The Woman, Ancestor Stones.

Ancestor Stones, by Aminatta Forna was a wonderful novel that shed light the lives of women in a new way. In the novels that we read before this women where not a topic subject rather the warfare and colonization by the Europeans was. I learned that women provided many things for their husbands, children and community.

Since men in the areas we have studied seemed to be the heads of the house, the spouse to numerous, and father to many I just figured they we in charge of everything. Truth is they aren't. Women seem to take the lead in many roles such as provider of food and in a sense the head of the household. In this novel, (Ancestor Stones) women are the ones who do all the fishing and cooking. I think the procedures of fishing are done very beautifully for you don't just run down to the banks and cast your nets. You must wait for the wife that is the favorite and follow her lead. "The women slipped and scrambled down the bank into the water like buffalo on a collapsing cliff. They were jostled for the prize spots close to the bank or else midstream." (pg. 60) This passage produces great imagery for the reader for I can see all these women run down the sands.

Also, I found it very interesting that the women are given a name by their husbands upon their marriage. When I compare that to present day U.S. beliefs I see the similarities but it seems odd that we are comparable. In the U.S. as we all now the wife normally (not in all cases) takes the mans last night as her own. In both cases the women typically have no say, it is a newer belief here in the states that the woman keeps her own or the man will take hers. There are still a lot of disputes over this process.

Diamond Wars

Diamonds symbolize many things including wealth and love but in Africa they are a sign of death, power, and terror. The Diamond wars in Africa promote violence almost on the same level as the slave trade once did. Across African war is being fuel by the government and rebels as a mask for this smuggling enterprise. This stone the diamond, also known as the conflict stone or blood diamonds, comes from the mines and rivers of Africa ranging from Angola to the Congo. Diamonds in these areas fund rebel groups like the UNITA (Union for the Total Independence of Angola) and the RUF (Revolutionary United Front).

The conflict stones are diamonds from areas controlled by forces against legitimate governments and are used to fund their military actions. These stones have been used to rebels to obtain firearms and other illegal items. It is hard to trace the origin of a diamond once it has been brought to market and impossible once its been polished. For this reason it makes it hard to catch those in rebel groups.

Blood diamonds as some people know them(thanks to the fill starring Leonard di Caprio) are just another way of describing the brutality behind the diamond extraction from Africa. In places such as Sierra Leone, people had their hands, arms, feet, lips, and ears chopped off during a civil war pushed by diamonds as punishment.

However bad diamonds may seen there are some instance where diamonds are seen as life giving gifts, a way out of exile and poverty. At the bottom of muddy rivers in areas near Sierra Leone many rebel free families and individuals search for the powerful diamonds a way of escaping poverty. If a family or individual was to find a diamond they would be able to afford school, to help their family eat, to help their village expand, or they could possibly escape Africa altogether.
It seems ironic that the stone that stands for love and matrimony in one culture (the US) also stands for death and war (Africa). The diamond race in Africa reminds me of the slave trade so much. No, people aren't being killed as freely but there is still drive to conquers others land for diamonds and the murdering for self gain. It is disgusting.

"It has been said that war is the price of peace… Angola and Sierra Leone have already paid too much. Let them live a better life."

--Ambassador Juan Larrain, Chairman of the Monitoring Mechanism on sanctions against UNITA.

"Diamonds are forever" it is often said. But lives are not.We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations and death for the sake of conflict diamonds."
--Martin Chungong Ayafor, Chairman of the Sierra Leone Panel of Experts

Female Genital Mutiliation

The Ancestors Stone novel was a very powerful book that showed us how over time things in this family changed and adapted to the white mans way. There were many things in this novel that disturbed me both nothing more than the subject of FGM, female genital mulitation. FGM is known by numerous names: female circumcision, female genital cutting and anything that refers to partial or total removal of the external female genitalia. It can be done for either cultural, religious, or non-therapeutic reasons.

This social custon started occuring about 2000 years ago in what Muslims call "al-gahiliyyah" the era of ignorance, amongst different African tribes as a custon not a religious act. The procedure can occur anywhere after birth to some time before a girls first pregnancy, most of the cases occur between the ages of four and ten. There are numerous side effects to FGM: death, infection, HIV, tumors, hermorrhages, shock, kidney stones, sterility, depression, and sexual dysfunction.

There are four different versions of this procedure according to the WHO, World Health Orginization.
1. Type I: "Is the total or partial removal of the clitoris or the prepuce. It results in the scarring and nerve damage." Also known as Sunna Circumcision.

2. Type II: "Is the total or partial removal of the clitoris and the labia minora with or without excision of the labia majora." Also known as Clitoridectomy.

3. Type III: "Is the narrowing of the vaginal orifice with creation of a covering seal by cutting and appositioning the labia minora and the labia majora. This is the most extensive form of FGM and about 10% of all FGM are done this way. This procedure removes lots of tissue and leaves the labia majora held together by thorns and stitches. In the bush the procedure is normally done by a midwife and no anesthesia is issued. " Also known as Infibulation.
4. Type IV: "Is all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes: pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterization. These methods are primarily found in isolated ethnic groups. "

This procedure is practiced in many different countries but is the most populous in Africa. There are 14 counties that are known to practice these forms of mutilation:

1. Burkina Faso uses type II but there is now a law im place that says no to FGM,.

2. Central African Republic uses types I and II but since 1996 there has been a law in place jailing and fining those caught.

