Cultural History

Studies support the assumption that the majority of people believe that death is not the end of one's existence but rather a transition from one life to another. Different religions have provided belief structures that support the religious and social needs of practitioners.

Cameroonians have a variety of religious beliefs, and many individuals combine beliefs and practices of world religions with those of their own cultural groups. Approximately 53 percent of the population are members of Christian denominations, about 25 percent practice mainly “traditional” religions, and approximately 22 percent are Muslim

In Cameroon, traditional religions are systems of practices and beliefs that adapt to changing social conditions. Most people are animist despite their religion. They are involved in the veneration of ancestors and the belief that people, animals, and natural objects are invested with spiritual power. They believe that upon death, there is rebirth to another life. Death is accepted as inevitable and not feared. The moral of their actions is very relative. The good and wrong are subjected to individual judgment.

As a Christian, I believe that Jesus is the son of God and the Savior,  that there is an afterlife, based upon the promises of the Holy Bible and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ and his disciples. Upon death, I believe that we will come before God and we will be judged according to the choices we would have made in our earthly lives. That perception indeed influences my actions in the daily basics. 

I think Slavery is America’s “original sin” and undeniable negative legacy.  It was not solved by the framers of the U.S. Constitution, nor was it resolved by the horrendous conflict that was of the American Civil War. It simply changed its odious form and continued the generational enslavement of an entire strata of American society. In turn, the Civil Rights Movement struck a mighty blow against racism in America. Even when America rose up to elect its first Black President, Barack Obama, the U.S may indeed have lost ground as a collective nation along the way with the election of Donald J. Trump. Due to that, many social conflicts. The most hateful remnants of slavery persist in the U.S. today in the form of systemic racism baked into nearly every aspect of American society. The police systemic brutality has to lead the country to distrust in governmental institutions and raise up the question of equality and life dignity in America. 

National history has long played a prominent role in the forging of national identities. This historiographic nationalism has contributed to xenophobia, exclusion, discrimination, violence, war, and genocide. In the U.S today, some people think that America belongs only to whites because they conquered the land. In another hand, some believe that America is a land of immigrants, it belongs to everybody who chooses to love and cherish it as his or her home country. That divided perception can be illustrated in the political approaches of the two main political parties in the country, Republicans, and democrats.

In a 1969 editorial in Television Quarterly, communications scholar Cedric C. Clark wrote that minorities are often subjected to predictable stages of treatment in media depictions, particularly on television. According to Clark, there are 4 stages of minority representations: non-recognition, ridicule, regulation, and respect. The representations or applications of these 4 stages can be observed in the mass media as follow:

●       Stage 1: Non-recognition: Amid the pandemic of Covid-19, there no special spotlight on how the Indian Americans community who are struggling since they constitute one of the most vulnerable ethnic population in the U.S.

●       Stage 2: Ridicule: the life of Kanye West is more on media than the scientific accomplishments of black-dominated Colleges and Universities. 

●       Stage 3: Regulation: The research demonstrates that U.S. television has primarily used 2 ways of portraying immigrants: either criminals or job thieves.

●       Stage 4: Respect: The Election of Kamala Harris has given brought a lot of respect and praise to black and Asian communities but especially to women

References

Bechtel, L. J., Chen, A., Pierce, R. A., & Walker, B. A. (1992). Assessment of clergy knowledge and attitudes toward near-death experiences. Journal of Near-Death Studies. 10 (3), pp. 161-170. Becker, C. (1981). The centrality of near-death experiences in Chinese Pure Land Buddhism. Anabiosis - The Journal of Near-Death. 1, pp. 154-170. Becker, C. (1984, Spring). The Pure Land revisited: Sino-Japanese meditations and near-death experiences of the next world. Anabiosis - The Journal of Near-Death. 4, pp. 51-68. Becker, C. (1985, Spring). Views from Tibet: Near-death Experiences and the Book of the Dead. Vital Signs. 4, pp. 2-4. Budge E. A. W. (Ed.) (1989). The book of the dead. New York: Arkana. Couliano, I. P. (1991). Out of this world - Otherworldly journeys from Gilgamesh to Albert Einstein. Boston, MA: Shambhala. DeSpelder, L. A. & Strickland, A. L. (1983). The last dance - encountering death and dying. Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing.