There is a direct relationship between identity and purpose. Identity is inherent, unchanging and who you are. Whereas purpose makes clear what you are here to do. They are connected and inseparable. As I mentioned earlier, the lack of identity places a huge role in the dissatisfied, unfulfilled, seemingly chaos we continually see as a people including not fitting in. So how could you discover your true purpose in that state of existence?
To further emphasis my point about the importance of identity, the Honorable Marcus Mosiah Garvey is quoted as saying, “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” The roots are the foundation of a tree. Without it, the rest of the tree would dry up and die. It would be very unstable and vulnerable by all the external elements, especially the wind. Any strong wind will blow it down in whatever direction it’s blowing.
Culture is a way of life of a group of people, including their behaviors, beliefs, values that are passed along by communication and imitation from one generation to the next.
Just like a tree with roots, people with the knowledge of their culture and their past have a firm foundation that supports them. It allows people to stay grounded and not get uprooted by big winds that are symbolic of challenges. Culture influences personal identity because this gives you the label for the group that you belong in. Within culture you will find language, customs, morals, group beliefs, and how to interact with people who are like yourself. Culture is the glue that holds us together.
Cultural identity is the identity or feeling of belonging to a group.
It is part of a person’s self-conception and self-perception and is related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality, or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture. Your purpose would be your role individually as it relates to the group. I’ll get more into that later. But you should be able to clearly see why we of the African Diaspora are plagued with the identity crisis which impacts our ability to function within the confines of purpose. This is also why we MUST get reconnected and discover our ROOTS.
My wife and I, as are thousands of others, are grateful to African Ancestry for helping us get scientific proof when it comes to helping to solve the identity crisis, we Africans of the Diaspora face.
My wife and I, as are thousands of others, are grateful to African Ancestry for helping us get scientific proof when it comes to helping to solve the identity crisis, we Africans of the Diaspora face. We highly recommend this company. We, for the most part, know our American side. But we wanted more. We wanted to learn and know our African side. African Ancestry specifically services Africans and it’s owned and operated by American Africans. They help put the missing pieces back together that were taken from us that also interrupted African history. Through their science, we can begin to connect the dots and put those missing pieces back together and begin to heal as Africans. But the best part is you won’t just discover your general identity like other companies say. You will know the specific “tribe” and the country in which you share DNA with. Then you can really pursue the next important step which is PURPOSE.
I must be clear about something else as it pertains to cultural identity.
Although we may lack certain specific aspects of our African cultural identity, for obvious reasons mentioned above, we still have some unique qualities that make us who we are. I feel this is important especially for those of us who choose to, for whatsoever reason, repatriate to Africa. For example, my wife and I repatriated to Ghana in 2017. We look forward to soon becoming Ghanaian citizens which will afford us to have dual citizenship. Although we live here and will abide by the laws and adhere to certain cultural things and may even adopt some, one thing for certain is we are still Africans born in America which gives us unique characteristics also. We will never relinquish those aspects of our lives. Those things help to make us who we are.
We like our potato salad, fried chicken wings, the way we cook them.
We love collard greens and kale, candied sweet potatoes and macaroni and cheese both vegan and the regular way. We love our cakes and pies. We love our ability to spontaneously dance when our song comes on and create and learn the new dance craves. Our music takes us to places and brings back memories of joy, laughter, and great times. We love our diverse music genres and our sense of style and fashion. We love our assertiveness, boldness, and our ability to think critically, to problem solve when stumbling blocks have been put all around us.
These things were shaped from our past, going back to our ancestors who were brought to the states who had to bear unprecedented wickedness and unfairness.
They had to make the best out of every situation and the most often out of little to nothing. We had to laugh to avoid crying. They had to damn near fight for everything for us to be alive here today. To relinquish those attributes, to me would be an insult to who I am and to our ancestors. Granted it does not mean that there are certain aspects of us that need to die off.