afam4eva: @manny4life I'm not working towards being an American. Nothing can change my Nigerianess. What i want to know is why and how the America anthem could have an effect on me and not the Nigerian anthem.

Eeeya oma se o. . . I wish someone can tie this guy down b4 going haywire. May be Seun should be allowing peeps to register with home address now. This guy seriously needs help, no joking!

ekt_bear: Honestly, if Nigeria had more "swag" as a country, threads like this wouldn't be started

lol

cheddarking:

Why do people take so much pride in the land that ENSLAVED your FOREFATHERS?

They sold your grandaddy and his friends the same way Aboki's sell meat at the abbatoir...and you're here praising the 'testament to America's resilience and defiance in the face of adversity.'

I'm not anti-America....But I cannot honestly abide people who rush to Identify with other countries at the expense of their own...

Have you ever asked yourself how people became enslaved? Did oyinbo man walk off his boat into an unknown territory and start capturing people? Wasn't it your "granddaddy and his friends [that sold their Nigerian enemies like] the same way Aboki's sell meat at the abattoir"? Why are you not questioning your forefathers that did the selling? Why identify with Nigeria if we sold our own? Hisssss..

@ cheddarking

I'd suggest you do a little more research on the topic before you start running your mouth like someone with verbal diarrhea. See the link below for the full NY Times article.

While we are all familiar with the role played by the United States and the European colonial powers like Britain, France, Holland, Portugal and Spain, there is very little discussion of the role Africans themselves played. And that role, it turns out, was a considerable one, especially for the slave-trading kingdoms of western and central Africa. These included the Akan of the kingdom of Asante in what is now Ghana, the Fon of Dahomey (now Benin), the Mbundu of Ndongo in modern Angola and the Kongo of today’s Congo, among several others.

For centuries, Europeans in Africa kept close to their military and trading posts on the coast. Exploration of the interior, home to the bulk of Africans sold into bondage at the height of the slave trade, came only during the colonial conquests, which is why Henry Morton Stanley’s pursuit of Dr. David Livingstone in 1871 made for such compelling press: he was going where no (white) man had gone before.

How did slaves make it to these coastal forts? The historians John Thornton and Linda Heywood of Boston University estimate that 90 percent of those shipped to the New World were enslaved by Africans and then sold to European traders. The sad truth is that without complex business partnerships between African elites and European traders and commercial agents, the slave trade to the New World would have been impossible, at least on the scale it occurred.

Advocates of reparations for the descendants of those slaves generally ignore this untidy problem of the significant role that Africans played in the trade, choosing to believe the romanticized version that our ancestors were all kidnapped unawares by evil white men, like Kunta Kinte was in “Roots.” The truth, however, is much more complex: slavery was a business, highly organized and lucrative for European buyers and African sellers alike.

The African role in the slave trade was fully understood and openly acknowledged by many African-Americans even before the Civil War. For Frederick Douglass, it was an argument against repatriation schemes for the freed slaves. “The savage chiefs of the western coasts of Africa, who for ages have been accustomed to selling their captives into bondage and pocketing the ready cash for them, will not more readily accept our moral and economical ideas than the slave traders of Maryland and Virginia,” he warned. “We are, therefore, less inclined to go to Africa to work against the slave trade than to stay here to work against it.”

To be sure, the African role in the slave trade was greatly reduced after 1807, when abolitionists, first in Britain and then, a year later, in the United States, succeeded in banning the importation of slaves. Meanwhile, slaves continued to be bought and sold within the United States, and slavery as an institution would not be abolished until 1865. But the culpability of American plantation owners neither erases nor supplants that of the African slavers. In recent years, some African leaders have become more comfortable discussing this complicated past than African-Americans tend to be.

In 1999, for instance, President Mathieu Kerekou of Benin astonished an all-black congregation in Baltimore by falling to his knees and begging African-Americans’ forgiveness for the “shameful” and “abominable” role Africans played in the trade. Other African leaders, including Jerry Rawlings of Ghana, followed Mr. Kerekou’s bold example.

Our new understanding of the scope of African involvement in the slave trade is not historical guesswork. Thanks to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, directed by the historian David Eltis of Emory University, we now know the ports from which more than 450,000 of our African ancestors were shipped out to what is now the United States (the database has records of 12.5 million people shipped to all parts of the New World from 1514 to 1866). About 16 percent of United States slaves came from eastern Nigeria, while 24 percent came from the Congo and Angola.

hrough the work of Professors Thornton and Heywood, we also know that the victims of the slave trade were predominantly members of as few as 50 ethnic groups. This data, along with the tracing of blacks’ ancestry through DNA tests, is giving us a fuller understanding of the identities of both the victims and the facilitators of the African slave trade.


For many African-Americans, these facts can be difficult to accept. Excuses run the gamut, from “Africans didn’t know how harsh slavery in America was” and “Slavery in Africa was, by comparison, humane” or, in a bizarre version of “The devil made me do it,” “Africans were driven to this only by the unprecedented profits offered by greedy European countries.”

