Facts about the African Diaspora

An international museum, based in San Francisco, MoAD is committed to showcasing the "best of the best" from the African Diaspora. From the Web site of http://www.moadsf.org/about/index.html
The dispersion of Africans during and after the trans-Atlantic slave trade and others enroute to India as slaves and source of labor. People of African descent with their own communities outside the African continent are also referred to as being part of the Diaspora. This includes, brothers and sisters now in The Americas(new world), Europe, India and Australia. The Origin The dispersion and spreading of African people originally belonging to one nation and having a common culture. From the word "diaspeirein" Latin for disperse, From the word "Dia - + speirein" Greek for scatter or sow and from the word "spora" Greek for sowing or reproduction and spreading. From the website of http://www.niica.on.ca/diaspora/
Though Afro-American culture was specific to each area, there were several general cultural themes that ran throughout the Afro-American population in the colonies, one was religion. Christianinty is an execellent example of how Africans merged their own beliefs with the existing religion, and produced a theology of their own. Christianity spread rapidly throughout the slave communities during the Great Awakening, a surgence of evangelical Christianiy which swept the colonies. This movement illuminated the mystical and magical elements of Christianinty, a side which the Africans could understand and identify with. It is ironic, for white slaveholders originally used Christianinty as a tool to perpetuate obedience and docility in slaves; yet, Africans recognized the hypocrsy in the white's version of Christianity, realizing they were equal in God's eyes. Africans took the tool ment to manipulate them and used Christianinty to give them hope for the future and to strenghten their bonds between one another. While slaves were Christianized and assimilated to white culture they kept elements of their native culture alive. From the website of coloradocolloge.edu/dept/hy/hy2243ruiz/research/diaspora.html
African Americans blended old style with new when cooking, smithing, woodcarving, storytelling, and gospel singing traditions. Africans added their own spices and cooking style to some pre-existing European dishes. Slaveowners were also influenced by African cooking styles which is an example of the blending of the cultures. Many African traditions were kept alive by placing familiar, symbols (such as the snake) in smithed gates and window frames. The wood that the carver chose played an important role in native culture preservation. This meticulous tradition lead the way for woodcarvers to make canes, statues, and sculptures such as chains, to show the bondage they endured. The carvings were very detailed and had relevance to the family and friends of the woodcarver. Songs that began in the fields of the plantations to pass the work day evolved into a new type of music, gospel. Gospel music combined the themes of salvation and freedom of Christianity with a native style of singing and dancing. These examples show the integration of native culture with traditional european culture. From coloradocologe.edu/dept/hy/hy2243ruiz/research/diaspora.html