The Akata journey Pt. 3 | Race and Religion

So many interesting things took place in the 19th century. Some of which, the birth of W.E.B Dubois, Booker T. Washington and Marcus Garvey. Men God decided to create who would bring change to the earth, fairness, and a hard look at why African Americans deserved the same treatment as Whites at the time because life is a birth right not a curse. But they didn’t do it alone. No, they come on heels of those like Frederick Douglass who used his talents and platform to change social reform. But those like Douglass and the spiritually led and brave Harriet Tubman  and others stood on the shoulders of those like Sojourner Truth, Nat Turner, devalued Christians who saw a problem with how they and their families and neighbors who bore the same skin as them where being treated like cattle, less than human, even legally documented as 3/5ths of a man. I believe they saw a concern that ached God's heart and accepted the obligation to be a part of the solution. And so liberation seeds were sown over centuries. And not just for African Americans but for Africans as well. 

Cameroon, Senegal, Togo, Madagascar, Congo DR,  were the first of 17 African Countries that gained their independence. Known as the ‘Year of Africa’, simultaneously, the civil rights movement was gaining tracking in American with the sit ins being demonstrated in North Caroline, the civil rights act of 1960, Freedom rides in 1961 and the march on Washington in 1963, it’s pretty clear that the black liberation seed had moved past empowerment to full blown action, leaving enormous results. With those empowered by Dubois, Washington and Garvey and many others, coupled with optimism of those like Nnamdi Azikiwe and others who participated in the independence for Nigerians and all African countries, something amazing and beautiful was taking place in the 20th century for all people bearing black melanated skin. 

Just 30 years before, a small number of Nigerians came to the U.S. as students. But it was in the 1960s that a big boom of Nigerians came to America to study as students, work as traders and build their careers. With those being empowered from us by us to be bold in fighting for our freedom, it would be a surprise to see a united front amongst Africans and Africans Americans fighting for similar liberties.

Ok…we’ve made a few but important pit stops on this ride, but here’s the stop you’ve been waiting for, the theory. I would not be surprised if Nigerians working alongside African Americans, whether in school, or at work or even social life, took on the idea that African Americans are not as equal, smart as, talented as Nigerians. I only say this because at some point, someone or more than one person wanting to use a word to describe African Americans  without making it obvious while speaking in their native tongue. So they selected a word. They need a word that reminded them of how they saw them, how they were told to see them. Slaves. Or close to slave, farmer. But isn’t there words for slaves in any Nigerian languages, why not use those? Maybe they didn’t want to see them as slaves and or offend them in that way. Next question I ask myself,  why not use farmer, well maybe you will think of a farmer instead of it’s intent to be a code word. Next best thing, farmers hat, I guess. I don’t know why they chose a word that meant straw hat one used for a farmer, but I love to talk with someone who does or also wants to find out why. Either way, they did decide to use this word  akata at some point to describe African Americans without their knowledge. Because you have to make up a word for a group of people who didn’t even exist when your language was being formed. That’s the fact of it all. No matter what part of my theory you agree or disagree with, and you're entitled to that, that fact is- someone or more than one person, down the line of history thought to use this word for African Americans, whether in a positive way or not, and didn’t want anyone including Africans Americans, who didn’t understand their language, to understand what and who they were talking about. It eventually grew and turned into what we know of it today. Listen I’m not saying I’m 100 correct in my theory. But I do think I’m on to something.

So what do you think? Would you agree with this theory? Or do you have information that would help confirm it? Or do you find this theory not possible? Tell me why. I would love to hear from you in the comments.