South Africa In The Late 19th And Early 20th Century
Response Assignment #1
South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th century was comparable to a fresh piece of metal: a malleable entity. As a country exposed to various global influences, South Africa has been vulnerable to various political, ideological and cultural movements and thus molded to fit such philosophies. Some of the main influencers included leaders such as Marcus Garvey and various visitors from the US. Although African Americans and Garvey had mostly positive impacts with their influence, Garvey most noticeably had an impact through his controversial idea of racial nationalism.
Most notably in the late 1800’s, African Americans started to become role models to Africans with their journeys to South Africa, presenting …show more content…
The Fisk singers amazed their audiences with oratories and songs filled with religious symbolism that originated from the coded language of American slavery. The Virginia Jubilee singers also carried this narrative, with songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” representing “God’s chariot of fire [sweeping] the prophet Elijah into heaven just as the Underground Railroad conductors in the United States seemed to descend from heaven to guide the enslaved to freedom” (16). The Jubilee Singers managed to become a “spiritual musical metaphor for an advanced civilization”, as well as symbols from cultural equality (16). Additionally, both groups of singers had received a university education from Hampton and Fisk institutions. Also, for a small portion of time, “the Virginia Jubilee Singers were sometimes able to resist being restricted by segregationist laws and customs…. Claiming that their American citizenship made them exempt …show more content…
Although Garvey had a positive impact with his philosophies for African Americans and Africans, some of his policies were that of a double-edged sword. One of his most common maxims, “Africa for Africans”, focused on the idea of racial nationalism, or the idea that racial identity should emphasized and preserved through means such as separating from other races. Amongst other ethnicities, however, racial nationalism was a chance to support movements such as segregation. For example, terrorist groups in the Americas such as the Ku Klux Klan supported movements like the Black Star Line to remove African Americans from the United States. This radical perspective was not only taken up by the US, but also spread to other nations such as Africa. With this fact solely, the double-edged sword of Garveyism would lead to the downfall of its practice in South
South Africa in the late 19th and early 20th century was comparable to a fresh piece of metal: a malleable entity. As a country exposed to various global influences, South Africa has been vulnerable to various political, ideological and cultural movements and thus molded to fit such philosophies. Some of the main influencers included leaders such as Marcus Garvey and various visitors from the US. Although African Americans and Garvey had mostly positive impacts with their influence, Garvey most noticeably had an impact through his controversial idea of racial nationalism.
Most notably in the late 1800’s, African Americans started to become role models to Africans with their journeys to South Africa, presenting …show more content…
The Fisk singers amazed their audiences with oratories and songs filled with religious symbolism that originated from the coded language of American slavery. The Virginia Jubilee singers also carried this narrative, with songs like “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” representing “God’s chariot of fire [sweeping] the prophet Elijah into heaven just as the Underground Railroad conductors in the United States seemed to descend from heaven to guide the enslaved to freedom” (16). The Jubilee Singers managed to become a “spiritual musical metaphor for an advanced civilization”, as well as symbols from cultural equality (16). Additionally, both groups of singers had received a university education from Hampton and Fisk institutions. Also, for a small portion of time, “the Virginia Jubilee Singers were sometimes able to resist being restricted by segregationist laws and customs…. Claiming that their American citizenship made them exempt …show more content…
Although Garvey had a positive impact with his philosophies for African Americans and Africans, some of his policies were that of a double-edged sword. One of his most common maxims, “Africa for Africans”, focused on the idea of racial nationalism, or the idea that racial identity should emphasized and preserved through means such as separating from other races. Amongst other ethnicities, however, racial nationalism was a chance to support movements such as segregation. For example, terrorist groups in the Americas such as the Ku Klux Klan supported movements like the Black Star Line to remove African Americans from the United States. This radical perspective was not only taken up by the US, but also spread to other nations such as Africa. With this fact solely, the double-edged sword of Garveyism would lead to the downfall of its practice in South