Ho Technical University

(Department of Multidisciplinary Studies)

AFS 100: African Studies

Africa in the Diaspora

Dr. Bright Lumor, Mensah

Lecturer, HTU
Ho
0209197306
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Lectures 6: Cultural Adaptation and Creolization in the
Americas
Learning objectives

The course aims to help students to:

 Explain what cultural adaptation and creolization is
 Identify the unique cultural identities of the African Diaspora
 Examine the factors that influenced the adaptation and creolization in the Diaspora
 Examine the impact of the Diasporic Culture on the rest of the world

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Introduction: African Diaspora in the Americas
• Upon arrival in the diaspora, the African Diaspora faced many
different challenges in terms of language with other African
brothers and sisters, the indigenous populations as well as the
white slave masters
• As a result, many attempts were made to ease the harsh
conditions that were prevalent in the new world. Cultural
adaptation, therefore, became a necessary condition for survival
• The African Diaspora in addition to fighting and resisting the white
suppressors founds other genius ways of adapting to their new
environment
• This adaptive mechanism manifested in diverse ways including
language, food, music, and religion among others
• The focus of this lecture is on the African Diaspora in the Americas
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African Diaspora concentrations in the Americas

Concentration of the African Diaspora in the Americas

Brazil 108,200,000 (Blacks and mixed) 50.7%

United States 46,300,000 (including multiracial) 12%

Haiti 9,925,365

Colombia 4,944,400 including multiracial

Jamaica 2,510,000

Mexico 1,386,556

Canada 1,198,540

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Cultural Adaptation and Creolization
• Enslaved Africans had no option than to adapt to
the new terrains and cultures in the diaspora
• Creolization occurs when cultures meet and new
forms emerge out of it
• CREOLIZATION is cultural creativity in process.
When cultures come into contact, expressive
forms and performances emerge from their
encounter, embodying the sources that shape
them, yet constituting new and different entities.
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Aspects of Creolization in the Diaspora
• Cuisine/ food
• Religion
• Music
• Language

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Factors influencing Diasporic creole
Culture
• African Heritage
• Culture of the indigenous inhabitants of the new
world
• The culture of the slave masters/ colonial powers
• Geography, climate and terrains of the new lands
• Innovation and creativity by the African Diaspora

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Diasporic Cuisine
• The diaspora food is mainly influenced by the food culture of the African
continent, the indigenous people, the available agricultural produce, the
climate, and the food culture of the colonial powers.
• In the Americas, the African Diaspora food is heavily influenced by cereals,
tubers, and green leaves just like the African continent
• The Africans introduced the Brazilians to new cooking styles and tastes, such
as cooking food in palm oil using okra as a thickener and a vegetable, and
using plantain in different dishes.
• Africans also introduced a wide variety of chili peppers and ginger to season
food, and this practice has continued to be part of Brazilian cooking. Another
cooking technique Africans took to Brazil was the use of dried smoked fish
and shrimp.
• In the twenty-first century, the African influence on ingredients and cooking
techniques in Brazil still thrives, especially in the northeastern state of Bahia.

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African influenced cuisine in the Diaspora

Jamaican Rice and Peas Jamaican Dookunoo Black eyed peas in Brazil
(with Canned Beans)

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Diasporic Language (Creole Languages)
• Diasporic Languages are diverse and reflect the
mixture of African languages, the indigenous
languages as well as the language of the colonial
masters.

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Creole Languages in the Diaspora
There are over 40 creole languages in the diaspora.
These include:

• African American English

• Haitian Voodoo Culture Language
• Haitian Creole
• Jamaican Patois
• Jamaican Maroon Creole

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Some Patois words and their African Origins
Patwa Language Original Word Meaning
Akara Yoruba àkàrà Type of food

Anansi Akan Anansi "Spider"

Bafan Akan Bɔfran a baby or toddler. A child

Broni Akan Oburoni a white person

Cocobay Akan Kokobé "leprosy"

Dookunu Akan Dɔkono (also known as blue draws or tie-a-leaf in Jamaica) food, a dessert item
similar to bread pudding.
Kongkos Akan Konkonsa "gossip"

Mumu Akan, Ewe, Mende, Yoruba mumu "dumb", "stupid"

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African Diaspora Music and dance
• African Diaspora music is so diverse in the
diaspora
• Some of the genres were completely new and
came out of the experiences in the diaspora
• Just like West African Music, drums are a big
component of the Diaspora music
• Rhythm and Dancing are critical components too

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Popular African Diasporic Music
African American music
• Blues, Funk, Hip Hop, Jazz, Rap. Rhythm & Blues,
Rock, Soul etc.

Brazilian Music
• Samba etc.

In Jamaica
• Dancehall, Ragga, Reggae etc.
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African Diaspora Music

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Religion among the Africa Diaspora
• Belief systems among the African Diaspora has
evolved over the years.
• Some have retained significant component of
African Traditional Religion especially in Haiti,
Brazil and other countries in the Caribbean.
• In Haiti, Voodoo religion has become very
prominent, taking its roots from the West Africans
who were taken to the island during the
Transatlantic Slave Trade.
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Traditional African Religion in Haiti

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Impact of Diasporic Culture on the World
• Popular American music, which has become a
global brand, is heavily influenced by African
American music/ culture
• Food (cooking methods)
• Language (creole language)
• Religion (ATR)

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Questions
• What factors influenced the African diasporic cultural identity in
the Americas
• Examine the various aspects of creolization among the African
Diasporic populations in the New World
• Discuss the influence of African languages on Jamaican Patwa

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References
• Asante, M. K., Brandon, G., Hall, R. L., Gaston, J. R.,
Maultsby, P. K., Philip, J. E., ... & Williams, S. W.
(2005). Africanisms in American culture. Indiana
University Press.
• Hoffmann, L. F. (2003). Creolization in Haiti and
national identity. Matatu, 27(1), 1-16.
• Spady, J. G. (2011). Marcus Garvey: Jazz, Reggae,
Hip Hop, and the African Diaspora.
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