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Reuben
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Posted: Friday April 14th, 2006 21:13 |
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love/romance/eros are european concepts that come from a philosophical/political/artistic movement that stressed hightened excessive an unrealistic human emotions as a way to forward mankind socially spiritually an politically.
i have always wanted to research what traditional africans theorised 'love' as? how did they conceive emotions in general? what was some african philosophy on love? is there even a lingua franca for how we use the word love in the west to describe emotions in interpersonal relationships?
i know this post is slap dash an ting i jus wanna open some discourse.
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Maat
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Posted: Sunday April 16th, 2006 14:27 |
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Hey Reuben,
Good question I sometimes wonder about that when I'm hurting up my head with hubby LOL. Sometimes it's so long and it's much easier just thinking logically and leave the right side of the brain to chill....but you can't help what you feel . I do wonder how the wise ones dealt with the things we go through that can seem trivial. I do think that a lot of it is a western way of thinking and acting because that's all we've had in our faces for so long even in our home lands .
It sometimes seems though feeling so much is a bad thing. Quite funny actually that we seem to be the only living entities that apparently have emotion yet try so hard to skirt over certain parts of it's existence ...interesting...
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Kunjufu
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Posted: Sunday April 16th, 2006 14:29 |
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Interesting thought..I have a couple of obvious questions.....
What is 'love'
How does AFRICAN LOVE differ from European love?
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Maat
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Posted: Sunday April 16th, 2006 14:37 |
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Kunjufu wrote: Interesting thought..I have a couple of obvious questions.....
What is 'love'
How does AFRICAN LOVE differ from European love?
To me the main difference seems to be that European love is so defined and given to us as what they think it is. It's all external and based heavily on materialstic ways to express it.
Our love doesn't seem to need any introduction like that. Maybe that's why it seems like we don't really address it - the relationship kind of love that is. I suppose that's what leads to dissapointment and missed opportunities when searching for love.
The family kind of unconditional love whether you like them or not is a given with all races...I'd like to think although too many things I learn about them seem so cold.
Last edited on Sunday April 16th, 2006 14:38 by Maat
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Incognito
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Posted: Sunday April 16th, 2006 18:19 |
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I always believed romance to be a western concept which is a spin-off from materialism. In todays society a mans love for a woman seems to be defined by wether he'd eat her fanny or not. Likewise many women seem to think once they gobble their bloke it's their sign of saying 'I'm yours' - notice how when things are sour the first thing to stop is the blowj.
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Maat
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Posted: Wednesday May 10th, 2006 18:45 |
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Hey Reuben,
I'm not sure how you're getting on with this but I've just come across a book that may help. There could be some answers to your questions it's called "African Physcology in Historical Perspective and Related Commentary" by Daudi Ajani ya Azibo.
Happy Learning
Last edited on Wednesday May 10th, 2006 22:13 by Maat
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Incognito
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Posted: Wednesday May 10th, 2006 19:32 |
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| Just check out Cleopatra as retold by Hollywood Me personally I've been told I mentally torture women. If this means I strip them of their makeup and deal with them directly then guilty as charged. Had one woman who eventually called it a day...I think she was waiting around expecting romance LOL
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Maat
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Posted: Wednesday May 10th, 2006 22:15 |
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Reuben wrote: love/romance/eros are european concepts that come from a philosophical/political/artistic movement that stressed hightened excessive an unrealistic human emotions as a way to forward mankind socially spiritually an politically.
i have always wanted to research what traditional africans theorised 'love' as? how did they conceive emotions in general? what was some african philosophy on love? is there even a lingua franca for how we use the word love in the west to describe emotions in interpersonal relationships?
i know this post is slap dash an ting i jus wanna open some discourse.
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"If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you have started."
Marcus Mosiah Garvey
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Apedemak
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Posted: Thursday October 5th, 2006 14:01 |
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To me the main difference seems to be that European love is so defined and given to us as what they think it is. It's all external and based heavily on materialstic ways to express it.
I've noticed the same type of thing... Europeans seem to think systematically, almost robotically in regards to things people wouldn't otherwise think of in that way.
Notice how in the west children aren't, 'had' they're, ''afforded''. Its the same with marriage, its all by the system as though its nessary for their survival. Its, convinient to marry. The main one is their approach to having children how its not done with love at all but is left to a convininet time so it dosen't disturb a workaholic robotic lifestyle and money matters. How economics are given precedence over family matters.
Systematic systematic systematic.
Where there is no system you'll find that things are diffrent, theres nothing to live by and so people have more children than they do where there is this systematic way of living. Children are raised by their families and villiage not caretakers and television programs in a place where paying the bills has mommy and daddy working all day and too tired to play when they get home preferring to buy pre packed food as time management seeps into everyday life... In my book a home cooked meal is supposed to be made with love itself not bought in some sterilized packet.
People are allocated time and affection for one another in European thinking.
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M@LaiKa
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 15:57 |
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LOVE in its commercial concept is probably the brain child of Western interpretation with some Christian ideals thrown in for good measure.
My views might be quite controversial but i am only reasoning from things I saw and learnt while growing up in Kenya & Tanzania.
