- Jan 3, 2002
- 1,591
- 172
Benin's dark past of slavery
Hoteph Beloved sisters and Brothers:
Tell me beloved, what is it that prevent Black people from divorcing ourselves from the acquired mentality that was presented to us by those other people responsible for us Black folks mental deception about our Life events, and we not having the desire to correct a self loathing that we participate in, regarding what happen to us Black folks at the hand of those other people, with a historic record of Lying, deceiving, mentally and physically abusing Black so call Afrikans.
Do you not have a desire to Know how you lived and thought, without the interference of those other people that are different from you, in every respect?
Take for instance the Subject of this post, Benin's "Dark" past of slavery, so tell me what does that imply about the term Dark and which people that term more indicate in this world and what does it imply Dark represent in reference to the action of Enslavement of the Black so call Afrikan?
As long as we serve as enablers to those terms that describe our Pigment as being that of Horror and everything that is counter to what we have been conditioned to accept as being bright and uplifting, good as opposed to what is referred to as bad, ( dark ) and godly as opposed to ungodly, ( dark ) having all of the so call negative unacceptable ( dark ) acts of behavior or events that is destructive, to be associated to the way we black folks are, implying that we represent Evil in the world.
I am not interested in dissecting Afrika or sectioning Afrika in regard to the activity of the Enslavement of our Enslaved Ancestors, I will not acknowledge the indignity of such an act.
The Enslavement of Black Afrikan people was in fact an action that took place by those other people invading Afrika, not some isolated region or village of Afrika, those other people conducted an invasion of Afrika for the purpose of Enslaving Black People, because to them, Black is horrifying, bad luck, ignorant and ungodly, so with a mind as that, concerning Black people, anything those other people, who are different from Black people, did to us, was a favor to us Black people, thus in those other people evil mind, Enslaving our Afrikan Ancestors were a favor to the so call Afrikan Black people, and here we are holding up such a sick evil notion, every time we refer to the term Dark, Black, Night in a demeaning way, all because it is the way those other people so describe our worth as Black people, and now so do we, how sad and pitiful we Black Folks have become.
To refer to the action of Chattel Slavery and not acknowledge the lost that came to Afrika from that very action, represent a disservice to our Enslaved Ancestors and not to acknowledge the off sprang from those Enslaved, become an insult to all that suffered at the hand of those that did the Enslavement, thus to Afrika.
The action of capturing our Afrikan Ancestors to be Enslaved, the invasion of Afrika took place all along the Sea Coast of Afrika where those other people thought would be a entrance way that was to their advantage to go where Black Folks were concentrated and constituted a majority, so to re-enact the steps of those evil people that came to capture and Enslave our Ancestors and not say one thing about the right of those that were captured and Enslaved and the Harm and Right that fall to the Children of those that were Enslaved, to me make a mockery of one of the most evil and unjust saga of the Life and happening of Black people on this planet Earth.
How can you attempt to discuss the action of Chattel slavery and not recognize the Right that come to those that served as victims of that evil systematic institution call Chattel slavery and those rights happen to be the right of Reparation that is entitle to our Enslaved Ancestors and the obligation that fall to our Enslaved Ancestors Children to demand Justice in the aftermath, to our Enslaved Ancestors, which is to come to their Children in the way of Reparation, the Right to return our Enslaved Ancestors Home by our returning Home and the Right the Children of our enslaved Ancestors have in becoming the next State in Afrika, representing the return of our Enslaved Ancestors back to their Land and is deserving of having such Land shared with their off- sprang, anything less serve to show how well those other people Evil has entered into the Mind of the so call Afrikan at home and abroad, which will serve as a sign of Afrika and so call Black Afrikans Defeat in the world, and where there is no respect of each other in the Black World.
