Subject: Exploring The Nations of Africa - An Afrikin Journey To The Motherland
One of our goals here at AfriKin is to bridge the gap between the continent and the diaspora, bringing us closer to the Motherland. With so many different nations, countries, cultures, traditions and histories to get ourselves familiar with, we're starting a new series featuring guest contributors from around the diaspora and at home who will be sharing personal stories, family histories, customs, beliefs and their love for their hometown in Africa.
During the first few months of 2021, we'll be sharing stories of sipping tea and breadmaking with the elders in Morocco, scuba diving and fishing in Madagascar, historical tours in Nigeria, an educational and empowerment program for women and children in Gambia and we'll climb high in the mountain regions of Ethiopia to learn about the finest gourmet coffee in the world. We are so excited to have you here with us as we learn together what it means to be AfriKin in the world today.
Zuma Rock is a large natural monolith in Niger State, Nigeria. It is depicted on the 100 naira note, the currency of Nigeria.
In the month where we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, we revisit his trip to Nigeria, which was one of only two trips he took to the continent during his lifetime. In November 1960, at the age of 31 King traveled to Lagos to attend the inauguration of Nnamdi Azikiwe as Nigeria’s first governor-general of African descent.
Azikiwe, who received education in the US at Lincoln University, later became the first president of Nigeria from 1963-1966. He was a life-long advocate of African independence and social justice which was a shared vision with Langston Hughes while attending Lincoln together. He had personally invited King to take part in the official inauguration festivities.
When King traveled to Nigeria the liberation struggles there and in other African nations were having a profound impact on the American civil rights movement. Noting that Azikiwe and other African leaders were “popular heroes on most Negro college campuses,” King called the African liberation movement “the greatest single international influence on American Negro students,” offering the young people hope and guidance in their own struggle for freedom (King, “The Time for Freedom”).
There was little known about the trip as King did not do any press conferences, interviews or record in letters that we know of, that is until a recording given a month after King's return was uncovered in an attic in Tennessee in 2012, and helped shed light on the visit. In the quote below King explains the importance of the civil rights movement both in the United States and abroad.
Dr. King's African trips were an important period in black history and gave Africans living in the diaspora a more unified identity. As we shine a light on the civil rights struggles of the past, and the work we need to do today, let's look at Dr. King's work in a way where we acknowledge the journey of our ancestors and what they have done and gone through to get us to the promised land.
We now hold the torch and it is our responsibility to ensure we are continually moving forward out of darkness in to light. King was compelled to carry on the work of his father, who had been deeply influenced by Marcus Garvey's Back To Africa Movement in the 1920s. His lasting legacy is a roadmap for future generations to follow to unlock the key to understanding that it is only by coming together and working together will the world see any change. "Darkness cannot drive out darkness. Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." -- MLK,Jr. This is the AfriKin model and a part of our global identity.
Look forward to our next issue as we begin our full journey into Nigeria. Have a wonderful weekend. See you soon.
Nicola Edman
Executive Director
AfriKin Foundation
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