Banjo: Vision Of Black Culture

The book Banjo describes a vision of black culture. The theme of black culture is described by a story without a plot. The culture targets whites and blacks, restrain and spontaneity, bitterness and joy, civilization and naturalness. During this time in America, the White used to go to listen to Jazz music as they watched the black people dancing. They moved from their homes to a place known as Harlem to meet the black intellectuals. The book, Banjo, questions the difference between the blacks and whites life and as well offers an answer, that is, black live freely, more whole-heartedly and are more immediate than the white.
The white are insulting to the black. They say that the blacks have natural rhythm; the author of Banjo defends them
and says that the Arab and the Chinese men dance awkward and they have no rhythm of jazz belonging to the Negroes neither the natural animal grace. The white think that the black are uncivilized and primitive. The black writers feel that the way of life of the black people is a rejection of civilization that is the white civilization that dominates the world. A willed rebellion seems to emerge as demonstrated by the black writers, where the choice is conscious, that is the black choosing to be black which favors a more expressive style.
Banjo explains the friendship and the pleasure the black people share. It includes African movements and the ways of treating the white people. It described the black people as the earth-loving race because of their dance-like talk and affirmed spontaneity and Grant 2

sexuality.
The legitimate culture tradition of the black causes wild happiness and at some time, the blacks also have their inventions example in dress codes, speech, and twist of musical phrases.
The emotional vitality of the blacks is inhibited by the white’s behavior and the powerful civilization they expose. The civilization of the white has made the earth dark with the oppressive rule it poses, many prohibitions and concentration of only what brings happiness. The whites represent exploitativeness, superiority, emotional unresponsiveness, pleasure viewed as a commercial, condemning morality rather than affirming, deception, deceit, and self-deception.
The thinking as explained in the book of Banjo is close to Romanticism views of the natural human being celebration and restraints that result from civilization concept. The restraints of human beings to slaves and causes them anguish. The romanticism view is also the center of the black literature, that is, the theme of revolt. It is therefore connected to the rebellion of the black against the internalized authority figure. The revolts have resulted in liberation, and the blacks are now free to pursue their own ends. Ray felt that negroes, especially those in the States are driven by race prejudice which causes them to get together and “ …develop their own group life
“(205).
There are some places where the white rules still dominate. For instance, in Harlem and Marseilles. In the book of Banjo, Marseilles is shown to have some black drifters who are known to rummage, love, talk, fight, and dance. Jake exclaimed, “ Gawd’s love! Ain’t no wonder you fellas stick in this sweet mud. Fust place I evah feel mahself in a jazzing circus some’n’ lak Harlem. It shoh smells strong” (299). These individuals do not follow the white rules though they live in a white-dominated area and they live their natural life. The white
Grant 3
Influence does not end entirely as demonstrated as in the world of Banjo. The greedy shopkeepers, the police, the pimps and the corrupt officials are still present in this place.
Rejecting the culture that has the majority people is utterly conscious. For instance, Ray resides among beach boys and the author shows his ego and his improved method of writing where he writes to an American consular, and he gets the result immediately. The black are seen as copying the white people, for instance; Ray feels he has skills to make him successful but does not want to apply him. Ray craved to be like the beach boys though he had intellect standing and had to look after his native instincts. Though he had not entirely admired the others, he knew he could learn from them. To him, the beach boys represented more than an irresponsible vitality and a black race. Ray later explains to his friend that
“You must judge civilization by its general attitude towards primitive people and not by the exceptional cases” (200).
In conclusion, Banjo shows how black culture has dominated despite the civilization shown by the white people. People are shown to struggle to keep their culture though the white culture is captivating and attracting. The black culture applies poetic, plays and expresses the language of its work. Literature writing is shown to have also embraced the black culture as if fully expresses the message intended to be passed. Therefore, Banjo shows that black culture is dominant in its unique way.