trade has been related to the dehumanization of African women based on their sexual orientation, aptitude, and age (Gates, 2022).
Corresponding with our racial, gender, and class identities, we have faced on the macro level of society the systems of racism, Patriarchy, and capitalism. In such a system, women are generally discriminated against and disenfranchised, and their empowerment is constrained. As illustrated in Figure 3, The 1998 White House Publication, women are subject to uneven access to education, healthcare, and economic prospects (The White House, 1998). Additionally, patriarchal norms and prejudices might hinder women’s involvement in decision-making and their capacity to express their rights. This may have a detrimental influence on women’s capacity to achieve their potential and contribute to society on an equal footing with men.
The Capitalism Function in Slavery Mindset
The capitalistic worldview sparked the rising desire for power, spurring the need for enslaved people who would supply cheap work. The forces of racism, Patriarchy, and capitalism are systems of oppression and systems of privilege. From the standpoint of The African Slave Trade Account, capitalism was embraced as an economic system in which the means of production, such as factories and farms, were owned and managed by private persons or companies for profit (Cairnes & M’Henry, 1863).
In the context of slavery, capitalism had a crucial role in the transatlantic slave trade and the exploitation of slave labor in the Americas. The riches earned through the exploitation of slave labor were a driving factor behind the rise of capitalist economies in the Americas. Slavery was also utilized to create commodities, like cotton and sugar, in great demand in European markets, further contributing to the expansion of capitalism. Exploiting slave labor was an inherent feature of the capitalist system and played a significant role in its growth.
The destruction of African civilization was sometimes rationalized with the misguided idea of exploiting the labor of the captive victims to generate value. With such dehumanization of individuals and the breakdown of African societal culture, women fell exposed to chauvinistic western civilizations. The macro-level inter-sectionalism theorists envisage a society where racism, Patriarchy, and capitalism work from the top down as systems of oppression.
These depict power dynamics between white-black, men-women, and capitalists-workers. At the macro level, Patriarchy, racism, and capitalism are systems of ideas and values as well as systems of relationships. Racism, Patriarchy, and capitalism also symbolize anticipated behaviors and relationships. In situations of racism and Patriarchy, these belief systems are frequently played out in face-to-face encounters when whites and males seek to compel blacks and women into conforming views, notably in religion.
Lives of the Contemporary African-American People
The slave trade has influenced the lives of the American American people, and notably the African American women people to date. The lives of modern African Americans are influenced by a range of elements, including their particular histories, experiences, and situations. Some African Americans have achieved significant success and have earned high levels of education, income, and social prestige (The White House, 1998).
Others may encounter problems such as poverty, prejudice, and uneven access to education and economic opportunities. Many African American women are engaged in their communities and are participating in attempts to solve social and economic concerns impacting their communities (Byfield, 2014). However, there are restrictions to the ideal self-actualization of African American women due to the imbalance of their capitalistic environment from the traditional perspective of women as leaders with insight. Overall, the lives of modern African Americans reflect the richness and complexity of the African American experience in the United States.
Functions of Institutions in Pre-Colonial African Societies
The pre-colonial African societies had developed to have robust governance systems that would maintain the cultural integrity of societies. Pre-colonial African nations had a range of political systems and types of government. From The Consular Sheet to the U.S. Department of State, the Ghanaian society is deemed to be regulated with a tight legal framework but still confronts issues in instituting peace and economic stability outside Accra (The U.S. Department of State, 1998).
However, the stories appear verified since experts have uncovered adequate governing mechanisms in pre-colonial Africa. As depicted in Figure 1, west African civilizations were structured as small-scale, decentralized groups with democratic decision-making systems (Cairnes & M’Henry, 1863). Others were structured as more significant, centralized states with a hierarchy of leaders and a system of laws and government (Galor, 2022). In many situations, the government in pre-colonial Africa was founded on a blend of conventions, traditions, and religious beliefs, and decisions were typically determined via consultation and consensus-building among community members. The precise system of governance of a given pre-colonial African community would rely on its unique history, culture, and political context.
Impact Analysis from the Mezzo Level Analysis
According to the mezzo analysis, state and municipal governments, the health care system, educational institutions, and organizations are all crucial to the cultural stability of societies. In typical dynamics, despite being made up of people, societies, institutions, and organizations take on a life of their own that symbolizes the collective. They carry out their mandate or represent their members by rules and norms. Institutions and organizations are between macro or societal and individual levels. As in the case of black women, those who experience oppression due to their social position work to change macro-level values, beliefs, and laws and translate them into institutions and organizations at the mezzo level (Hartman, 2019).
The incidental contacts on the street, in elevators, in stories, and during introductions are examples of the micro level of face-to-face interactions. When taken as a whole, the traits that make up stakeholders were building a social system that could expose women to the relatively aggressive capitalistic models of modern civilizations.
Functions of Institutions in Post-Colonial African-American Societies
There are differing points of view regarding institutions’ function in modern cultures, particularly in terms of upending the racial and capitalistic paradigms. Numerous implications of capitalism as an economic system for women are possible (Cairnes & M’Henry, 1863). Capitalism may provide women the chance to become economically independent and assertive. Women can create their enterprises or work in the workforce and make money.
However, women may suffer adverse repercussions from capitalism. For instance, as women may experience discrimination at work and receive lower pay than males for performing the same tasks. In addition, the demands of capitalism may result in the paid and unpaid exploitation of women’s labor. Women who experience such distress may have psychological suffering that affects their personality and thinking. Generally speaking, depending on the unique conditions and setting, the consequences of capitalism on women can be complicated and diverse. The inherent maternal instinct that was distinctive of African women in pre-colonial communities may be lost as the African American population becomes increasingly susceptible.
