The Black Experience in the 20th Century: An Autobiography and Meditation

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Summary: A Pioneer Black Writer
Review: In what Peter Abrahams calls an autobiography and meditation, "The Black Experience in the 20th Century" offers the personal account of Abrahams' experience as a black writer who began his career at the peak of the Pan-African movement.

In becoming a part of the liberating movement and associating with major players of the time, Peter Abrahams analyzes and delivers a thorough understanding black intellectualism -- its roots, its resolution, its pioneers, its personalities, and its path.

"So [Marcus] Garvey redefined colour to serve our interests. He wanted his black folk to be equal of al other colours. He wanted all blacks - and for him it included all shades of black - to be as proud of their colour as were the whites of theirs: no intermarriage, no mixing of blood."

The means by which Black freedom fighters have used to liberate their populace has often left the rest of the world questioning their respective methodology. Hence, Abrahams also questions Garvey's "Back to Africa" movement, and the antics of Jomo Kenyatta in waging the Mau Mau war in Kenya. We gain insight through the author's query of these leaders and their lives.

"One of the saddest experiences in my life has been to watch, over time, some fine men being changed over circumstances." Abrahams gives his recollection of Kenyatta and the Mau Mau war.

"On that first journey back to Africa, when she was still in bondage, Kenyatta was an old friend from our London days. We walked the beautiful mountainous land together, met the people, shared out ideas with them, were close to them - which was why so many fought and died for the vision of the freedom and land he promised them. More than 11,000 mainly Kikuyu died in what the British government and the white settlers called the Mau Mau rebellion and the blacks called their freedom struggle. It was both a physical and propaganda war, with the propaganda at times seeming the bigger war. Kenyatta, in particular, and the Kikuyu in general were demonized."

Abrahams was born in South Africa in 1919 and just upon entering his manhood, became a seaman as a means to earn a living, thereby escaping the many evils of apartheid in his homeland. He eventually settles in England and there he begins his political journey as a writer and messenger of the free African word in a not so free world for any type of African.

He lives through World War II, which was not a black war, and at this time, many Africans begin to adopt socialist and communist thought, also finding liberation in Marxism. Today, it is difficult to imagine the rationale behind such actions. In that day however, the support blacks gave to these institutions also opened doors. These doors led to more forums where Africans from the Diaspora were able to meet and develop strategies for African emancipation.

Abrahams gets to meet other black literati including Langston Hughes, Richard Wright and W.E.B Dubois. These men were his friends, and he goes into detail about their personalities, how their lives shaped their writing, and thus their unique epistle to the world.

Abrahams also discusses the dependence of Africans in the Diaspora on the institutions of the very people that enslaved them. Explaining that vicious cycle, he constantly defines the many levels of racism, from all angles, black or white.

The first half of Abrahams account is extremely lively and filled with the drama of Africanist movement. His discussion of the use of language, especially English as a freedom tool provides a unique slant on the contribution blacks have made to literature and communication in general.

His hypothesis on Black living comes from experience, and is indeed worth reading to gain a new perspective. It would suffice if the book continued on this path, with Abrahams perhaps following through on the lives of some of these leaders.

This book however is an autobiography, and thus half of it is about Abrahams' life in Jamaica. Not to discount Jamaica for any of its beauty, but the reader is led into a literal trap, which seemingly takes a while to recover from. Meaning the reader is led to believe this is a thorough, account on who our African leaders are, how they did it, and perhaps why Africa is in its current state.

Indeed Abrahams provides some of these answers, and brilliantly so, which makes the book hard to put down. But, when Abrahams begins his account of life in Jamaica, one is led to believe he will eventually change the course of the book, and continues to describe African thought. This expectation comes chapter after chapter, and indeed, sadly, it means reading about Jamaican as well as West Indian politics, and Abrahams' role as a journalist there.

The book becomes somewhat of a disappointment, but as reflected in its title "The Black Experience in the 20th Century," the novel is about his experience as a Black man, and "Black" thought, as this account of his life gives a window into the lives of leaders in the African Diaspora, from Africa, to the United States, to Europe and eventually the West Indies.

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