I believe that for the topic of African brilliance and its connection to the Western world, there could have been no better speaker than Dr. Carr. He is very passionate and fervent in his delivery of the material that it resonates with you even after class ends. He spoke in such a way that made me proud of my heritage and where I come from. I had never learned much about Africa or the ancient traditions that affect today's culture, but the first lecture of Freshman Seminar definitely had me ready to learn more.
Most schools in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School System (where I was schooled back home) teach children nothing about ancient Africa and the ties to society today. I had never heard of an mbongi and knew nothing of what Africa did for the Americas, outside of slavery. My knowledge of the Homeland is still to this day very limited, but my eyes were opened just a little. I learned that an mbongi can be in any form: a class, a family reunion, a hair salon, or even a kickback amongst teenagers. When we all come together and form mbongis, we have the power to tap into the legacy of our ancestors and our true role in the construction of society.
I was also very taken with the idea of human brilliance being directly linked to African brilliance. There are many things in history suggesting that the beginning of man started in Africa. However, many people refuse to believe that. We created civilizations and means of communications in a time before history was truly recorded. And in addition to that, for centuries the world's riches have been derived straight from the face of Africa. To ignore that fact and ignore Africa's history is ignorance.
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