But the sad truth is that the conquest and capture of Africans and their sale to Europeans was one of the main sources of foreign exchange for several African kingdoms for a very long time. Slaves were the main export of the kingdom of Kongo; the Asante Empire in Ghana exported slaves and used the profits to import gold. Queen Njinga, the brilliant 17th-century monarch of the Mbundu, waged wars of resistance against the Portuguese but also conquered polities as far as 500 miles inland and sold her captives to the Portuguese. When Njinga converted to Christianity, she sold African traditional religious leaders into slavery, claiming they had violated her new Christian precepts.

Did these Africans know how harsh slavery was in the New World? Actually, many elite Africans visited Europe in that era, and they did so on slave ships following the prevailing winds through the New World. For example, when Antonio Manuel, Kongo’s ambassador to the Vatican, went to Europe in 1604, he first stopped in Bahia, Brazil, where he arranged to free a countryman who had been wrongfully enslaved.

African monarchs also sent their children along these same slave routes to be educated in Europe. And there were thousands of former slaves who returned to settle Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Middle Passage, in other words, was sometimes a two-way street. Under these circumstances, it is difficult to claim that Africans were ignorant or innocent.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/opinion/23gates.html?_r=1

Wallie:

Have you ever asked yourself how people became enslaved? Did oyinbo man walk off his boat into an unknown territory and start capturing people? Wasn't it your "granddaddy and his friends [that sold their Nigerian enemies like] the same way Aboki's sell meat at the abattoir"? Why are you not questioning your forefathers that did the selling? Why identify with Nigeria if we sold our own? Hisssss..

To be clear, for some of us, our ancestors were illiterate farmers deep in the Ekiti bush So we played no role in the slave trade.

ekt_bear: To be clear, for some of us, our ancestors were illiterate farmers deep in the Ekiti bush So we played no role in the slave trade.

lol

The most logical people to blame are those that live along the coastline because they must have been complacent otherwise they should have all been taken as slaves. You have to go through the coastline with all its villages and tribes before being able to travel 500 miles inland to capture people. But who knows!

Here's an interesting project that list those liberated by the International Court located in Freetown, Sierra Lone. They have the names of the liberated slaves as recorded and they tried to show their origins. Take it for a spin and make sure you right-click on the names to see more details and also the names of all those onboard that particular ship.


http://www.african-origins.org

crackhouse: Just ask ur mother whether ur assumed Papa was really responsible for ur existence or whether it was that American man she use to visit in julius berger yard back in the days.

Guy you just became my best friend on NL. I don't think OP can recover from this particular yab. The guy has just runaway.

Wallie: Slaves were the main export of the kingdom of Kongo;
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/opinion/23gates.html?_r=1

http://books.google.com/books?id=tBDz0v53UkYC&pg=PA51&lpg=PA51

(Read to at least p. 55)

The Kongo slave trade reaching the level that it did was due to foreigners and they (the Kongo slavers) would have been crushed by the rebels if not for European assistance. Not saying what they did wasn't wrong though.

Also, the Portuguese carried out and directly oversaw multiple slave raids into the interior specifically to capture slaves. Read up on Angola and Luanda.

I think the Nigerian Anthem has a lot to do with our history, values, faith, dreams and future and so as do the American Anthem. But, If one truly sang or participate in singing Nigerian Anthem; finding out time to knowing the literary and figurative meaning of what the WORDS in the Anthem reflects. I think you would have another view as against the one presented. I know some things are wrong in Nigeria but not as represented by such an great Nigerian National anthem . I also think some Nigerians, seem to think that everything is wrong in Nigeria, which is actually wrong and have always used that in presenting a pessimistic view about a great country as ours and her people.
God Bless Nigeria.

LMAO
so freaking hilarous

though the Anthem can be moving. got to see them playing it in church (vet day, july 4 etc) the oyinbo sef face will be red.

but for you Afam, you really made me laugh. So patriotic! you should be given free visa

cheddarking:

I honestly pity you.
You were born in the wrong generation.
You would have made a fine slave....

Lmaooooooo

afam4eva:
I don't know the wordings but i know the rhythm. I even downloaded it to my laptop, lol.

you mean you just heard it for the first time?

congrats.

now you can croon it to your sweetheart who you met on yahoo.

afam4eva: For some reason, whenever the Nigerian anthem is being played i just don't feel anything. But whenever the US anthem is being played, it moves me. I get close to tears at times. Mind you i've never been to the US in my life. Why don't i feel anything when the national anthem of Nigeria is being played? Even the South African anthem moves me.

you are

Why the bruahaha over what the OP said? Do you think if Nigeria's unpatriotic leaders and politicians decided to invest their loot in Nigeria a thread of such would exist? Those of you insulting the OP are haters with reading comprehension deficiency. You claim to love Nigeia so much yet you choose to earn minimum wage in the UK. So, because one enjoys listening to reggae music makes he/she craving for weed? People are just filled with hate. Op you have the right to your own opinion and I must say you should not let rants from infants bother you.

^i wonder why you're ranting.

are you frustrated?

tpia@:


you mean you just heard it for the first time?

congrats.

now you can croon it to your sweetheart who you met on yahoo.

I didn't hear it for the first time. I've been hearing it for so many years now.

Wallie:

[s]Have you ever asked yourself how people became enslaved? Did oyinbo man walk off his boat into an unknown territory and start capturing people? Wasn't it your "granddaddy and his friends [that sold their Nigerian enemies like] the same way Aboki's sell meat at the abattoir"? Why are you not questioning your forefathers that did the selling? Why identify with Nigeria if we sold our own? Hisssss..[/s]

Hilarious....

This coon is actually trying to remove some culpability from his White Master's head.

You forget that the driving force behind slave trade was the HUGE demand for slaves in the new world.

No demand - No Slaves.

If you were not a slave retard that has permanently attached his mouth to his master's buttthole, you would realize the stupidity of your statements.

You will realize that the stupid article you posted makes absolutely NO MENTION of a NIGERIAN tribe.

I understand that the blacks sold slaves too BUT...if you're trying to use that as an Excuse to be an Uncle Tom...Then you are an even worse case than I thought..

Ask your mum who your real father is. Tel her to say the truth. Maybe you are from there. Just advice o thanks.

Let's b sincere he has a point,when yu singin d anthem of your country its sacrifice bt wat will d country do for you.

Look@ d number of Nigerians that sang other Anthems in d olympics.

D US flag is one of d most respected objects in d world and desecrating it is a crime.it represents d belief d people have in their leaders to solve their problems.

People make their country great and not otherwise

Afam forget all those insulting you. Nwoke you have every right to dislike or like Nigerian anthem. You have every right not to be patriotic and you have every right to feel pride to any country you wish. It is your God giving right and the 1diots insulting and attacking your persona aren't going to change that. I find it funny the same people that I've witnessed attacking and insulting Nigeria on other threads did a 360 on this thread. mscheww for hypocrites.

Just like you I am not patriotic about Nigeria and I am not ashamed to say that sh1t. Nigeria anthem is just music to me shikena but the same thing for American anthem. One thing I can tell you is that America isn't what they praise it to be in Nigeria. If stay in this country for 3 years, whatever pride you have for it, go waka commot. Though, it is a whole lot better than Nigeria.

sims ur desperately lukin for attention abi?.... Jus go ahead wit ur kinda Lyf...#mr Refugee!! Derz no free visa for u o

Something is obviously wrong,I normally get goose pimples anytime our national anthem is played

afam4eva: For some reason, whenever the Nigerian anthem is being played i just don't feel anything. But whenever the US anthem is being played, it moves me. I get close to tears at times. Mind you i've never been to the US in my life. Why don't i feel anything when the national anthem of Nigeria is being played? Even the South African anthem moves me.

see fool! why don't you write a better version of Nigerian anthem and see if it will not be adopted, afterall people like composed the one which moves you. oleku like u

@afam4ever don't mind dem jare nigeria is a bullshit nation what do I wanna pledge to nigeria for ....hiss I hate our anthem ...so help me God - no nigerian wanna produce a product but they want God to help dem

USA anthem motivates me anytime I see the ols glory - at d olympic I supported dem fulltime

this dude is obsessed about american and New York in particular!!

dig through his threads from 2009!!!

Dis Guy: this dude is obsessed about american and New York in particular!!

dig through his threads from 2009!!!

I love big cities especially the American ones.

I've always wanted to ask you, have you ever lived there or visited?

first time i notice your obsession was on the london v new york thread '09 or thereabouts,
i actually thought you lived there!!

MsDarkSkin:

Lol.

Wow....

I am American and dont even stand up when the Star Spangled Banner plays much less get teary eyed.

Joke ting.

Same here!

ayo jango: Let's b sincere he has a point,when yu singin d anthem of your country its sacrifice bt wat will d country do for you.

Look@ d number of Nigerians that sang other Anthems in d olympics.

D US flag is one of d most respected objects in d world and desecrating it is a crime.it represents d belief d people have in their leaders to solve their problems.

People make their country great and not otherwise

yeah keep on respecting the mark of the beast. would hate to see your plight during the 7 year tribulation period.

Dis Guy: I've always wanted to ask you, have you ever lived there or visited?

first time i notice your obsession was on the london v new york thread '09 or thereabouts,
i actually thought you lived there!!

I'm a 100% Nigerian. I've never even been to Cotonou not to talk of America. But i'm more familiar with some of these places than some people that live there.

afam4eva:
I'm a 100% Nigerian. I've never even been to Cotonou not to talk of America. But i'm more familiar with some of these places than some people that live there.

Na to make you honourary Mayor of New York PH branch!!!

Dis Guy:

Na to make you honourary Mayor of New York PH branch!!!

lol