I also think that freedom fighters here developed respect and admiration for the Mau Mau rebels in Kenya and their fight against colonization. This had to have played a role in them studying the history of that region and adopting Swahili.
Pretty much how I remembered it. Kenya and the Mau Mau rebellion resonated with Blacks here as early as the 1950s, setting the stage for interest in East African culture and Swahili language.
alluded to in the book excerpt
another excerpt from the book from above
" Yet Kenya, cognizant of its ties over the years to Black America, went further down the road of Pan-Africanism than most, with a bill introduced in
the legislature in 1968 which, if enacted, would have granted automatic citizenship to Africans in the diaspora, not to mention the creation of a Ministry
of Pan-African Affairs, led by Koinange, which had a similar portfolio.
Yet, he could not stall a remarkable rise in
interest among African Americans in all things East African, which has puzzled many contemporary commentators who thought they should have been
intrigued instead by West Africa but these critics failed to grasp the impact of
“Mau Mau.” Thus, the use of Swahili became de rigueur, terms such as Uhuru
and Harambee, names such as Malaika (the adopted name of my sister), and
Tamu became popular. There were demands to teach Swahili in schools and
universities and the leading Black Panther, Raymond Hewitt, took the name
“Masai.”79 The embodiment of the cultural nationalist trend embodied by this
turn to East Africa—Maulana Karenga of Southern California—accelerated
this tendency when he formed the “Simba Wachanga” or Young Lions, youth
trained in martial arts and weaponry; this adherence to Swahili was also
reflected in the continuing adoption of the late December holiday known as
Kwanzaa.8"
A growing wave of African Americans are relocating to Kenya, citing the need to connect with their history and culture, or "coming home,” a phrase often used among the Black community.
Corretta Scott King reportedly dated the first Kenyan person to obtain a PHD ... this man would be a part of the force that help lead to Kenyan (quasi) independence
we've had well established links and diasporas all over the world for centuries... its these relationships and cross pollination that undergirded all fruitful black social moments here and elsewhere that deliberately gets eliminated from popular American accounts of history
the continuation and expansion of such links has been under vicious attack
Interesting considering Kenya is having some issues currently. With that said, more of the diaspora moving to important African countries could make a world of difference in terms of creating opportunities for political maturation. At the same time, it provides a much safer space for Black people to exist as they are.
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