Something Torn and New

In this week’s freshman seminar class, a lecture was given by Dr. Mario Beatty. Dr. Betty lectured on the topic of Abandonment and Dismemberment: "Something Torn and New". He explained to us how even though our people were taken from their homeland, parts of our culture still traveled with us. Parts of African culture are still preserved in the modern African American as well. Three examples of this are modern music, modern language, and maroon societies.

One way African culture is preserved is through modern music. Dr Betty said that “music-features of antiphony, group nature, pervasive functionality, improvisational character, strong relationship in performance to dance and bodily movements and expression” all reflect African Culture. I agree with what Dr. Betty said. Black people founded most modern music. Hip hop and rock and roll were both started by black people. Music and rhythms were essential to African culture, so it’s no surprise that black people play a major role in music.

Another way African culture is preserved is through language. Dr Betty explained how ancient Egyptian and African language did not use copula verb to link subject noun and adjective, non-inversion of subject. He also said this still applies today through slang and Ebonics. I definitely agree with this because it is easily proven. I hear it every day from my mouth and my friends. It just naturally happens.

One last way Dr. Betty said we preserved African cultural is through maroon societies. Maroon societies were groups of black people forming communities in places like forests. They would come together and refused to be entrapped in slavery. This part of the lecture made me thing of similar society of black people in Tulsa Oklahoma during the 1920’s known as the “Black Wall Street”. They were a community of black people that did everything amongst themselves. Many of the blacks in the community were millionaires.

Dr. Betty’s lecture help connect African history and culture to modern culture. His lecture along with the past two have helped me see how African ideals are still alive today .