By the Enslavement of our Enslaved Ancestors, did in fact canonized the Debt of Reparation, causing Reparation to be a Divine and Sacred Truth that must be realized and received in memory and for the respect deserving of our Enslaved Ancestors and all that disagree with such Truth and Reality concerning the Enslavement of our enslaved Ancestors, making such action to be justified in our Demand for Reparation, you do in fact bed down with the Evil of Lies and acts of Deception, which happen to be those other people now glorifying in the result the Enslavement of our Enslaved Ancestors have brought to them..
So, What We do not Know About Is What We Need To Know About That We Believe About.
Let Those That Understand, Share With Others That Know Not.
It Is The Fool That Will Say No Way To The Truth Concerning The Evil Of Religion Upon Black People, But The Wise Will Say, I Obey The Elemental Guardians Of The Universe, About The Evil Of Religion, Those Divine Elements ( Air, Heat, Water, Earth ) Those That Are The Attributes Of GOD..
The Code, Divine Being, Know Thyself !!!
How Pitiful And Shameless We Black Folks Have Become In The World Today, Not Knowing Which Way Is And Which Way Is Not, What Is Going and What Is Coming.
Let Those Who are Wise Understand What has Just Been Shared With You.
In america it should be, it must be for the Black Minds in america, Freedom and not a perpetuation of endless acts of survival, the Divine First Way Nature of Black folks, happen to be Freedom.
So It Is, And so It shall Be!!!
The Truth, The Negro Despise The Truth And Serve to Be a Traitor to The Black Race!!!
Beloved, Only The Devil Is Displeased Concerning This Revelation, As I Share With you The Truth, Having No Concern With What Your Behavior Will Be Toward Me, Because I Follow The Path So Charted For Me By Our Ancient Divine Cosmic Ebonite Ancestors, As I Have Only Love For You Who Know, and Know Not.
Date, Time And Place can be assigned to Truth and Lies, but Sound Profound Reasoning and Logic, Bed Down only with Truth
Remain strong and always be alert, taking no one for granted.
Free your Mind and conquer Fear and the Black Divinity will return, bringing the Liberation of the Divine Black so call Afrikan Nation, which is now divided and fearful of God in this life, because of the devil religion.
The Truth, Black folks Despise The Truth, Thus serve as a sign of how hateful we are toward the You of ourselves and how well programmed we Black Folks are.
I come sharing the Truth not with arrogance, but with the Divine
meekness so required of me by our Ancient Cosmic Dark ancestors.
>
> The Truth is not to be claimed, it require that it be known and
understood, relinquishing all irrational emotions, attributes of Lies
and act of deception.
I Will Present The Truth Wherever I Can Get Truth An Appearance,
Even In The Midst Of Black Folks Fears and Divisiveness!!! -osiris
>
> Here Is Loving the Black So Call Afrikan,Even In Spite Of
Yourselves!!!-osiris
>
> It Is Time to Elevate The Truth and Condemn The Lie!!!-osiris
>
> It Is The Black Fool That say, I Have Lost Nothing In Afrika!!!-
Osiris
> It Is The Fool That Ignore The Truth In Favor Of a Fool!!!-osOsiris
> Run! Run!, Run Black Woman And Man, Back Into The Safety Of Your
Divinity!!!-Osiris
> The Human Being Say God Command, The Divine Say God Reprimand
Not!!!-osiris
>
> All Respect and Honor to That Black Prophet, The Honorable Marcus
Garvey.
>
> Hoteph
Osiris
> Chief Elder
> Sankofa Repatriation Movement
> Hierophant, Teacher Of Ancient Black Theology
Benin's dark past of slavery
By Sue Branford
BBC News, Benin
Few tourists reach Benin yet this West African nation
has a remarkable story to tell about one of the most
shameful episodes in history.
A massive, arched gateway, some 50 feet high, stands
alone on the edge of one of the loveliest beaches in
West Africa.
It is a striking - and in many ways a beautiful -
structure, facing out across the Atlantic Ocean
towards South America.
Yet it is also bleak beyond words.
