Racial capitalism does more harm than good especially to the colored individuals. It does a great deal in hindering progress in the fight against racial discrimination. Social capital should be the way to go because it promotes the community as a whole. The oppressions brought by racial capitalism are responsible for the transformation of the culture of Africans in the Diaspora in their attempt to raise against it.
The white culture has also been greatly changed as it is forced to accept economic strategies that are not discriminative such as social capitalism thereby changing their culture significantly. Colonization gave birth to slavery and slavery is what brought about the Africans in the Diaspora.
Africans had and still have their own unique culture. The mass movement of Africans from their homeland to work as slaves in their colonial master’s plantations is responsible for the cultural transfer that took place during the colonial era. Africans who moved in to the new lands took with them a rich African culture which they struggled to retain in the new land.
It was not an easy task because they also found new culture in the countries they were taken. It proved unavoidable to borrow some new way of doing things and leading their everyday life in the new lands. Their colonial masters had their own unique culture as well which was equally affected by the presence of the Africans.
A major contributing factor to the erosion of culture on both sides is probably the attempt to learn each other and the inevitable interactions that took place. There is even evidence of marriage between the two races thereby creating need for a compromised culture that accommodates both parties. As slavery was abolished in many parts of the world, the struggle for superiority between the blacks and the whites emerged.
The transformation of the African culture rode on the bocks a wide platform of audience that was emerging in the 19th century. The audience developed as a result of social changes in theatre and music. Technological advancement in technology in the 19th century also played a great role in enabling the upcoming African black artist reach a wider audience through radio, TV and the print media.
Ironically, the prolonged domination of racism and slavery and brought about the pinnacle of black culture which became very popular. This left many talented artists with no platforms of showcasing their expertise and instead they were left to entertain members of their own communities rather than being summoned by sovereigns to palaces to produce music and art aimed at praising great leaders (Clarke & Deborah, 2006).
What is most amazing is the fact that the oppressions experienced by the Africans during slavery in the new lands did not hinder their culture from spreading but rather made it popular. Slavery and colonization deprived Africans of education and a consequently reduced number of elites in their midst.
Their most talented artists were therefore left to sing and amuse their own kin men. As a corollary, throughout Africa and the Diaspora, the effort of individual musicians and the wide traditions of well-liked culture increase reputation over the festivity of aristocrats and sovereigns in privileged courts.
These artists’ talents developed diversely in music, narratives and fashion because their audience was the local community rather than the nobles (Clarke & Deborah, 2006).
They were able to develop new skills of talking to the popular audience where they addressed the fundamental issues of life and death in the deep and hidden meanings in their songs. The black culture continued to gain root through the various artistic presentations and the ability to embrace technology, improvisation and change.
This thought is metaphorically seen in jazz music as it views improvisation as key. Creativeness and thought to fresh audiences or latest practices have shaped most genres in black admired culture. The surfacing of black artists who have become famous in influential cultures can also be seen to be a causative factor towards the altering of the western culture by the African culture.
Prominent writers and philosophers have all written their work with a significant attempt to try and praise the African culture. Roland Hayes made sure that he included spirituals in his classical recitals thereby giving the African culture a significant lee way to reach a wide audience. The artists used words such as “giving back” to refer to recognizing and appreciating the black community.
The hot fire of African campaigns against racism has done a significant job in melting the cold ice of cultural discrimination. However, there are other things to consider after the ice has melted.
A major one is prejudice that is majorly based on the skin color. While it is true that racial capitalism and colonialism did a great job in shaping the African culture for the Africans in the diaspora, the same has had a significant effect of transforming the western culture.
Works Cited
Clarke, Kamari M., & Deborah A. Thomas. (2006.) Globalization and Race: Transformations in the Cultural Production of Blackness, Durham. New York Duke University Press.