Who Will Tell Your Story?

Feb 28, 2023

“Whether they are statements of historical fact or molded from our wildest imaginations, the stories we tell ourselves about who we have been, who we are, and who we could be, have the power to determine who we actually become. This is the power of storytelling, a power born on the African continent with the first humans who stood up straight and contemplated the world above, below and around them. A power which spread across the world with human migrations as myths, folklore, and history. A power which continues to shape the human experience. A power which can be harnessed for the highest good or the lowest evil. A power which can make civilizations or break them. A power which we all wield today as creators and consumers of media.”

I made the above observations in the announcement of a Twitter Space in which we discussed The Woman King movie. You can listen to a recording of that discussion here. Since then, the question of who gets to tell the stories of African peoples (as well as that of which stories to tell, and how to tell these stories) has come up again and again. It comes up almost daily as I decide what to share on the Mythological Africans Twitter Page. I have talked about it in almost every discussion I’ve had about my book “The Runaway Princess and Other Stories”. It came up this past Sunday as I watched the Netflix series about Queen Njinga of Ndongo. It came up yesterday as I read about the occurrences and expressions of homosexuality in African communities, past and present, in preparation for Episode 13 of the soon to return MA Deep Dive Series.

Who will tell your story?

It is a loaded but important question. It probes at matters of historical accuracy and respect for what is sacred, secret and privileged. This, in turn, reaches into the territory of who gets to decide what is accurate, sacred, secret and privileged. What was, in the past, the domain of communally approved cultural gatekeepers, in our modern times, is often freely accessible and open to commentary and inquiry. The When, What, How, Why and Who of this commentary and inquiry is not clearly defined and figuring this out can be very polarizing, especially on social media.

Vanishing Cultures Photography | Bandiagara escarpment | Toguna — A Dogon (Mali) toguna, a meeting place for village elders to discuss problems of the community. Image Credit: Kieron Nelson 2000 "Vanishing Cultures Photography"

In my recent self-introduction on MA Twitter, I reaffirmed my intention to make MA a place where Black/African but also all peoples can explore and celebrate the Black/African experience of wonder, enchantment and mystery as captured in stories, and do this in the context of the human experience of wonder, enchantment and mystery. I reaffirmed my goal to create a fun and welcoming environment where we can all learn new things, and enjoy the beauty and brilliance of Black/African peoples. I think I succeed most days. But even more importantly, the MA community is about respectful communication, sharing accurate information, and open discussions which seek to call in rather than call out, connect rather than exclude, and celebrate the wonderful complexity of the humanity of which we are all a part. I emphasize the connection of Black/African people to the wider human story because racism (and the fight against it) can have a very isolating effect, pitting its victims (and yes, this includes white people) against each other. I believe that by connecting African stories to stories from around the world, we remind ourselves of the fundamental truth of our interconnectedness.