Etched across the top of the arch are two long lines
of naked, chained men disappearing into the sea.
Called the Gateway of No Return, it is a monument to
the hundreds of thousands of Africans who were
forced into slave boats on this beach, never to
return.
I arrived at this gateway with a group of local
historians. By the time I got there, I was choking
back tears.
Not surprising really, as the monument comes at the
end of a harrowing two-mile (3.2 km) trek from
Ouidah.
Today Ouidah is an attractive town, the spiritual
capital of Benin, with a thriving culture centred on
the voodoo religion.
But once the very mention of Ouidah invoked fear
among the local population.
Tree of Forgetfulness
The Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the French
all had forts near this town, built to defend their
trading interests.
And for more than 200 years, the main commodity they
traded was people.
Slave traders rounded up men, women and children, at
times trapping them with nets.
Their catchment area stretched deep into Africa,
even as far as Ethiopia and Sudan.
Once caught the slaves were forced to walk in
chains, hundreds of miles to Ouidah.
Once there, they were subjected to a brutal process of
brainwashing.
Taken down the slave route that I followed, they were
made to walk around a supposedly magical tree called
the Tree of Forgetfulness.
Men had to go round it nine times, women and
children seven.
This experience, they were told, would make them
forget everything - their names, their family, and the
life they had once had.
As if this was not enough, the slaves were then locked
into a dark room, built to resemble the hulk of a
ship.
In the local language this room was called Zomai,
meaning literally: "There, where the light is not
allowed."
Its foundations are still visible and the place still
seems to exude evil spirits and terror.
Brazil's role
After several weeks - or even months - in this hell
hole, the slaves were packed in ships for the long
crossing to the Americas.
One of the historians told me that most of the slaves
went to Brazil, at the time still ruled by Portugal
and that some Brazilians played an important role in
the trade.
The most infamous was Don Francisco de Souza, an
extraordinary wheeler-dealer who, arriving penniless
from Brazil, made a fortune out of slave-trading
while living in Benin.
He was a colourful figure, allegedly having 99 wives
and hundreds of children.
He inspired one of Bruce Chatwin's most famous
novels, The Viceroy of Ouidah.
In all, Brazil received some four million slaves from
Africa - though not all, of course, from Ouidah.
This was many more than were sent to the United
States.
Cultural impact
Economically, the slaves did not prosper, for blacks
remain by far the poorest ethnic group in Brazil.
But culturally their impact was huge.
I lived in Brazil for many years and almost
everything that makes Brazil that vibrant, warm
country that so many of us love seems to be linked to
Africa.
Carnival, samba, Candomble, capoeira - all were
created by the descendants of former slaves.
I have always known this, but it was not until my
recent trip to Benin that I became aware of just how
tenaciously the slaves must have clung to their
culture.
Huge efforts were made to cut them off from their
past but they failed.
The "tree of forgetfulness" did not work.
Future tourism
Today there is a new twist to the tale.
As yet, Ouidah is unspoilt. Few tourists reach this
relatively remote area of West Africa.
But tour operators have spotted the strong combination
of wonderful beaches, hot climate, historical sites
and, for Europeans, no jet lag.
Moreover, Benin is a relatively safe country with low
levels of violence. The people are friendly.
Tourism is just the kind of industry that President
Yayi Boni, who came to office earlier this year, is
keen to promote.
He was a development banker before entering politics
and wants to modernise the country.
Ouidah has a remarkable story to tell and local people
need jobs.
But let us hope that Benin does not repeat the
mistakes of other developing countries.
Too often tourism has had harmful effects.
Local communities have been evicted from their land.
Water resources have been squandered on golf courses.
The local culture has been turned into a vulgar
tourist attraction.
It would be ironic indeed if Benin's extraordinary
heritage was to open the way for another cycle of
exploitation by outsiders.
