For me, as a renaissance Black man, the Sixties would forever be my favorite decade. Then again, most of my heroes and she-roes were alive during this period of time. Whilst some of them were wrestling their countries from colonial dictatorship, others were being incarcerated for challenging the ideology of White supremacy. During this decade, many Black intellectuals were at the forefront of various political activism, which were designed to address the dire socio-economic conditions of Black people. Undoubtedly, they also helped redefine the word black in a positive way. Thus, giving Black people, in general, a different face. Apart from it being a productive decade for Black political activism, the Sixties would also be remembered for its Black consciousness. All over the world, Black people were chanting; I am Black and proud with their right fists held up in the sky.



Indeed, they had no cause to be ashamed of themselves whatsoever. The Afro hairdo was in vogue, and Blacks wore their Afro-hairdos un-apologetically with such dignity and pride. In the Sixties, Black was beautiful, and our nappy hair was nothing to be ashamed of. In terms of Black beauty and pride, nothing changed upon the arrival of the Seventies. Black people were still wearing the natural hair without any excuse. In fact, Black musicians did a wonderful job exporting black beauty to the far ends of the world. In time, the Afro hairdo became something synonymous to beauty. Sadly, at the close of the Seventies, the revolution--which occurred in the mentality of Black people, slowly came to an end. Ironically, most of the black intellectuals and activists, who emerged in the Sixties, died during this decade. From then on, the stage was set for a reversal in the consciousness, which occurred amongst many Black people, in the Sixties.



Slowly but surely, Afrocentrism was traded for Euro-centrism. It seemed that Black people, especially Black women, were no longer interested in being Black. At our marketplaces, various types of bleaching creams were introduced and sold to those who couldn’t stand their dark skin tone. Today, the manufacturers of these bleaching creams are racking up millions of dollars from sales alone. Also, hair-relaxers have become a billion dollar market. According to some Black women, the texture of their natural hair is too difficult to handle. Hence, their addiction to hair-relaxers, even if toxic. For those who cannot stand hair-relaxers, weaving the hair has become an alternative to achieve Euro-centric beauty. It’s reported that the weave-on market is a million dollar market. Evidently, our Black women are the purchasers of these weave-ons from India, Pakistan and elsewhere.



In Ghana, the sight of a Black woman wearing her natural hair in its natural state is rare. Almost all our women have traded their Afro-centric hair for Euro-centric hair, including the so-called educated ones. To me, personally, an educated Black woman is a woman who is smart enough to appreciate her self-worth and natural beauty. Mind you, education without self-knowledge, or the appreciation of oneself equals to illiteracy. Undoubtedly, the secret to a nation’s success depends on the mental state of its women. For he who teaches a woman, teaches a nation. Equally true is that he who messes up the mind of a woman, messes up the mind of a nation. I am totally convinced that most of our women, albeit undiagnosed, have a serious mental health problem. Yes, our women have become so obsessed with Euro-centric beauty that they have literally lost their minds in pursuit of it. As a result, they have become so darn ugly and fake to look at.



Having said this, something tells me that secretly our women are envious of White women. So, are they? Better yet, dear reader, do you think that our women desire in their hearts to be White? And, what kind of role do we Black men play in this? Are we innocent or guilty of the psychological beauty stress so obvious amongst our Black women? In other words, are we the ones who are driving our women to the edge of insanity, or is it just them? Please, your honest thoughts on this issue would be appreciated. Thank you!





Welcome 2 the Dawn!



Source:

The Emperor