by Kwado Cinque Akofena
From my perspective as a New Afrikan Spiritualist, by this I mean the spirit ‘essence’ of being a New Afrikan and for me this is embodied in Points #1 and #14 of the New Afrikan Creed:
#1. i believe in the spirituality, humanity, and genius of Black People, and in Our new pursuit of these values.
#14. i will keep myself clean in body, dress, and speech; knowing that i am a light set on a hill, a true representative of what We are building.
Indeed, becoming ‘gaining’ a New Afrikan personality is an internal cleaning process because we have been dirtied ‘stained’ wounded deeply by white supremacy. Thus from a New Afrikan Spirituality perspective the New Afrikan personality is foundated on the pillars of ‘self-healing’ (internal reparations) and external ‘self-determination’ (nation-building).
Yes, becoming “a light shining on a hill” is a ‘uphill’ daily cleansing process to overcome being tainted by internalized trauma and oppression. Slavery's dirtiness was imposed on our enslaved Ancestors, the light of their specific Afrikan traditions was forcibly covered with the darkness of inferiority and lowliness.
Our Ancestors were debased to the fullest, significantly losing their traditional Afrikaness position of worth, value, and dignity. This dirtiness devaluing caused inner darkness: the darkness of self-hatred, the darkness of mental disorders, and the darkness of negative emotions; this darkness would also come to entail alcohol /drug addiction and criminality.
Overcoming this inner darkness requires much more depth and comprehensiveness than just transforming a criminal mentality into a revolutionary mentality; requires much more than just reading books ‘revolutionary intellectualism’ as a form of political cognitive therapy.
Part of Point #14 of the New Afrikan Creed says “I will keep myself clean in body” which means the whole body that includes the mind. Expanded current research shows the body has 4 minds: a mind in the brain, a mind in the heart, a mind in the gut, and a mind in the body.
The field of neuro-cardiology shows that the heart sends more information to the brain on a daily basis than vice versa; that a lot of our genetic inherited negative emotional state 'post traumatic slave syndrome, is embedded in our hearts that's communicated to our brains.
What this research shows to us as New Afrikans is that consciousness is not one-dimensional; that healing the mind ‘mentacide’ has to include an expanded view of the mind that is expressed in a holistic mind-body conscious raising and healing practice.
For over 5 decades I’ve witnessed many New Afrikans spew revolutionary New Afrikan theory and cultural consciousness but minimized addressing their relationship sabotaging individualism, opportunism, cronyism, narrow-mindedness, negative emotions, insecurities, thin-skinned, and character flaws.
The second part of Point #14 of the New Afrikan Creed says “knowing that i am a light set on a hill, a true representative of what We are building”, this Point is about the excellence of total character, not about just excellence in theory and rhetoric!
Earlier I mentioned that from my perspective that the spirit ‘essence’ of being a New Afrikan is embodied in Points #1 and #14 of the New Afrikan Creed, that I believe is a prerequisite to the comradery and citizen relationship practice of 6 other Creed Points (#2, #3, #4, #12, #13, #15):
#2. i believe in the family and the community, and in the community as a family, and i will work to make this concept live.
#3. i believe in the community as more important than the individual.
#4. i believe in constant struggle for freedom, to end oppression and build a better world. I believe in collective struggle: in fashioning victory in concert with my Brothers and Sisters.
#12. i will love my Brothers and Sisters as myself.
#13. i will steal nothing from a Brother or Sister, cheat no Brother or Sister, misuse no Brother or Sister, inform on no Brother or Sister and spread no gossip.
#15. i will be patient and uplifting with the deaf, dumb and blind, and i will seek by word and deed to heal the Black family, to bring into the Movement and into the Community mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters left by the wayside.
This comradery and citizen relationship practice will determine 2 other Creed Points (#5, #6) that advances our progress towards national self-determination:
#5. i believe that the fundamental reason Our oppression continues is that We, as people, lack the power to control Our lives.
#6. i believe that the fundamental way to gain that power, and end oppression, is to build a sovereign Black nation.
