Page 3 - Florida Sentinel 12-4-18

Feature
New Book Examines History Of Black Music
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
“A people without knowl- edge of their past history, ori- gin, and culture, is like a tree without roots.”Marcus Garvey
It has often been said that his- tory doesn’t change, we just add to it every day. And, history is not new, but in many cases it remains unexplored.
Recently, one newly published author, Pascal Archimede, is using history as a means of educat- ing the masses and giving back at the same time. Archimede has re- leased his personal study of the evolution as it relates to African American History in his new book, “Black American History, From Plantations To Rap Cul- ture.”
He uses the book to mirror the social conscious since Africans were first brought to America in chains.
PASCAL ARCHIMEDE
... Author of “Black American History, From Plantations To Rap Culture”
“African Americans have man- aged to sublimate the pain to be themselves through the most inci- sive: music. Built on their tattered flesh, at first rhymed by the noise of the chains and the whip, it blew up in the oppressor’s face. Then, af- fected by the urge to come through,
music became the witness of the evolution of eras, of rebellion, and of assertion.
“A summary of politics, culture, and spirituality; made of resist- ance, resilience and driven by a constant desire to reconnect with the ancestors who stayed in the Motherland. This story is a saga,” he said.
In the book, Archimede views rap music as “a sign of the emer- gence of a new Black culture. ... When rap artists refer to God or in- voke divine reality, they fulfill their role as cultural griots or messiahs who deliver a message of prophetic criticism.”
He further describes rap as “a militant musical form which marks a new awakening of the African American community. That sudden awareness is linked to the degree of Afro-Centricity present in rap music.”
A native of Guadeloupe, a French speaking island in the Caribbean, Archimede said his
culture and that of African Ameri- cans in America are linked. “We all got isolated geographically, cultur- ally, spiritually, and linguistically.”
As a student, he was taught that his ancestors were the Gallic. He earned a Master’s Degree with a specialization in American Civiliza- tion. He focused his research on the link between the evolution of Black people on American soil and the various musical genres that they have created.
Archimede said it was not until he reached a level in higher education that he was taught a part of history that connected him to that of his ancestors.
“The situation of French speak- ing Black people is still considered and treated as second-class citi- zens. I decided to write a widely ac- cessible and easy to read book in which I would share what I have learned.”
“Black American History, From Plantations To Rap Cul- ture” is available at Amazon.
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