Joseph E. Holloway describes Africanisms as "those elements of culture found in the New World that are traceable to an African origin" (Holloway 2). In my opinion, Africanisms are the traditions and cultural behaviors of African Americans that resemble the traditions and cultures of Africa. Remarkably, African Americans have retained an essence of Africa in their speech, hair care, preparation of foods and beliefs over centuries of separation from the Dark Continent.
[...] Africanisms surround us daily in America. Before reading the Holloway article I did not know that the Bantu people of Central Africa had iron making skills as well as skills in architecture (Holloway 43). Bantus made the “wrought-iron balconies of New Orleans and Charleston” and were desired by slave holders for their craftsmanship (Holloway 43). It is upsetting that I am a 20-year-old African American woman that has not been told about such intelligent contributions of my race to American society until I stepped into an African American Studies course. [...]
[...] Africanisms in America Joseph E. Holloway describes Africanisms as “those elements of culture found in the New World that are traceable to an African origin” (Holloway 2). In my opinion, Africanisms are the traditions and cultural behaviors of African Americans that resemble the traditions and cultures of Africa. Remarkably, African Americans have retained an essence of Africa in their speech, hair care, preparation of foods and beliefs over centuries of separation from the Dark Continent. Nearly four hundred years of slavery in America could not destroy the Africanisms imbedded in African Americans. [...]
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