This caught my eye and will post it here from the thread "How can mixed race help break down racism?" It is a post by Masimba Musodza. I am hoping he and others can expand on this idea of the Jews in Africa - this has always been something that has alluded me and there is always so much propoganda on both sides that it is hard to discern. Were the Jews originally middle-eastern semitic in origin and then migrated into Africa? What is there relation with the white and sehpardic jews of today. This is a topic that NEEDS elaboration. I know many Jewish stories are taken from older African ones - along with many rituals, etc.

Any information would be greatly appreci-loved!

"There isn't a Black tribe in Southern Africa today without a drop of Hebrew blood. The migrations have been many- from the time of King Solomon, the Exile etc.

I always find it annoying when they say Zimbabwe's Jewish population is 800 ( only counting the Askenazic and Serphadic communities) There is more than 5000 practising Black Jews in Harare alone.

The culture of my people has many decidely Old Testament origins. Even the name for God ( Yawe or Zame. In other Afriacn tongues it's Yabe, Onyame, Nzambe - from where we get "zombie")

I do not consider myself Jewish. But the Black Jews in Zimbabwe consider Rastafari a Jewish sect. When I attended synagogue, one of the Elders, Benjamin Kwindima, declared me to be of the House of Judah. My family totem is Lion ( Judah is a Lion, a lion to the prey Genesis 49) My wife, a Moyo ( Heart) is a Levitess ( Levi in hebrew is Heart- my heart not go in to their counsel. Even the European explorers described the Judaic rites the Moyos were keeping in the 1800s.

But it is not just Hebrew blood that makes up the modern African. There is also Khemitic etc., and non-African ancestry as well, such as Arab.

Many non-African peoples who settled in Africa adopted Totems as well. By these, their origins are known. My wife is a Moyo Sinyoro ( the Sinyoro is derived from Senor, Portuguese. But she is not white, she is darker than me and I am very dark) So she is of Portugeuese descent, and that Portuguese ancestor would have had a Moyo mother.

The totem system works a bit like European heraldry, with cadet and disatff branches of a line having their own derived symbols. Usually, for a woman's lineage to have their own totem she must have played a role in establishing that line or her kids are bastards (their father unknown or not married to her. In my culture, the children belong to the mother's people if the man did not marry her) For example, my greatx13-grandfather established his Buja nation by the help of his sister, Chingate ( she seduced his rival and discovered the secret of his military might) Her children were given territory to rule over, and to this day they too are Shumba Nyamuziwahs like me, but they add wekwaCharehwa ( of the House of Charehewa) to their titles. So they do not have any claim to the Buja throne. A sexual relationship with any one of them would not be considered incestuous- a fact eagerly explained to me by a certain girl a long time ago who had become quite taken with me. But that is another story......

I do not know what people's problem is with Hebrews being Africans. I just don't get it. Anyone with a personal knowledge of African culture would know straight away that it is the same as the Hebrew culture - family systems, sacrifices, wife-inheritance, dealings with strangers etc. People should not confuse the ancient Hebrews whose traditions are still alive in Africa with the modern Jews, who are really Europeans."