The Traditional African view of LOVE may have similar threads but at the same time I think the concepts vary greatly. The "Love" between man and woman was probably subdued in my view. Bearing in mind many African Cultures subscribed to polygamy, I think that the ralationship was more practical than romantic in many ways. It must have been hard to not have fits of jealousy as your husband took his second or third wife....so LOVE as a ROMANTIC IDEAL was more of a distant value. Of course there would be some kind of LOVE but i think it is closer to understanding,tolerance and acceptance.....many people see these as virtures or aspects of LOVE. It may not be what people what to here but the concept of LOVE in Africa is really quite vague.
But there is an aspect to LOVE that is more or less universal and is prominent and highly celebrated in Africa and that is the LOVE between mother and child.
I have been documenting various folktales and proverbs from all over Africa for the past few years. I beleive that within these oral traditions lie many a key to understanding various aspects of African Philosophy. Our people before us were very practical and thus traditional philosophies were emulated from generation to generation through these mediums. If you like I would be happy to pass on a few examples........
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M@LaiKa
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 16:01 |
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rebel-lion says
Children are raised by their families and villiage not caretakers and television programs in a place where paying the bills has mommy and daddy working all day and too tired to play when they get home preferring to buy pre packed food as time management seeps into everyday life... In my book a home cooked meal is supposed to be made with love itself not bought in some sterilized packet.
I was starting to think I was the only one left from this school of thought!!! Furthermore..... The British way of thinking makes a mockery of the concept of Community.
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Apedemak
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 16:06 |
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I have been documenting various folktales and proverbs from all over Africa for the past few years. I beleive that within these oral traditions lie many a key to understanding various aspects of African Philosophy. Our people before us were very practical and thus traditional philosophies were emulated from generation to generation through these mediums. If you like I would be happy to pass on a few examples........
Cool. Plz make a thread about it.
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Incognito
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 16:22 |
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In a traditional African environment you love your people and your tribe as standard therefore relationships and customs are more functional than emotional and are in place for representation and the betterment of the collective not the individual.
The west is more about individuals which leads to peoiple drawing bad cards on each other - would almost go as far to say it's why so many like to see others fail. It's the same mentality that draws fascination from soap operas and big brother.
I've always said if you don't love Africa you can't love me. This kind of love is based on respect. It's the big difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. The west bases it's concept on being in love which is a recipe for disaster because with no core respct love like this will come and go and probably leave a lot of children deprived of the family structure they are entitled to.
Makes me puke when I hear people say 'but I love him or I love her', depending on what your love is based on it's fair to say you don't know the meaning of the word. Marriage, wedlock, naming ceremonies are all values based on a love for your people...you fall in love with the confines of that structure. Guess the biggest mistake you can make is to fool yourself that this structure is actually in place.
Last edited on Monday October 9th, 2006 16:23 by Incognito
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Apedemak
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 16:56 |
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The west is more about individuals which leads to people drawing bad cards on each other - would almost go as far to say it's why so many like to see others fail. It's the same mentality that draws fascination from soap operas and big brother.
Thats it. Its more of an egotistical thing. Soap operas, big brother, X Factor, programs and adverts with people falling over and hurting themselves.
The so called, ''hippie era'' shouldn't even have been given a term, its only now with the changes in the weather (its still summer for some reason) that they're recycling and all that but back then all that was frowned at when thats the way things should be. (To an extent)
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Incognito
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 17:37 |
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Rebel-Lion - and what's more, with a love for your people, even the ugly ones get married
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bubz
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 18:03 |
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Incognito wrote: Me personally I've been told I mentally torture women.
this does not sound good...
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Incognito
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Posted: Monday October 9th, 2006 18:56 |
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bubz - only women not of the cerebral persuassion are affected, likewise with men. But don't worry, those who are affected have the benefit of safety in numbers. Just use these forums as a barometer, I mean you haven't got a problem with me have you?
Last edited on Monday October 9th, 2006 18:57 by Incognito
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Incognito
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Posted: Tuesday October 10th, 2006 09:18 |
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bubz - I consider myself a conscious person in that there is a reason behind everything I say and everything I do. You just need to be able to see beyond superficial love, money, house and car to be able to relate. I find I get on more with elder citizens (40+) and continental Africans
Last edited on Tuesday October 10th, 2006 09:21 by Incognito
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bubz
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Posted: Tuesday October 10th, 2006 09:40 |
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'mental torture' sounded pretty bad. i just found that statement quite alarming.
surely u wouldnt need to be around any woman you felt the need to torture mentally? i mean u either get on/click and have fun together, or u dont quite gel and u keep your distance from those people?
i never see the need for any kind of torture within a loving relationship...
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Incognito
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Posted: Tuesday October 10th, 2006 10:08 |
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bubz - as I said, it's people telling me this. From my perspective I'm completely nbormal....just a man of the mind. Someone who is easily intimidated may see me as a source of mental torture but that problem is theirs not mine. In the case of women, just make sure you get out before there are any children involved but then you might find I have other values which make you want to have my children...and then get out LOL.
Only air heads, lightweights and hypocrites need be afraid
Last edited on Tuesday October 10th, 2006 10:52 by Incognito
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