Psychedelics in Africa
Most information about African traditions and history has been lost or replaced with different Eurocentric viewpoints. This is mostly a result of the forced subjugation and kidnapping of Africans in the Western world.
For many years now, most teachers only advocate for the K-12 curriculum. This is because it doesn’t just start with slavery; it includes the fact that free people existed in colonies from sophisticated African civilizations. It’s also because it doesn’t exclude discussions of successful African empires before the arrival of Europeans. However, after the killing of George Floyd in 2020, the call to reassess the way Black history is taught increased.
Examination of civilization’s roots, like religion, education, and language, indicates that Africa is the birthplace of these human cultures. Despite the increasing demand to legitimize psychedelics still only considers white hippie cultures without acknowledging psychedelic use in Africa.
Darren Springer is a researcher, event organizer, and educator that likes to travel the world and spread factual knowledge. He is currently advocating the need to recognize the old psychedelic traditions in Africa.
In this article, we’ll go through Darren Springer’s account to fully understand the untold history of psychedelics in Africa.
Darren Springer’s Account
Here’s an overview of his accounts:
When his viewpoint on the origin of psychedelics shifted
According to Darren, it started after his teacher Bobby Hammett referred him to a book titled “DMT: The Spiritual Molecule.” His viewpoint changed after he went through the accounts of white hippies and European DMT experiences. Most of them had signature African experiences. Based on his account, the experiences were like those of ancient African and Egyptian goddesses. This was the major trigger for the shift in his viewpoint.
Voodoo, Spiritual Journeys, and Psychedelic Experience
According to him, Voodoo in Africa is actually what is practiced in many other parts of the world. Many indigenous practices in the Americas and Asia are similar to or the same as practices in Africa.
However, when it comes to Africa, it’s almost like there’s some taboo, especially concerning what it offers to humanity. Even though many people are into these things, no credit is given to the people of Africa. It’s worth noting that Africa is the birthplace, and Africans are the gatekeepers of these traditions.
In his opinion, he thinks Africa will eventually return to its place as the birthplace of science, religion, and traditions.
The Effects of Colonialism
One of the results of colonialism that swept through Africa is the loss of history and knowledge. There’s an unbroken lineage of African traditions and the use of psychedelics. Africans have to put in the effort to reconnect to their traditions.
However, this may be difficult, considering the possibility of being taken from Africa’s direct culture, spirituality, and traditions. An example can be seen with traditions like Santeria or Voodoo, which are byproducts of religions that were forced on Africans. There’s a need to adapt and reembrace these traditions again.
All these were the accounts of Darren, as he highlighted how black people could rebuild their psychedelic traditions.
The need to draw knowledge from elders to understand how powerful psychedelics are for trauma, and other conditions
According to Darren, black Africans are not really engaging culturally in psychedelics because the subject is considered taboo. However, the mainstream psychedelic renaissance now allows for mature conversations around the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.
This includes use for PTSD, anxiety, drug addiction, and depression. However, while these are common worldwide, the conditions are at disproportionate levels among Africans. With that, he highlights the need to introduce and educate other communities.
Also, even though there is much research on psychedelics, they are disproportionate. This is with respect to who does the research, the participants in the trials, and what they aim to achieve. There remains an unbroken link in the use of psychedelics due to the lack of education. This is particularly for education, affecting the ability to maintain a conversation around these substances.
How psychedelic communities globally can honor and give credit to the history of psychedelics in Africa
Education is the key to it all. Today, there’s so much information about Africa that people don’t know. Today, there’s technology from Africa in the mobile phones we use. The introduction of calendars and the concept of time are all from Africa. Agriculture, eating healthy, and other elements all have origins in Africa. However, no credit is given to Africa for all of this.
Apart from the field of psychedelics, there’s a huge gap in understanding the role of Africa in all of this. The only way to achieve this is with proper education.
Conclusion
All of these were accounts of Darren. To assist in facilitating education, Microdose Bros is committed to ensuring that everyone gets the right information about psychedelics and their benefits. According to different studies, you can find all the important information about these substances, including their therapeutic use.
In addition, you can check our online store to buy magic truffles. We ship discreetly in Europe. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us now.