From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Thursday,
7 September, 2006 at 1100 BST on BBC Radio 4.
Hoteph Beloved sisters and Brothers:
Tell me beloved, what is it that prevent Black people from divorcing ourselves from the acquired mentality that was presented to us by those other people responsible for us Black folks mental deception about our Life events, and we not having the desire to correct a self loathing that we participate in, regarding what happen to us Black folks at the hand of those other people, with a historic record of Lying, deceiving, mentally and physically abusing Black so call Afrikans.
Do you not have a desire to Know how you lived and thought, without the interference of those other people that are different from you, in every respect?
Take for instance the Subject of this post, Benin's "Dark" past of slavery, so tell me what does that imply about the term Dark and which people that term more indicate in this world and what does it imply Dark represent in reference to the action of Enslavement of the Black so call Afrikan?
As long as we serve as enablers to those terms that describe our Pigment as being that of Horror and everything that is counter to what we have been conditioned to accept as being bright and uplifting, good as opposed to what is referred to as bad, ( dark ) and godly as opposed to ungodly, ( dark ) having all of the so call negative unacceptable ( dark ) acts of behavior or events that is destructive, to be associated to the way we black folks are, implying that we represent Evil in the world.
I am not interested in dissecting Afrika or sectioning Afrika in regard to the activity of the Enslavement of our Enslaved Ancestors, I will not acknowledge the indignity of such an act.
The Enslavement of Black Afrikan people was in fact an action that took place by those other people invading Afrika, not some isolated region or village of Afrika, those other people conducted an invasion of Afrika for the purpose of Enslaving Black People, because to them, Black is horrifying, bad luck, ignorant and ungodly, so with a mind as that, concerning Black people, anything those other people, who are different from Black people, did to us, was a favor to us Black people, thus in those other people evil mind, Enslaving our Afrikan Ancestors were a favor to the so call Afrikan Black people, and here we are holding up such a sick evil notion, every time we refer to the term Dark, Black, Night in a demeaning way, all because it is the way those other people so describe our worth as Black people, and now so do we, how sad and pitiful we Black Folks have become.
To refer to the action of Chattel Slavery and not acknowledge the lost that came to Afrika from that very action, represent a disservice to our Enslaved Ancestors and not to acknowledge the off sprang from those Enslaved, become an insult to all that suffered at the hand of those that did the Enslavement, thus to Afrika.
The action of capturing our Afrikan Ancestors to be Enslaved, the invasion of Afrika took place all along the Sea Coast of Afrika where those other people thought would be a entrance way that was to their advantage to go where Black Folks were concentrated and constituted a majority, so to re-enact the steps of those evil people that came to capture and Enslave our Ancestors and not say one thing about the right of those that were captured and Enslaved and the Harm and Right that fall to the Children of those that were Enslaved, to me make a mockery of one of the most evil and unjust saga of the Life and happening of Black people on this planet Earth.
How can you attempt to discuss the action of Chattel slavery and not recognize the Right that come to those that served as victims of that evil systematic institution call Chattel slavery and those rights happen to be the right of Reparation that is entitle to our Enslaved Ancestors and the obligation that fall to our Enslaved Ancestors Children to demand Justice in the aftermath, to our Enslaved Ancestors, which is to come to their Children in the way of Reparation, the Right to return our Enslaved Ancestors Home by our returning Home and the Right the Children of our enslaved Ancestors have in becoming the next State in Afrika, representing the return of our Enslaved Ancestors back to their Land and is deserving of having such Land shared with their off- sprang, anything less serve to show how well those other people Evil has entered into the Mind of the so call Afrikan at home and abroad, which will serve as a sign of Afrika and so call Black Afrikans Defeat in the world, and where there is no respect of each other in the Black World.
