What is the Maafa?
Incorrect Definitions

The Maafa is often incorrectly referred to as 'The African Holocaust' but many Africentric historians and academics reject this assertion due its erroneous conflation with the historic events of the 1904-1945 atrocities committed by the Germans against the Herero people of the Namibia (see the first 'holocaust'). It is worth noting that these crimes against Africa occurred after the pan-european parliamentary abolishment of slavery.

Many feel that to refer to the enslavement of Mama Africa using the term 'holocaust' belittles and trivialises the history of the Herero and the Nama uprising. The Germans established and perfected the methods it used against Jewish people in Africa. However these events are encapsulated by the wider ranging definition of the Maafa.

Whilst the word 'holocaust' can be used to refer to large scale deaths of humans by humans, if capitalised it only refers to the Jewish/German ignoring the African/German persecutions. This asserts that the Holocaust against Jewish people was the 'real' holocaust and that the African holocaust is nothing but a poor facsimile. It is similar to the concept of Churches and 'black' Churches. By european standards one is deemed authentic the other an ‘ethnic’ mimicry. In Africa and the Caribbean this is the opposite, there are no 'black' Churches. They are simply referred to as Churches. Likewise there is no African Holocaust there is simply the Maafa.

Related Resources