Back in the Day - When Black was Quite Alright

Paradigm Change

This hub, centred on historical aspects of the principal African attribute, discusses issues a little more important than 'the little black dress,' or whether Krishna, the Indian deity means 'Black' or 'the Dark One.' As far as this goes, the jury is likely to be out for quite some time.

Anthropological and Cultural issues especially in matters concerning 'the Dark Continent' excite so much incredulity that even when the evidence is carved in stone, theories are developed with the aim of denying the validity of the evidence. However, moral duty aside, there is still enough evidence out there, although the world is still so occupied with other issues, that it still finds it more diverting to accentuate the most unknown, misunderstood, and negative aspects of African history. For example, as long as Barak Hussein Obama remains President, he is more White than Black. As a rapper or Career Criminal, he would automatically be classified Black. BTW, this is what is known as Colour Prejudice. In certain countries, Blackness comes at a heavy price, and in the Land of the Free, Freedom is Relative. There are more Black Men in Prison than in Higher Education. Could this be the reason why Skin-Lightening Creams and Peelings are so popular?

Blaming the Victim

As a result of the subliminal intention to legitimize certain historical issues, the greater proportion of research appears to be directed by an under-current of persistent subliminal Justification, Some issues are ignored as appropriate topics for academic and historical research, and most positive statements are interpreted as apologies, while such prominent philosophers as Hugh Trevor Roper dismiss the issue of African history by denying its very existence. This displays the classic syndrome of Blaming the Victim which was already widely installed before it became a recognized theory. Remarks based on academic myopia, lack of research and even plain ignorance are routinely accepted as authoritative pronouncements.

Two almost embarassingly complimentary remarks, separated by more than a century, were published in 1969. The first was made by the Frenchman Count Volney, based on personal experience- 'How we are astonished..when we reflect that to the race of Negroes, at present our slaves, and the objects of our contempt, we owe our arts, sciences...' The second was by Basil Davidson, the eminent historian - '...it now seems perfectly clear that the vast majority of predynastic Egyptians were of continental African stock, and even of central-west Saharan origins..' (Van Sertima)

it took several centuries for this positive image of the African and of Blackness to be completely eroded and replaced with fashionable prejudices, such as the images of starvation now being disemminated world-wide by the modern media, which are destined to determine the accepted image of Africa for millenia to come, with the same pride and self-serving confidnce as when slavery was regarded as a divinely-ordained approach to cleansing the black soul of the African. But contrary to current belief, positive images were already accepted in the New World at least two thousand years before Columbus landed. Marco Polo, the Portuguese explorer related a south Indian (Dravidian) tradition according to which:

'...when a cnild is born they annoint him once a week with oil of sesame, and this makes him much darker than when he was born. For I assure you that the darkest man is here the most highly esteemed and considered better than those who are not so dark. Let me tell you that in very truth these people portray and depict their gods and idols black and their devils white as snow. For they say that God and all the saints are black and the devils are all white...'
(Latham)

In certain parts of the world, the Nordic Cliche of Beauty is a post-colonization arrival.

This tradition of deification was followed along a broad line stretching from China to the Philipines. in Unexpected Faces in early Asia, James E Brunson, reporting on a tradition related by the Chinese historian Nan Tsi Chou, confirms that 'the Chinese consider black the most beautiful.'(Rashidi, Runoke). In traditional Chinese opera, ' ...a black face is considered nobler. Actors wear masks that denote the character's qualities. A predominantly black face indicates courage, righteousness and incorruptibilty. A predominantly white face indicates craftiness, deceit and knavery. Ming Dynasty China records even state that Caucasians, especially blondes, are physically unattractive - "Huihui are shaggy with big noses, and Qipchags have light hair and blue eyes. Their appearance is vile and peculiar, so there are those who do not wish to marry them' (Lipman).

In the Philippines, 'although modern Filippinos prize the "high nosed", oval-faced European-blooded individual as beautiful, some even going as far as to pinch their children's nose bridges in the hopes of achieving a higher nose, this has not always been the case. Prior to European colonization, the ancient Visayans, as well as some other Austronesian peoples in Malaysia and Indonesia, compressed their babies' skulls to achieve broad faces with receding foreheads and flat noses. The Minahasa of [the] Celebes even restricted [the privilege of] binding wth a forehead board, to the nobility.'

According to Lipman, 'This distaste for blondes is a stark contrast to the worship of European standards of beauty so prevalent among modern Asians. Today's Chinese boast about their Caucasian sons-in-law or husbands. Instead of attributing the worship of whites, or the vilification of whites for that matter, to "natural" perceptions of "natural" hierarchy, it should be remembered that standards...shift over time.'

Black is only a single one among the colors traditionally employed to denote the different phenotypes. The soon-to-be Rulers of the World are usually described as yellow-skinned. One wonders whether, if the Human Race lasts for long enough, the phenotypical paradigm will eventually run the whole gamut from White to Red, or any of the other colors.

References

1 Latham, R (trans). The Travels of Marco Polo.

2. Lipman, Jonathan. Familiar Strangers: A History of Muslims in Northwest China.

3. Rashidi, Runoke (ed). African Presence in Early Asia.

4. Van Sertima. They came before Columbus.