I share your views Aggo; even though I did not watch all the parts.
I do commend the efforts of Henry Louis Gates; he has opened the box and
carved out a path to a re-birth of African history and culture.
The parts I watched certainly left a lot to be desired. It made me wonder
how such an acclaimed professor versed in the research of such discipline
could non-the-less be so dis-engaging in certain critical areas and
trivializing in others. There was so much lacking. Where are the rules of
Occam's razor?
I agree; too much Western and African-American sensibilities and emotions.
I do not know if he could have done much better with a scholarly critical
look either; he lacks the African cultural comprehension that equates to a
successful undertaking of this magnitude. Misinterpretations between the
professor and his escort and/or interviewee were too rife in the
documentary; for, it is not what is said that is important but what is
meant. I dare say, if such touring research was approached by an African
lacking or not knowledgeable of Western values and culture, the result will
be the same except shifted from the other side. I believe such researched
revelations would be better accomplished by a true African who is also
well-versed in the cultural ideology of the Western World.
Nevertheless, this work is a "stepping stone" in the right direction; hats
off to Louis Gates for the venture. The strive is to build on this by our
critical reviews and thereby eventually pave the path. As Aggo has said, it
is up to us Africans to do our own true research and tell our own true
story.
-----Original Message-----
From: E. Aggo Akyea [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Tuesday, November 02, 1999 6:17 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A Preliminary Critique of "Wonders of the African World"
I had the same problems with his program and certainly could not have
articulated it all more eruditely than Ali Mazrui did. Of course it is
easier to tell how something falls short of the ideal, but Louis Gates
"Wonders of the African World" simply leaves too much to be desired. I
congratulate him for the gallant effort to bring this about since we all
learned a lot from the show. However, I think he approached the whole
subject with too much of Western and African-American sensibilities and
emotions, rather than the scholarly critical look we would expect from a
Harvard professor. Better we Africans sit up, wake up, rouse ourselves, and
tell our own story.
-----Original Message-----
From: Emilie Ngo Nguidjol <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Monday, November 01, 1999 2:07 PM
Subject: Fwd: Re: [BRC-NEWS] A Preliminary Critique of "Wonders of the
African World"
>If you didn't get to watch the series discussed in the piece below, I
>suggest to find a copy and view it to get a better appreciation of the
>discussion. Ali Mazrui's comments may be the tip of an iceberg. Stay tuned.
>--Emilie
>
>>x-posted from [log in to unmask]
>>Cross Posted from BRC-News
>>
>>From: Ali A Mazrui [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
>>
>>October 28, 1999
>>
>>A PRELIMINARY CRITIQUE OF THE TV SERIES by HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR.
>>
>>By Ali A. Mazrui <[log in to unmask]>
>>
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