CWR Virtual Cultural XChange – Nigeria/USA
My People
By Emma Ward – CWR/VCX Student Correspondent
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, USA
Emma Ward
CWR/VCX Student Correspondent
Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, USA
My People
The United States of America is a very rich country because of its diversity. Here, you will find people of many different races, cultures, and ethnic backgrounds who work, live, and learn together all across the land. According to the website for the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2008 population estimate was 304,059,724. The racial breakdown is as follows:
- White – 79.8%
- Black – 12.8%
- American Indian and Alaska Native – 1.0%
- Asian – 4.5%
- Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander – 0.2%
- Two or More Races – 1.7%
Personally, I define myself as African-American because I believe it identifies both my African ancestry and the African-American culture that they formed by sharing and exchanging cultural customs with other cultures they came into contact with. Despite the fact that “African-American” is the modern, politically, and socially accepted term by a majority, you will find some “African Americans” here who subscribe to other terms. Off the top of my head, the most common are: Black, Afro-American, or a person of color. However, depending on who you’re talking to, it can get even more complicated. For example, many older people like my parents, say that they’re “colored.” Then, there is what I like to call the “no matter what” factor because depending on the context of the conversation, many of us will use all of these terms and more. So, to say the least, it is my personal opinion that most of us refer to ourselves as “black” informally, and preserve “African-American” for formal settings.
When I think about customs and traditions in my culture, one thing that comes to the forefront of my mind is food because it is the central element to the soul of our culture. Get it? Soul food! Anyhow, in my family, we are big on rice, chicken, fish, greens, bread, and beans. Some of my favorites include: barbecue chicken and rice, lima beans and rice, black-eyed peas and rice, cornbread, muffins, catfish, trout, collard greens, mustard greens, and turnip greens. Now, concerning ingredients, each of the plates that contain rice is unique because my parents use lots of different meats and spices to liven up the flavor. Then of course, there are our favorite fruits and desserts such as banana pudding, sweet potato pie, watermelon, peaches, pumpkin pie, fudge brownies, pound cake, and so on. One thing about my family is that food is part of the thread that brings us together for the holidays and on special occasions. But I have to say that I absolutely agree with the term “Soul Food” because some of the dishes take so long to cook that it is as if you’re practically putting your soul into them! Therefore, a lot of older people have come up with a saying that goes “We call it Soul Food because a whole lot of love goes into cooking it,” for your loved ones.
Another thing that comes to mind, when I think about my culture and our customs and traditions is language. We really have our own vernacular language that is unique because it is something that we’ve built upon from generation to generation. What’s ironic to me about our language is the positive and negative influences that some attribute to it when it comes to stereotypes. When you look at it on one hand, here are a people who came here, stripped of everything from clothes to language, who created a whole new culture. I just find that absolutely amazing! Especially, when you consider everything that was done to deteriorate us as a people. On the other hand, I think that outsiders to the black culture have made a mockery of black vernacular speech just to perpetuate the false notions against our intellectual capacity. But I should also mention that certain words and phrases are distinct from region to region and a good example of how black language is influenced by the whole is our music and artistic expression.
Music and artistic expression are very essential to black culture. In a broader sense, music is a very big deal here in the U.S. and it is the one thing that unifies us as a racially diverse nation. I guess one of the things that I’ve become more curious about over the years when it comes to our music is its origin. Honestly, if it wasn’t for Cheyney (Cheyney University of PA), I don’t think I would’ve been able to learn as much as I have about African-American music history. Specifically, I’m thinking about how the griot tradition has influenced different genres of our music like reggae and hip-hop and how the call-and-response work rhythm has managed to become a key element in most of our music.
With all that said, I’m curious to know what Nigerians think about our food, language, and different types of music. I’m sharing a recipe from the book “An African American Cookbook. Traditional and Other Favorite Recipes,” by Phoebe Bailey, and a poem called “Riverbank Blues” by Sterling A. Brown, who wrote during the period of The Harlem Renaissance to demonstrate the aesthetic quality of our vernacular language. In addition, I’ve listed some of my favorite songs below along with information that identifies the artist and genre it is from. Try listening to some of them and let me know what you think by replying to the questions that follow the list of songs:
Recipe: Old Fashioned Cornbread
3 TBsp. shortening
¾ cup sifted flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
¾ cup cornmeal
2 eggs
½ cup evaporated milk
¼ cup water
Melt shortening in 8” square baking pan in 400 degree oven.
Meanwhile, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Stir in cornmeal.
In separate bowl, slightly beat eggs. Stir in evaporated milk and water.
Remove baking pan from oven. Tilt pan in order to coat inside of pan with shortening, including the sides. Pour excess shortening into egg mixture and stir.
Add egg mixture to cornmeal mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into pan.
Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
Poem: Riverbank Blues by Sterling A. Brown
A man git his feet set in a sticky mudbank,
A man git dis yellow water in his blood,
No need for hopin’, no need for doin’,
Muddy streams keep him fixed for good.
Little Muddy, Big Muddy, Moreau and Osage,
Little Mary’s, Big Mary’s, Cedar Creek,
Flood deir muddy water roundabout a man’s roots,
Keep him soaked and stranded and git him weak.
Lazy sun shinin’ on a little cabin,
Lazy moon glistenin’ over river trees;
Ole river whisperin’, lappin’ ‘gainst de long roots:
“Plenty of rest and peace in these . . .”
Big mules, black loam, apple and peach trees,
But seems lak de river washes us down
Past de rich farms, away from de fat lands,
Dumps us in some ornery riverbank town.
Went down to the river, sot me down an’ listened,
Heard de water talkin’ quiet, quiet lak an’ slow:
“Ain’ no need fo’ hurry, take yo’ time, take yo’
time . . .” Heard it sayin’–”Baby, hyeahs de way life go . . .”
Dat is what it tole me as I watched it slowly rollin’,
But somp’n way inside me rared up an’ say,
“Better be movin’ . . . better be travelin’ . . . Riverbank’ll
git you ef you stay . . .”
Towns are sinkin’ deeper, deeper in de riverbank,
Takin’ on de ways of deir sulky Ole Man–
Takin’ on his creepy ways, takin’ on his evil ways,
“Bes’ git way, a long way . . . whiles you can.”Man got his
sea too lak de Mississippi Ain’t got so long for a whole lot longer way,
Man better move some, better not git rooted Muddy water fool you, ef you stay…”
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/riverbank-blues/
1. “Without You,” by Dwele – R&B Soul
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/dwele/without+you
2. “Rock The Boat,” by Aaliyah – R&B
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/aaliyah/rock+boat
3. “Thrill is Gone,” by B.B. King – Blues
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/bb+king/thrill+is+gone
4. “Find My Way,” by ATribe Called Quest – Hip Hop
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/tribe+called+quest/find+way
5. “Too Experienced,” by Barrington Levy – Reggae
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/barrington+levy/too+experienced
6. “All Falls Down,” by Kanye West – Rap
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/kanye+west/all+falls+down
7. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” by Michael Jackson – Pop
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/michael+jackson/wanna+be+startin+something
8. “Shackles,” by Mary Mary – Gospel
http://www.pandora.com/music/song/mary+mary/shackles
Questions:
1. Which song did you like the most? Why?
2. Which song did you like the least? Why?
3. Are any of these songs similar to Nigerian music? If so, explain.