I Sought My Brother: An African American Reunion
I sought my brother, is a unique history of the African American reunion of black people dwelling deep in the South American jungles of who survived enslavement attempts and triumphed with their African roots intact.
Furthermore, a permanent record is also provided by the lifestyle that may soon disappear due to the introduction of new technologies within this remote area.
I sought my brother cannot be fully appreciated without the feeling of faith, vision and courage that is embedded in the subtitle, An African American Reunion.
This narrative is a series of unusual visits made by two African American authors namely; David L.
Evans and S.
Allen Counter.
These two authors transverse the Suriname rain forests, of the independently new black republic along the South American central north coast.
Driven by a deep feeling of ancestral calling, the authors went to seek ways out, in which the communities descended from enslaved Africans that rebelled against their Dutch masters and fled into the jungles in the last half of the 18th century.
As a result, stunning pictorials have been presented due to the series of pilgrims.
Allan counter was very interested in finding out about the Bush African Americans of whom were basically untouched by modern civilization and lived deep in the jungles of Suriname in absolute isolation.
Counter wanted to know how much of the original African culture was retained by the Bush African Americans because he thought it is significant to all African American people.
The accounts of I sought my brother are condensed experiences from 1972 to 1978.
However, the two authors are successful in conveying the feeling of strong emotions as well as spiritual experience that were considered central to the adventure of courage.
For example, during the last several days of the perilous boat ride on the first adventure, the authors eventually met the people they were looking for, and were overwhelmed by the thought of having traced their living ancestors, their pre-slavery bloodline of whom were still alive.
In addition, Evans and Counter documented very well the totality, vitality as well as life of the mostly remote African American river communities in Suriname.
Viewing the numerous pages of photographs, in both black and white as well as in color, it is easily understandable why the authors said, "our eyes continuously told us we were in Africa, while our minds knew we were in South America.
" One interesting thing about the villager's traditions was that they were never taken from Africa, but were taken by European slavers to specific remote areas of the continent, very far from their ancestral villages.
Hence, as the two authors Evans and Counter reached the village as part of the pilgrimage, one of the village leaders said about them, these are our brothers and they will lead us home.
There is a feeling in which Evans and Counter reported their family life observation, community organization, religion as well as medicine, language, nutrition, music, and basic humanity and beauty of the everyday people's lives, and in turn the authors shared their gifts, which ranged from Otis Redding music as well as Aretha Franklin, to inclusion of hearing aid distribution for those that needed them.
While the sharing went on, one of the irony experiences was built within the same act of sharing and visiting.
For in the duration time of the sojourns, Evans and Counter noted sadly the Western civilization expansion through means of industrial mining which was destroying the isolated protectiveness of their living ancestors.
Evans and Counter reported that the village people were losing control of their livelihood as well as their lives, while in other villages that were close to Western influences, several of their young men were already being lost to the jobs as well as attractions of encroachment of external industrialization forces.
Paradoxically, both authors who sincerely bemoaned the fact that the bush African American people were losing the fight against modern influences were the very same people that are a part of modern influences.
Consequently, Evans and Counter as well as their much-loved kinspersons may eventually have to face the likelihood of the road home which stretches before them all.
And with huge sensitivity, they will realize that the road home will continue to press towards a future that must be created by all and imbued with similar faith, courage, vision, and commitment that both authors Evans and Counter provided in their reunion of the past.
In conclusion, I sought my brother is about two African-American scientists who come across black South Americans of whom won freedom centuries of years ago prior to the abolition of slavery and in the process reserved their African beliefs.
In addition, it had certain emerging qualities that could have been developed into vital statements of which could be picked from elements of artistic style and value of which resonate with the black culture within the United States: for instance, similarities can be found between Bush African American rituals as well as gospel choirs, and way of life, although it was viewed as primitive.
It is quite impressive to note that despite the Bush people being primitive, they did manage to retain their African cultures and at the same time have several similarities with the black population within the United States.
Furthermore, a permanent record is also provided by the lifestyle that may soon disappear due to the introduction of new technologies within this remote area.
I sought my brother cannot be fully appreciated without the feeling of faith, vision and courage that is embedded in the subtitle, An African American Reunion.
This narrative is a series of unusual visits made by two African American authors namely; David L.
Evans and S.
Allen Counter.
These two authors transverse the Suriname rain forests, of the independently new black republic along the South American central north coast.
Driven by a deep feeling of ancestral calling, the authors went to seek ways out, in which the communities descended from enslaved Africans that rebelled against their Dutch masters and fled into the jungles in the last half of the 18th century.
As a result, stunning pictorials have been presented due to the series of pilgrims.
Allan counter was very interested in finding out about the Bush African Americans of whom were basically untouched by modern civilization and lived deep in the jungles of Suriname in absolute isolation.
Counter wanted to know how much of the original African culture was retained by the Bush African Americans because he thought it is significant to all African American people.
The accounts of I sought my brother are condensed experiences from 1972 to 1978.
However, the two authors are successful in conveying the feeling of strong emotions as well as spiritual experience that were considered central to the adventure of courage.
For example, during the last several days of the perilous boat ride on the first adventure, the authors eventually met the people they were looking for, and were overwhelmed by the thought of having traced their living ancestors, their pre-slavery bloodline of whom were still alive.
In addition, Evans and Counter documented very well the totality, vitality as well as life of the mostly remote African American river communities in Suriname.
Viewing the numerous pages of photographs, in both black and white as well as in color, it is easily understandable why the authors said, "our eyes continuously told us we were in Africa, while our minds knew we were in South America.
" One interesting thing about the villager's traditions was that they were never taken from Africa, but were taken by European slavers to specific remote areas of the continent, very far from their ancestral villages.
Hence, as the two authors Evans and Counter reached the village as part of the pilgrimage, one of the village leaders said about them, these are our brothers and they will lead us home.
There is a feeling in which Evans and Counter reported their family life observation, community organization, religion as well as medicine, language, nutrition, music, and basic humanity and beauty of the everyday people's lives, and in turn the authors shared their gifts, which ranged from Otis Redding music as well as Aretha Franklin, to inclusion of hearing aid distribution for those that needed them.
While the sharing went on, one of the irony experiences was built within the same act of sharing and visiting.
For in the duration time of the sojourns, Evans and Counter noted sadly the Western civilization expansion through means of industrial mining which was destroying the isolated protectiveness of their living ancestors.
Evans and Counter reported that the village people were losing control of their livelihood as well as their lives, while in other villages that were close to Western influences, several of their young men were already being lost to the jobs as well as attractions of encroachment of external industrialization forces.
Paradoxically, both authors who sincerely bemoaned the fact that the bush African American people were losing the fight against modern influences were the very same people that are a part of modern influences.
Consequently, Evans and Counter as well as their much-loved kinspersons may eventually have to face the likelihood of the road home which stretches before them all.
And with huge sensitivity, they will realize that the road home will continue to press towards a future that must be created by all and imbued with similar faith, courage, vision, and commitment that both authors Evans and Counter provided in their reunion of the past.
In conclusion, I sought my brother is about two African-American scientists who come across black South Americans of whom won freedom centuries of years ago prior to the abolition of slavery and in the process reserved their African beliefs.
In addition, it had certain emerging qualities that could have been developed into vital statements of which could be picked from elements of artistic style and value of which resonate with the black culture within the United States: for instance, similarities can be found between Bush African American rituals as well as gospel choirs, and way of life, although it was viewed as primitive.
It is quite impressive to note that despite the Bush people being primitive, they did manage to retain their African cultures and at the same time have several similarities with the black population within the United States.