3. Cote d'Ivoire uses type II and fines and jails those caught and also has a penalty if a death is caused.

4. Djibouti uses type II but if you are caught you are jailed for five years and fined.

5. Egypt uses types I, II, and III but it has a ban on it, however, many tribes and villages still practice this belief.

6. Eritrea uses types I, II, and III and only in the last year has put a ban on it.

7. Ghana uses types I, II, and III but doesn't strongly enforce its laws against FGM.

8. Guinea uses I, II, and III but they have harsh punishments if you are found guilty you are punished with hard labor for life and if the female dies then they are sentenced to death.

9. Nigeria uses types I, II, and III but has no ban on it so the people are free to still practice FGM.

10. Senegal uses types II and III and it is seen as a criminal act that is punishable by prison time.

11. Sudan uses types I, II, and III and there is no law prohibiting it but there have been a few arrests made over type III.

12. Tanzania uses types II and III, they also have a law against it which places people in jail and fines them but there has yet to be anyone procecuted.

13. Togo uses type II if you are caught preforming FGM there is prison time and fines, if you know that someone is preforming this and don't turn them in you can also be jailed and fined.

14. Uganda uses types I and II and there is no law against it.

Jomo Kenyatta for President!!

Jomo Kenyatta can be accredited with many things but we should solute him for his accomplishments in Kenya. He was not only the first Prime Minister but also the first President and considered the founding father of Kenya. He came from nothing and ended with a legacy including schools, roads and airports named after him. No matter who are you, you have to agree that he has done a lot and saved countless.

Jomo Kenyatta was born in 1889 in Kamau wa Ngengi in the village of Negenda, Gatundu, in British East Africa which later became Kenya. He was a member of the Kikuyu people also known as Agikuyu, which is the most populous group in Africa. His parents were Muigai and Wambui and also had a stepbrother James Muigai but there is little information available about then and Jomo’s early life. However, after his parents died he was placed in the care and teachings of his grandfather, a medicine man, and also his uncle Ngengi.

He began his schooling after taking an interest in the customs and culture he was raised in. His first place of schooling was at the Scottish Mission Center in Thogoto. While in schooling away from his hometown he can under the influence of Christianity and was converted in 1914. His Christian name was John Peter but it was later changed to Johnstone Kamau and eventually in 1938 it became Jomo.
After his schooling he moved to Nairobi during the First World War to live with relatives and to work as a clerk. After the war he became a storekeeper for a European firm and started to show his African pride in a beaded belt he wore. Eventually he married to a Grace Wahu and they had two children Peter and Margaret.

He finally entered the world of politics in 1924 and became active in the KCA, Kikuyu Central Association, which eventually made him as a representative of the Kikuyu land problems. He made many different appearances in their name. He also published his own newspaper, Muigwithania which talked about his culture and farming methods. Finally, in 1930 he returned home to fight for the women of his country and the issue of female circumcision.

After much traveling, teaching, and marriages he finally returned to Kenya where he was appoint President of the Kenya African Union. However, many white settlers weren’t happy with this and he was arrested in 1952 for his involvement with the Mau Mau rebellion and was jailed for seven years. On June 1st, 1963 he became prime minister of the Kenyan government. At the end of the year they declared independence and became a republic and Kenyatta was the first leader in the new nation.

Quotes by Kenyatta:
--"When the Missionaries arrived, the Africans had the Land and the Missionaries had the Bible. They taught us how to pray with our eyes closed. When we opened them, they had the land and we had the Bible.”

--"The European condemns the Africans for having two wives yet he keeps two mistresses"
--"I have no intention of retaliating or looking backwards. We are going to forget the past and look forward to the future."

How Europe Underdeveloped Africa

The Underdevelopment of Africa, by Walter Rodney was a wonderful piece of information that helped me to decipher facts and ideas that were presented to me in other places in this class. It also presented me new information about African culture and the true nature behind the slave trades.

What I found to be most interesting and new was the concept of music in the African villages and towns. Music could represent many different things to the African people; it could be used in birth, initiation marriage, death, recreation, or just to celebrate something small within the community. "Music and dance had key roles in 'uncontaminated' African societies." I like how music was a thing to celebrate to show off the skills of one drummer to another. I feel that their music is more heartfelt and inspiring than that of the present day Americans. Very few of us create our own music or use in a celebratory way, our music is taken for granted.

My favorite line in this piece came early on and it was, "We should speak in terms of cultures rather than civilizations for a culture is total way of life. It embraces what people ate and what they wore; the way they walked and the way they talked; the manner in which they treated death and greeted the new-born." (chapter 2). I liked this because it should that just like everyone else Africans are very distinct and they vary from place to place just like everyone else. I think this is quote that should be used to show that inside we are all the same looking for the same things and we all deal with our own unique hardships. Just because the color of our skin is different doesn't make anyone any less human.

There was another quote that I found interesting and disturbing at the same time, "The title of this section is deliberately chosen to call attention to the fact that the shipments were all by Europeans to markets controlled by Europeans, and this was in the interest of European capitalism and nothing else." This is of interest to me because there were many different slave trades going on the Arab slave trade, the trans-Atlantic slave trade, the East Africa slave trade but ultimately they were all started, founded, control by the Europeans and they were the ones who gained the most out of any trade. It is sick to see that one continent can wreck such havoc on another and be proud of the profit they gain.

This piece by Rodney touches on many sore and depressing subjects it was hard to read. It's sad to think that until reading these excerpts and other novels in this class that I really had no idea what went on in the slave trades. It was more than just forcing slaves onto an over crowded boat. These pieces show a truth that many are to ignorant to understand or accept.

** here is a good video link on the present day Arab Slave trade in the Sudan!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpYTusFqeDM