Throughout the movie Sankofa it becomes very evident very quickly how prejudice and biased the whites are, even before you witness the whole slavery aspect of the film. Sankofa shows a brutal truth about The Caribbean’s past that many people, especially Caucasians, don’t like to mention or think about. Through my analysis I will look further into how the film and readings from the class coordinate with one another, as well as the whole process of Creolization for the Africans and the Americans.
Sankofa shows the Creolization of Africans to the American culture and how they slowly try and adapt to the language, as well as the new culture they have been introduced to. It also shows their adaptation to being slaves rather than indigenous …show more content…
You immediately understand that the white men have power and control over all others. While the Africans are considered the very bottom of the status pole and have no human rights or authority. The film portrays what it truly was like to be a slave to the white man and how much control they had over them. The slave masters could make the indigenous Africans turn on their people and follow or do whatever the master commanded; even if it meant whipping and killing one of their own, like what Noble did to Kuta. In the reading “Race and Color in the Caribbean” by Hoetink the author also describes the “white power” exemplified in the Caribbean. Hoetink displays this through stating, “These multiple influences were reflected in a local conceptualization in which physical traits ranged from ‘dark’ to ‘light,’ different ‘types’ of which could well manifest within a single family. ‘Pure’ types gave way to a racial continuum in which, however, the higher social prestige of ‘light’ color did not disappear” (Hoetink pg. 5). Through this quote we see the similarities between Hoetink’s perception and understanding of the social ranks compared to the films. The rankings given to the races were universally known back at this time period and were for the most part understood by every social
Sankofa shows the Creolization of Africans to the American culture and how they slowly try and adapt to the language, as well as the new culture they have been introduced to. It also shows their adaptation to being slaves rather than indigenous …show more content…
You immediately understand that the white men have power and control over all others. While the Africans are considered the very bottom of the status pole and have no human rights or authority. The film portrays what it truly was like to be a slave to the white man and how much control they had over them. The slave masters could make the indigenous Africans turn on their people and follow or do whatever the master commanded; even if it meant whipping and killing one of their own, like what Noble did to Kuta. In the reading “Race and Color in the Caribbean” by Hoetink the author also describes the “white power” exemplified in the Caribbean. Hoetink displays this through stating, “These multiple influences were reflected in a local conceptualization in which physical traits ranged from ‘dark’ to ‘light,’ different ‘types’ of which could well manifest within a single family. ‘Pure’ types gave way to a racial continuum in which, however, the higher social prestige of ‘light’ color did not disappear” (Hoetink pg. 5). Through this quote we see the similarities between Hoetink’s perception and understanding of the social ranks compared to the films. The rankings given to the races were universally known back at this time period and were for the most part understood by every social