Reviews

African-American Humanism

Norman R Allan Jr. has compiled an anthology of African-American Humanism. It includes biographical essays on such African-American Humanists as Frederick Douglass, W.E.B. Du Bois and Richard Wright. There are also essays by African-American humanists and African humanists.

Norm Allen writes in his introduction:

TODAY there is a movement among people of colour to develop curricula that emphasise multicultural approaches to learning. For too long, America's educators have been trained to teach students from a one-sided, Eurocentric point of view. This push for multicultural education is highly laudable, but it should also be noted that whites are not the only people capable of distorting or neglecting history. For while it is true that the black church has been very influential in shaping the lives of African Americans, humanism has had its role to play as well.

This latter point, however, has often been overlooked. Why has so little been said or written about black deists, humanists, agnostics, freethinkers, rationalists, atheists, etc, and how their intellectual freedom enhanced their effectiveness as leaders and thinkers? If it is important to include blacks in the nation's history textbooks, is it not also important to acknowledge the humanistic or nontheistic beliefs of blacks who have made history? If it is important to examine the ways in which religion has influenced individuals and nations, is it not equally important to examine the ways in which humanism has shaped our thought? Why, for example, is so much importance given to the religious beliefs of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, while so little is known about the atheism of A. Philip Randolph? And why is so little attention given to the fact that humanistic ideals influenced King, Malcolm X, W. E. B. Du Bois, Frederick Douglass, and many other great black leaders? If multicultural education is to be taken seriously, it must be all-inclusive. If people sincerely wish to educate students properly, standards of fairness and objectivity must be applied consistently.

The President of Action for Humanism in lkeja, Lagos State, Nigeria has written an essay entitled "Thoughts from Africa’s Leading Secular Humanist Activist"

Christianity and Islam - like the traditional religions - are based upon fear. Believers are taught to fear the unknown and to worship a type of elder brother who stands by to help in emergencies or frightening situations. Karl Marx was correct when he observed that religion is the opium of the people. Muslims and Christians drug themselves with the belief that there is an assured place in the hereafter for the believer. They shape their lives around myths and supposed powers beyond their understanding. They tend to be fatalistic, passively accepting what happens to them as ordained by God. They often blame the devil for hardships and abuses they experience, and they make no attempt to correct their deplorable situations. They view their problems as being insoluble. The problems of Africans (e.g. poor health, hunger, poverty, and want) are great and they continue to worsen ...

Religion is the brainchild of fear, and fear is the parent of cruelty. The greatest evils inflicted on humankind are perpetrated not by pleasure-seekers, self-seeking opportunists, or those who are merely amoral, but by fervent devotees of religion. The war in the Sudan was caused by disputes between different religious groups - a struggle between Christian and Muslim inhabitants. Egypt is at loggerheads with Israel and its Arab neighbours because of religious differences. A religious riot broke out in northern Nigeria between Muslims and their Christian counterparts. Many lives were lost and property worth millions of naira was destroyed. This is, to say the very least, a disincentive to the development of any region.

Religion is ethnocentric, i.e. people tend to see their own religion as the true expression of divine providence. At the same time, they regard the religions of others as being in error. Racism and slavery arise from this line of thought. And with the exception of hunger, racism (apartheid) is the number one problem on the African continent. Religious adherents close their minds and will not reason critically. Consequently, Africans fail either to identify their problems or find solutions ...

In the mid-twentieth century there arose an increased awareness by the African of his own potential, and this was translated into an effective emancipatory effort. During this period, many Africans became convinced that blacks were equal to their white masters. Armed with that knowledge, many African countries became independent. Africans who achieved independence rejoiced, but they found that freedom alone could not solve all their problems. Africa needs this kind of awareness: not only political awareness, but an intellectual awakening that will find expression in the concept of a rational critical and objective approach to life. Africans must learn to strive to enjoy life here and now, and to foster an interest in developing humanity's creative talents to their fullest. Africans need to explain phenomena through objective reason rather than through myth, magic, and the Big Brother Complex.

During a talk in Lagos, Nigeria, former president Jimmy Carter said, "I do not see any mason why Africa should lag behind." If Africans are to forge ahead, the people should not be taken hostage by theistic illusion. Africans should not fear to speak out or to accept the truth. Regardless of the circumstances, Africans should not fear to be eccentric because of objective dissent. In the words of Bertrand Russell, "Nobody should fear to be eccentric in opinion for every opinion now accepted was once eccentric". When one fears to be eccentric, one not only ceases to grow, but may even lose more ground. For Africans to improve and to allow for moral progress, the immorality of religion must be opposed. Science can help Africans escape the debilitating situation under which people have lived for so many generations. Africans do not have to look for imagined supports or invent allies in the sky. They must look within to make the African environment an enjoyable one in which to live.