Historical Amnesia, Falsified Consciousness, and the Illusion of Inclusion, Part One
By Gimbu Kali
Presented by Omni-University
"Up, you mighty race! Accomplish what you will. [Ancestor] The Honorable Marcus M. Garvey.
Black people in America suffer from a three- pronged psychological assault that has left the vast and overwhelming majority of us virtually incapable of even thinking-much less acting- in our own collective best interests. historical amnesia, falsified consciousness, and the illusion of inclusion are its components: The effects of this perpetual onslaught are evidenced by the facts that:
We have forgotten/ are forgetting our way of processing reality;
We believe that we are someone other than who we are.
We have forgotten our true identity, i.e., we have forgotten who we are/ have been.
Most American -born Black people believe that we are defined by the labels assigned to us by the authors of the dominant culture. We regard ourselves as "Americans" because America is all that we "know". Because of our "mIs-education", most of us are unable to consider the fact that, according to the exhaustive research done by our Ancestors- as well as by L.S.B. Leaky, et al- we have been on this planet - on the African continent- for over 31/2 million years! In fact, we lived here- on this Continent- before there ever was an "America". Yet, it would be difficult, for a great number of us, to even imagine what life was like for us before our captivity- what life was like when we were a free people, when "...Black kingdoms of antiquity...flourished at a time when the then-known world was but a desert " -when we were on top of the world " in the culture centers Of Kush, Timbuktu, of Kano, Ghana, and Benin."[1] Some of us would probably be inclined to dismiss this as delusional thinking, rather than embracing it as our legacy.
The decision to rob us of this history- our story - was made for a well- calculated reason: people who are ignorant of their history are much easier to manipulate and control than those who know themselves and their history. Few us have been taught that the Pyramids of Kemet (aka Egypt) are approximately 6000 years old and, in order to build the Pyramids, the builders - our Afrikan Ancestors - had to have developed and mastered the following disciplines and skills:
Astrology and Astronomy: The location of the pyramids is in direct relation to certain star complexes:
Architecture and Engineering: The unique design of the structures as well as the movement of the stones not only to the site but also to their Apex are calculated with astounding precision;
Stone Masonry: Stone- cutting techniques were so precise that, 6000 years later, you cannot slip a single sheet of paper between the stones;
Soil Science: The knowledge of and ability to gauge where these structures could be erected, i.e., the ground underneath had to be strong enough to support the weight;
Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, and Calculus: These and other forms of mathematics involved in the building process were well understood because the Laws of Mathematics were discovered by our African Ancestors[2]; and so on. This doesn't quite sound like the "his-story-cal account of "savages" waiting in the jungle" for "Tarzan" to come and save us, does it???
To paraphrase our [Ancestor] The Hon. Marcus M.Garvey, "What a people have done, they can do". If we know what we have done, we have a sense of what is possible." When our collective sense of history is limited, our sense of what is possible and, therefore, what we are capable of doing is inhibited. The ongoing process of falsifying the consciousness of our people must be dismantled. If we mindlessly behave, in self-defeating ways, our detractors will- to our detriment-continue to "reap what we sow". On the other hand, when we act in our own best interests, as we do when we are in our "right", i.e., true minds, we will then be the beneficiaries of our own labor and intellect as well as our other resources. When a people suffer from historical Amnesia, they are vulnerable to having their consciousness falsified. It is under these conditions that we can be psychologically separated from our actual history and led to believe/act out the roles of "emancipated slaves" in which we have been cast by those who conceive of themselves as our benevolent and divinely-appointed "masters".
Continued in Part Two...
(Editor's emphases.)
You are invited to watch " African Consciousness: True or False", an episode of The H3O Art of Life Show, Featuring: [Ancestor] Dr. Kobi Kambon and Prof. Robert T. Starks. We trust that you will be endarkened by this presentation and will share it with your friends, family, and others by means of your social networks and platforms. As always, we welcome your comments and support. Please subscribe to The H3O Art of Life Blog.
Dr. Gloria Latimore-Peace,
Founder, Omni-U Virtual University and Creator/Producer/Host,
The H3O Art of Life Television Show
BlogNote
[1] "They Came Before Columbus", by [Ancestor] Dr. Ivan Van Sertima
"Before the Mayflower ", by Dr. Leone Bennett, Jr.
"Ancient America" in Man, God, and Civilization, by [Ancestor] Dr. John G. Jackson
[2] "Life with Margaret: The Official Autobiography" by [Ancestor] Dr. Margaret T.G Burroughs
[3] Ibid., Burroughs
Suggested Reading
"The Falsification of Afrikan Consciousness: Eurocentric History, Psychiatry, and the Politics of White Supremacy" by [Ancestor] Amos N. Wilson