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