• SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 day ago

    On the one hand, many people in Africa are Christians. But on the other hand, much of Africa did not have any contact with Christianity until colonialism. So I can definitely see how it could be seen as celebrating colonialism.

    • pwnicholson@lemmy.world
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      23 hours ago

      Ethiopian Coptics are some of the oldest Christian groups in the world. You could (and I think they do) argue they predate Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox.

      • AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.world
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        16 hours ago

        Founded only 5 years after the Council of Nicea in 330 AD. Prosecution of Christianity in the Roman Empire under Emperor Constantine had only ended 12 years before, with the Edict of Milan decriminalizing open worship of Christ.

      • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        14 hours ago

        (To continue to play devil’s advocate here:)

        True, but is Swahili spoken much in Ethiopia? If the song is an homage to the Coptics, why not sing it in Coptic, or even Amharic?

    • AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      He didn’t say colonialism. He said racism.

      Don’t move the goalposts. This isn’t defending the point, its making the whole argument look bad by deflection.

      • SuperNovaStar@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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        14 hours ago

        Look, I’m not saying the song is racist, just pointing out why someone might believe that.

        Besides, colonialism and racism go hand in hand. One necessarily leads to the other.

        • AnchoriteMagus@lemmy.world
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          14 hours ago

          When the Rus founded Kyiv, did they do so because they were racist against the Slavs or because they wanted a trade route on the Dnipr?

          When the Phoenicians settled in Carthage, was it racism or did they want to control trade access to the Mediterranean?

          When Hrolfr settled in Normandy, was he racist against the Franks? Why then, did he immediately marry a Frank and join their kingdom under their laws?