As New Afrikans our failure for over 5 decades to significantly cleanse ourselves internally from the dirtiness of internalized oppression including our own inner weaknesses and character flaws has undermined us as New Afrikans from realizing and putting into action the tremendous potential intelligence and power to create Self-determination, Land, and Independence.
On a citizen and governmental representative level our internal weaknesses has been a major ingredient in the distressful and unworkable relationships which we so often have with each other. It has specifically resulted in factionalism that has proven to be the fatal stumbling block of every promising Provincial Government of the Republik of New Afrika (PGRNA) reform initiatives and has severely limited the effectiveness of the New Afrikan Independence Movement (NAIM) in general.
Unaddressed and unresolved internal weaknesses will prevent the "Rebuilding of Unity on the Way to Plebiscite." Becoming a conscious cleansing New Afrikan personality does not come as a result of just saying Free the Land, periodically reciting the New Afrikan Creed, reading revolutionary theory, and attending Nation Day annually.
The development of the New Afrikan personality must consist of the daily struggle to practice a transforming behavior modifying ritual to keep ourselves ‘clean’ so We can be ‘lifted’ and ‘lighted’:
“I will keep myself clean in body, dress, and speech, knowing that i am a light set on a hill, a true representative of what We are building."
“I will keep myself clean in body, dress, and speech, knowing that i am a light set on a hill, a true representative of what We are building."
*Daily New Afrikan Ritual of Remembrance:
“As New Afrikans We are responsible to recover and revitalize our Ancestral tradition for healing ourselves and preparing future generations for independence and nationhood based upon the best of our heritage.” - Vodunsi Alisogbo
New Afrikan Summons:
Free the Land! – Free the Land! - Free the Land!
Calling all New Afrikans – Ancestors and Descendants
Both Old and Young, those Far and Near, in every direction
Let Us come together for Our Ritual of Remembrance.
New Afrikan Ritual Remembrance:
*i begin by standing steadfast, facing the South toward the National Territory
*i raise my arms toward the sky palms up acknowledging the vastness and creativeness of Life; gazing upward to keep a sense of loftiness
*i lower my arms down to my chest palms outward having thankfulness for Life and vowing to
to live responsibly, respectfully, and with remembrance
*i bring my arms inward with prayer palms symbolizing faith and devotion to the New Afrikan Creed reciting it
*i lower my arms to my sides reciting salutations, affirmations, and atonements
*i bow my head to remember our Freedom Fighting Ancestors and Fallen Comrads; being inspired 'uplifted' by them
*i lift my head holding my arms in front of me because self-determination is our National Salvation
*i extend my arms in front of me hands clasp together representing Unity and Struggle
*i bend over hands on knees reflecting Spiritual Humility and National Loyalty
*i kneel down touching the ground because Land is the basis of Independence
*i rise with the right clenched fist salute representing the struggle for Black Power and Nationhood
*i bring the right fist down over my heart and left fist up to the side reciting the New Afrikan Oath:
“For the fruition of Black Power, for the triumph of Black Nationhood! i pledge to the Republik of New Afrika and to the building of a better people and a better world, my total devotion, my total resources, and the total power of my mortal life.”
*Ritual of Remembrance is done 3 time a day (morning, noon, and night)
Without question, this writing is inspired by the Ancestors.
ReplyDeleteAs I view myself, as a New Afrikan, at 65, yet in the dusty, gritty, and sometimes overwhelming tedium of day to day struggle in the venue that I have been charged with soldiering in, I often find myself fighting my own rust, internal flaws and weaknesses.
One of the things missing is New Afrikan fellowship. Often many of us fight alone and deal alone with the vicissitudes that accompany building a committed New Afrikan life.
Yet, regardless of those circumstances we are still charged to practice ritual which can sustain us under any and a situations.
Indeed, the ritual mentioned in this blog is exactly what is needed for us all...every day.
I am thankful for your insight and outsight, Comrade Cinque.
This article is uplifting, challenging, and bare- bones factual. The critique is spot- on and certainly pricked my conscious as I hope it will to and for all who read this.