By the Enslavement of our Enslaved Ancestors, did in fact canonized the Debt of Reparation, causing Reparation to be a Divine and Sacred Truth that must be realized and received in memory and for the respect deserving of our Enslaved Ancestors and all that disagree with such Truth and Reality concerning the Enslavement of our enslaved Ancestors, making such action to be justified in our Demand for Reparation, you do in fact bed down with the Evil of Lies and acts of Deception, which happen to be those other people now glorifying in the result the Enslavement of our Enslaved Ancestors have brought to them..
So, What We do not Know About Is What We Need To Know About That We Believe About.
Let Those That Understand, Share With Others That Know Not.
It Is The Fool That Will Say No Way To The Truth Concerning The Evil Of Religion Upon Black People, But The Wise Will Say, I Obey The Elemental Guardians Of The Universe, About The Evil Of Religion, Those Divine Elements ( Air, Heat, Water, Earth ) Those That Are The Attributes Of GOD..
The Code, Divine Being, Know Thyself !!!
How Pitiful And Shameless We Black Folks Have Become In The World Today, Not Knowing Which Way Is And Which Way Is Not, What Is Going and What Is Coming.
Let Those Who are Wise Understand What has Just Been Shared With You.
In america it should be, it must be for the Black Minds in america, Freedom and not a perpetuation of endless acts of survival, the Divine First Way Nature of Black folks, happen to be Freedom.
So It Is, And so It shall Be!!!
The Truth, The Negro Despise The Truth And Serve to Be a Traitor to The Black Race!!!
Beloved, Only The Devil Is Displeased Concerning This Revelation, As I Share With you The Truth, Having No Concern With What Your Behavior Will Be Toward Me, Because I Follow The Path So Charted For Me By Our Ancient Divine Cosmic Ebonite Ancestors, As I Have Only Love For You Who Know, and Know Not.
Date, Time And Place can be assigned to Truth and Lies, but Sound Profound Reasoning and Logic, Bed Down only with Truth
Remain strong and always be alert, taking no one for granted.
Free your Mind and conquer Fear and the Black Divinity will return, bringing the Liberation of the Divine Black so call Afrikan Nation, which is now divided and fearful of God in this life, because of the devil religion.
The Truth, Black folks Despise The Truth, Thus serve as a sign of how hateful we are toward the You of ourselves and how well programmed we Black Folks are.
I come sharing the Truth not with arrogance, but with the Divine
meekness so required of me by our Ancient Cosmic Dark ancestors.
>
> The Truth is not to be claimed, it require that it be known and
understood, relinquishing all irrational emotions, attributes of Lies
and act of deception.
I Will Present The Truth Wherever I Can Get Truth An Appearance,
Even In The Midst Of Black Folks Fears and Divisiveness!!! -osiris
>
> Here Is Loving the Black So Call Afrikan,Even In Spite Of
Yourselves!!!-osiris
>
> It Is Time to Elevate The Truth and Condemn The Lie!!!-osiris
>
> It Is The Black Fool That say, I Have Lost Nothing In Afrika!!!-
Osiris
> It Is The Fool That Ignore The Truth In Favor Of a Fool!!!-osOsiris
> Run! Run!, Run Black Woman And Man, Back Into The Safety Of Your
Divinity!!!-Osiris
> The Human Being Say God Command, The Divine Say God Reprimand
Not!!!-osiris
>
> All Respect and Honor to That Black Prophet, The Honorable Marcus
Garvey.
>
> Hoteph
Osiris
> Chief Elder
> Sankofa Repatriation Movement
> Hierophant, Teacher Of Ancient Black Theology
Benin's dark past of slavery
By Sue Branford
BBC News, Benin
Few tourists reach Benin yet this West African nation
has a remarkable story to tell about one of the most
shameful episodes in history.
A massive, arched gateway, some 50 feet high, stands
alone on the edge of one of the loveliest beaches in
West Africa.
It is a striking - and in many ways a beautiful -
structure, facing out across the Atlantic Ocean
towards South America.
Yet it is also bleak beyond words.
Etched across the top of the arch are two long lines
of naked, chained men disappearing into the sea.
