Analysis Of The Film Sankofa And Du Bois's The Negro
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The film Sankofa and Du Bois’ “The Negro” attempt to capture a fundamental aspect of Pan-Africanism- the question of the original homeland for black people who later found themselves faced with daunting challenges in foreign lands. In retrospect, the vastness of the African continent is only matched by the unique heritage of its people and the often mesmerizing historical journey. In summary, few black people living outside the continent understand the true description of their cradle. In fact, most of them could be blamed for not sufficiently pursuing knowledge on Africa. It is therefore befitting that the film alongside Du Bois’ books attempt to move back in time and retrace the events that occurred to shape the continent and its people.
In principle, most black people only remotely appreciate that their sojourn from their motherland was mainly compelled and often punctuated with regrettable events. However, most cannot…show more content… Is the erosion a convenient act of shutting out historical understanding or are they born out of the passage of time? Ideally, the journey may have started with the slave trade but is this phase enough to disconnect black people from their homeland? Cullen himself questions the value of the continent to disposed descendants in his poem “What is Africa to me?” The poet idealizes a scene in pure geographical version of Africa when he recreates a setting where a person is lying and devouring “the song sung by wild barbaric birds” and “goading massive jungle herds” (Cullen N.p). The poem provides a perception that a genuine African scene is so serene that one must wonder how a descendant would choose not to look back after being alienated and exposed to painful treatments over time. One critical question raised by the activities of Shola in the movie is the general wonder of why African Americans forego such an opportunity for reconnecting with their