Erasure in the Select Archives
Erasure of African History from Lecture Resources’ Perspective
The African Slave Trade Account, The Consular Sheet to the U.S. Department of State, and a 1998 White House Publication portrays women as objects subject to institutional control. In Ancient African societies, the nature of women was highly esteemed, but this has been largely forgotten. Similar cases of misinterpretations of the women and the youth as only servants are evident in printings as depicted in newspaper printings (Byfield, 2014).
Traditionally, women played leadership roles in ancient Africa, particularly spiritual and political roles. Scholars have demonstrated that ancient African women played significant roles in their communities. As early as 10,000 BCE, these women made significant contributions to the African continent’s spiritual, political, and economic development (Cairnes & M’Henry, 1863). The African woman is portrayed as an individual with a particular connection with divinity.
For instance, regarding spiritual roles, ancient African women frequently held influential spiritual roles that garnered respect and admiration from society. Unlike the violent depiction of black women, female leaders in ancient Africa who held positions as oracles, spirit mediums, seers, and advisors dominated the spiritual system throughout the land (Hartman, 2019). In Egypt and Nubia, for instance, Africans worshiped Isis, the queen of all goddesses (Ephirim-Donkor, 2021). Women were responsible for ceremonies, rites, and rituals; therefore, African women significantly impacted spiritualism and religion. Thus, the societies that resulted from their efforts were characterized by women’s political and spiritual dominance.
African Women in Political Roles
Africa’s pre-capitalist and matriarchal societies permitted women to exercise substantial political control. An archetypal instance of this cultural practice was discovered in ancient Egypt (Ephirim-Donkor, 2021). Egyptian women managed real estate, enslaved people, livestock, endowments, and annuities in 3000 BCE. In addition, as a result of its matrilineal nature, Egyptian society featured inheritance and descent through female-led channels (Galor, 2022). The misrepresentation of the minority representation is equally evident in census projects that enshrined discrimination in data collection as depicted in epistemological racial categorization (Brunsma & Rockquemore, 2002). The bias further disadvantages the African women as the data misinformed decision making that is deprived of women’s voices.
In many African nations, the significant number of women such as queens who were female ensured that the needs of women were met. For instance, Queens like Makeda, who ruled the people directly around 960 BCE, were as fierce and warrior-like as beautiful and intelligent (Saidi, 2020). Makeda was one of a long line of virgin queens in the kingdom of Sheba on the Red Sea in present-day Ethiopia.
Only Egypt surpassed Ethiopia in terms of wealth and prestige during these times. Consequently, Makeda, the Queen of Sheba, wielded significant influence and power in African commerce and trade with other cultures, including the Islamic and Jewish. Ancient African women were portrayed as societal leaders primarily due to their maternal, nurturing nature. Developing a new perspective on the empowerment of women requires this perspective.
The class materials develop similar perspectives on women, emphasizing the impact of slavery on the destabilization of ancient African culture and order, which dehumanized African women. For instance, Amilcar Cabral shows the African man’s desperation to seek economic freedom, directly affecting women’s quality of life (Barker, 1976, pp. 23).
In the Ar’n’tI a Woman?, the author acknowledges that the images of African-American women that emerged during the era of slavery reflect the fact that black men and women did not experience slavery in the same way (White, 1999). The broad outline of racial oppression was comparable for both sexes, as was the general method by which the race resisted and survived. Nonetheless, within the institution of racial slavery, there were separate systems for women and men (Ephirim-Donkor, 2021). The experience was partly due to enslavers’ different expectations for male and female slaves (Fuentes, 2016). Different expectations resulted in different responsibilities, frequently determining the male or enslaved woman’s life chances. There is growing evidence that women may have experienced tremendous psychological suffering due to their emotional nature.
Conclusion
The erasure of the precolonial African women’s power has exposed African American women to psychological distress, which may be limiting their natural impacts on global leadership. In ancient African civilization, as leaders, priestesses, traders, cultivators, soothsayers, wives, and mothers, women occupied critical roles in the breakthroughs that have shaped the course of African history. The turbulent years that followed the first contact of West and Central Africa with Europe were marked by the rise of women with formidable political skills and social vision. In light of the escalating global crisis caused by climate change and geopolitical conflicts, which threaten the social fabric, efforts must empower women to investigate the ancient African view of women as key leaders.
References
Barker, J. (1976). Return to the source, selected speeches by Amilcar Cabral. Monthly Review Press.
Brunsma, D. L., & Rockquemore, K. A. (2002). What does “Black” mean? Exploring the epistemological stranglehold of racial categorization. Critical Sociology, 28(1), 101-121. Web.
Byfield, N. (2014). Savage portrayals: Race, media and the Central Park jogger story. Temple University Press.
Hartman, S. (2019). Wayward lives, beautiful experiments: Intimate histories of riotous Black girls, troublesome women, and queer radicals. WW Norton & Company.
Cairnes A. M., & M’Henry, G., (1863). Southern confederacy and the African slave trade. Price Sixpence, 322(8). Web.
Ephirim-Donkor, A. (2021). African spirituality: On becoming ancestors. Rowman & Littlefield.
Fuentes, M. J. (2016). Dispossessed lives: Enslaved women, violence, and the archive. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Gates Jr, H. L. (2022). The Black church: This is our story, this is our song. Penguin.
Galor, O. (2022). The journey of humanity: The origins of wealth and inequality. Penguin.
Saidi, C. (2020). Women in pre-colonial Africa. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of African History.
The U.S. Department of State., (1998) Consular information sheet. Washington Press. Web.
The White House, (1998) Remarks by the First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton at a roundtable discussion with Senegalese women on their efforts to eliminate FGM. Washington Press. Web.
White, D. G. (1999). Ar’n’t I a woman?: Female slaves in the plantation South. WW Norton & Company.
Appendix
