What is the Maafa?
Africentric Criteria'

Criteria for a robust Africentric translation of Maafa

So whilst necessary, extreme care must be taken when choosing a translation of Maafa into a european language African people have no control over, especially when the intent is to institutionalise a description of an African reality. In a similar way the denigratory european labels 'negro', 'coloured', 'black' and the ubiquitous 'n word' have been used by many to attempt a positive reclamation of racist anti-African labels. The only legacy of this practice has been the cultural disinheritance of African people and the generational confusion and conflict when non Africentric politics have dictated that it is useful to institutionalise odious redefinitions of language to reflect current european cultural values.

(e.g. 'gay' from a state of happiness to a state of normalised same sex physical preference, or 'paedo - phile' from a friend/lover of children to an adult who is attracted to children instead of the more honest definition of a potential or actual child rapist.)

The word Maafa should be invulnerable to this redefinition as African people collectively own the development of the Kiswahili language. Nonetheless its translation into european languages must be established by African people in majority european nations to ensure it is not corrupted in the same manner 'Yardie' changed from a Jamaican national (African definition) to an African criminal involved with drugs or violence (British definition).

In consideration of this, any translation of The Maafa should preferably match as many of the following criteria as possible;

- Be unique to African people on a global scale (Relevance)

- Assert African people and culture were deliberately and systematically destroyed by non African nations (Malicious Institutional Intent)

- Assert African people were/are the innocent victims of slavery, colonisation and neo-colonisation (Damage and Legacy)

- Assert commercial exploitation was involved (Theft and Criminality)

- Assert African human rights were violated (Immoral and Unlawful by African standards)

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