Efunbolade: Africans were the foundation

After pouring a libation and saying a prayer in honour of the creator and our forefathers, feature speaker at this year’s emancipation rally Queen Mother Yeyefeni Efunbolade urged those gathered at this year’s Emancipation Day Rally to look past the days of slavery if we are to shape our future.{{more}}

Speaking on the theme “Building strong communities through fostering respect” at last Friday’s rally at Heritage Square, Efunbolade said that honour and glory must be given to our ancestors – those before and during slavery.

She said that what we were before the enslavement of Africans is important to know if we are going to connect to who we are.

“Our history did not start on the slave ships,” she explained. “Our history started 5000 years BC… so everything that we find in history today, African people were the foundation.”

“We were the first astrologers, astronomers, builders of streets, aqueduct systems, inventors of toilets, toilet paper, showers. We were genius.”

The daughter of Jamaican and Bajan parents said that the enslavement of Africans took away values that were dear to us; including religion and family/community.

Now residing in Florida, USA, the Queen Mother said that African descendants need to recommit to the fact that God and the family are the strength of the community.

“We must recognize that before the enslavement of our people, we had a community built on knowing the role of the man and woman in the family and that’s what we have to get back to.”

“We have the commission to empowering ourselves, and the children will recognize that they have worth, and when they step out of the door, they would be able to take that value out in the street with them.”

“Today is our birthright, we have to sing about what we were before they put us on those ships.”

Friday’s rain affected rally also heard addresses from the African Heritage Foundation, the Rastafarian Community as well as Culture Minister Rene Baptiste, who announced that this country will soon have diplomatic ties with West African Nations.

Cultural performances were also a part of the festivities, with drumming, dancing, singing and poetry from NDRACO, Naked Roots, Starlift and Elite steel orchestras, Sulle, Brother Ebony and others.

This year’s emancipation month activities are being celebrated under the theme ‘Understanding our past, shaping the future.’(JJ)