This morning I was listening to some hip hop music and the artist, Saul Williams‘ “African Student Movement” song came on. Part of the chorus is a repitition of ‘African people’, which for some reason kept sticking in my head. Earlier that morning I had read an article on National Geographic about the discovery of a 36,000 year-old skull proving the 2nd migration of the human race out of Africa.
This discovery proves that at around 50,000-70,000 years ago modern humans left Africa to populate Eurasia. This is still in a theory stage, but the evidence is growing in support of the ‘Out of Africa’ Theory. Essentially this means that Africans populated the world. I also learned this theory in one of my required university science courses. I found it very interesting and extremely thought provoking given the history of the US and ‘race’. Just 60,000 years ago people from East Africa spread to the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Southern Africa. We are all Africans!
When Saul Williams is calling for African people to work together and join to build equality – he is really calling to us all. Our home is Africa! Now don’t get me wrong I am a privileged ‘white’ male with what some would say is no connection to Africa. Wrong, I feel more at ease and comfortable with my ‘black’ and African friends, I love Africa, the people, culture, and especially music. I feel for the plights of the people and work to change that. I have a strong connection to Africa and now that connection is proven even stronger. I am an African (not in the literal sense, I don’t mean to offend anyone) before and above anything else.
Alex B. Hill 