Called the Gateway of No Return, it is a monument to
the hundreds of thousands of Africans who were
forced into slave boats on this beach, never to
return.
I arrived at this gateway with a group of local
historians. By the time I got there, I was choking
back tears.
Not surprising really, as the monument comes at the
end of a harrowing two-mile (3.2 km) trek from
Ouidah.
Today Ouidah is an attractive town, the spiritual
capital of Benin, with a thriving culture centred on
the voodoo religion.
But once the very mention of Ouidah invoked fear
among the local population.
Tree of Forgetfulness
The Portuguese, the Dutch, the British and the French
all had forts near this town, built to defend their
trading interests.
And for more than 200 years, the main commodity they
traded was people.
Slave traders rounded up men, women and children, at
times trapping them with nets.
Their catchment area stretched deep into Africa,
even as far as Ethiopia and Sudan.
Once caught the slaves were forced to walk in
chains, hundreds of miles to Ouidah.
Once there, they were subjected to a brutal process of
brainwashing.
Taken down the slave route that I followed, they were
made to walk around a supposedly magical tree called
the Tree of Forgetfulness.
Men had to go round it nine times, women and
children seven.
This experience, they were told, would make them
forget everything - their names, their family, and the
life they had once had.
As if this was not enough, the slaves were then locked
into a dark room, built to resemble the hulk of a
ship.
In the local language this room was called Zomai,
meaning literally: "There, where the light is not
allowed."
Its foundations are still visible and the place still
seems to exude evil spirits and terror.
Brazil's role
After several weeks - or even months - in this hell
hole, the slaves were packed in ships for the long
crossing to the Americas.
One of the historians told me that most of the slaves
went to Brazil, at the time still ruled by Portugal
and that some Brazilians played an important role in
the trade.
The most infamous was Don Francisco de Souza, an
extraordinary wheeler-dealer who, arriving penniless
from Brazil, made a fortune out of slave-trading
while living in Benin.
He was a colourful figure, allegedly having 99 wives
and hundreds of children.
He inspired one of Bruce Chatwin's most famous
novels, The Viceroy of Ouidah.
In all, Brazil received some four million slaves from
Africa - though not all, of course, from Ouidah.
This was many more than were sent to the United
States.
Cultural impact
Economically, the slaves did not prosper, for blacks
remain by far the poorest ethnic group in Brazil.
But culturally their impact was huge.
I lived in Brazil for many years and almost
everything that makes Brazil that vibrant, warm
country that so many of us love seems to be linked to
Africa.
Carnival, samba, Candomble, capoeira - all were
created by the descendants of former slaves.
I have always known this, but it was not until my
recent trip to Benin that I became aware of just how
tenaciously the slaves must have clung to their
culture.
Huge efforts were made to cut them off from their
past but they failed.
The "tree of forgetfulness" did not work.
Future tourism
Today there is a new twist to the tale.
As yet, Ouidah is unspoilt. Few tourists reach this
relatively remote area of West Africa.
But tour operators have spotted the strong combination
of wonderful beaches, hot climate, historical sites
and, for Europeans, no jet lag.
Moreover, Benin is a relatively safe country with low
levels of violence. The people are friendly.
Tourism is just the kind of industry that President
Yayi Boni, who came to office earlier this year, is
keen to promote.
He was a development banker before entering politics
and wants to modernise the country.
Ouidah has a remarkable story to tell and local people
need jobs.
But let us hope that Benin does not repeat the
mistakes of other developing countries.
Too often tourism has had harmful effects.
Local communities have been evicted from their land.
Water resources have been squandered on golf courses.
The local culture has been turned into a vulgar
tourist attraction.
It would be ironic indeed if Benin's extraordinary
heritage was to open the way for another cycle of
exploitation by outsiders.
From Our Own Correspondent was broadcast on Thursday,
7 September, 2006 at 1100 BST on BBC Radio 4.
