African American Culture Essay

Languages and human social interaction in the medium of languages, to a large extent lead to the development of unique authenticity. According to Thiongo (1986: pp 26), living languages grow like living things and English is far from a dead language. All European countries examples American, Canadian, West Indian add their own uniqueness and culture to the English language. African cultures are also shown in English today by reflecting their own ideas, thinking and philosophy. Our forefathers believes that it was a dreadful betrayal and produced a guilty feeling when there were forced to use another language. In Africa there is a call by the government for an African Renaissance, and the complications arise when there is a clash between cultural
Times have changed and people today think in a very modern way. Traditions, cultures, languages and identity differ from our forefathers. Europeans colonized and infiltrated African civilizations in order to make a profit and to be known as superior states. By doing this, European colonists oppressed the traditional African lifestyle. The way in which people communicate and interact with one another today was greatly influenced by the past. Our identity is defined by who we are and the later characteristics that had shaped our recognition by others or society. Human beings embrace their morals and values in life and they have an inner voice with them giving them guidance to life. Each one of us is a unique individual and we have our own originality, therefore everyone’s culture differ and a portion of one’s culture shapes ones identity in a certain way (Taylor, 1994 :
(1998), Out of bounds: inauthentic spaces and the production of identities, in M. Zournazi (ed.), Foreign Dialogues: Memories, Translations, Conversations, pp. 153–167.
 Livesey, C.: 2004, Culture and identity, Sociological Pathways. http://www. sociology.org.uk/pathway2.htm.
 Ngugi wa Thiongo (1986), ‘The language of African literature in Decolonizing the Mind.London: James Currey.4,8,28. Reprinted in the Academic Learning English Manual, University of Kwa Zulu Natal, Durban (2010) , pp 26-27.
 Prevos .P. (2004). Cultural Identity.
 Taylor, C. (1994). ‘The politics of recognition’ in Gutmann, A. (ed.) Multiculturalism: Examining the Politics of Recognition. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton Unverisity Press. 23-73. Reprinted in the Academic Learning English Manual, University of Kwa Zulu Natal, Durban (2010) , pp 35-38.
 Wade, J.P.(1999) ‘The idea of an “African Identity” ignores the facts’. The Mercury. 5 November 1999. Reprinted in the Academic Learning English Manual, University of Kwa Zulu Natal, Durban (2010) , pp