A Great and Mighty Walk

In his interview titled: “a Great and Mighty Walk”, Dr. Clarke brilliantly expressed many revelatory facts regarding Africa and the state of Africans subjected to forced migration into various parts of the globe with such simplicity that the unsuspected readers may easily confound his assertions as a simple history lesson; nothing can be further from the truth, nonetheless. When scrutinizing Dr. Clarke’s approach on the state of Africa, we have to pay attention to these two important factors, namely the understanding of European imperialism in its essence along with the intended agenda to systematically destroy the African continent and its inhabitants and secondly, the fundamental importance of self-knowledge (Nosce Te Ipsum).

It will be a crucial mistake to limit our study of African origin within the perimeters of the trans-Atlantic slave trades; as Dr. Clarke pointed out; African origin goes way beyond slavery time. By all accounts, Malcolm X vehemently explain, in simplified terms, the ill-intended organized efforts made by Europeans to deliberately misinform the post-slavery African generation about their true history. Knowledge of your own history is paramount for self-actualization and sustainable societal progress. Brother Malcolm touched the quintessential aspect of the problem; that is why his message is purposely suppressed and the more compassionate, philanthropic and conciliatory rhetoric of Reverend Martin Luther King is worldly publicized as the intercessory voice for the post-slavery born Africans around the world. It is in the interest of the former slave owners to sympathize with the misery they willfully inflicted to Africans instead of allowing those same Africans to learn about their true origin. This knowledge alone represents the greatest threat to the European socio-economic influential power wherever slavery or the profit derived from slavery can be traced. Therefore, understanding the real nature of the people who enslaved Africans for centuries should be the point of beginning in studying the construct of imperialism and colonialism. Once this knowledge is grasped, the journey for the knowledge of self may begin.

In his allocution Dr. Clarke referred to the clever way the Japanese rebuild their country after two atomic bomb attacks and subsequent foreign occupation. They focused on what matters most, strengthening the family structure as it is the nucleus that produces social stability, intellectual capital and productivity. They did not sing lamentably “We shall overcome” rather they focused on their innate capacities to actually overcome. It is imperative for Africans, specifically those born during and after the slavery era, living outside of the mother land to acquire in depth knowledge of their history, politically, geographically and philosophically. This self-knowledge is a potent mix that can enable Africans to acquire and maintain spiritual integrity and durable socio-economic achievements.