Christian County played host to a king Tuesday afternoon, when leaders of Hopkinsville Community College organized and embraced a guest lecturer from the central African nation of Cameroon — His Royal Highness Nkunkuma Gerard-Marie Messina of the Ekang-Beti community.
A mayor of his region and also dignified professor, Messina brought a deeply resonating message relating to Black History Month, in which he discussed elements of identity, a return to Africa, Garveyism and African-Americanism.
The very idea of “Garveyism” stems from Marcus Garvey — a black nationalist and Jamaican immigrant who, after moving to the United States, ushered some views of racial separatism and a “Back-To-Africa” movement in the early 1920s.
But among Garvey’s more extreme notions, Messina relayed a nugget of truth from his ideologies. That there should be a sense of pride and self-worth among African-Americans, looking to reclaim lost lines of heritage through centuries of widespread poverty, discrimination, colonialism and slavery.
Garvey’s “go back to Africa” option, Messina said, was aimed at disconnecting African-Americans from the United States, because it “allowed [Blacks] to get back to Africa, since it was classically labeled a black continent.”
Messina, however, defined identity as an assemblage of attributes — cultural, economic, political, economic — that make up a person. Country of origin plays but one part in it.
Messina further mentioned that portions of African-American identity are lacking, but should be “inserted productively, and capitulated to have complete identity” in order to be full, and be “who you are.”
That missing element, he said, could be African history.
There is “no need” for African-Americans to disconnect from the country, Messina said. Only to find truth in one’s heritage.
This past November, HCC Professor Anita M. Diop was elevated from the status of “African Princess” to “Mafo” of the Baleng peoples in Cameroon — with all rights, privileges, status, honor and prestige coming in tow.
In helping bring Messina’s to Hopkinsville, Diop agreed that if one doesn’t know who they are, they cannot function as the best person.
Dr. Vernell Larkin, emeritus, said she had traced her roots to Cameroon, Nigeria, Guana and Whales, going all the way back to the 1300s.
The Nkunkuma’s full presentation:
