While reading Sophia Nahli Allison “Revisiting the Legend of Flying Africans”, from reading the title of “flying Africans” the first memory that came to mind was the flying monkeys of Rob Cohen and Sidney Lumet’s ‘The Wiz’. Allison discusses the legendary story of flying Africans which was actually a story about enslaved Africans who could “lift up and fly home”. The legendary myth was past down generation to generation since slavery days to teach the imaginative meaning behind what it meant for Blacks to have freedom, and a new beginning. The idea was that these Africans would leave behind slavery and fly back to the motherland, Africa, where they were free, accepted, and everyone their was like them. Having all these factors would make life much easier for them compared to how it was for them during times of slavery. This mythological story gave the blacks a sense of survival during this crisis, and was also a form of rebellion for freedom. The meaning of ‘flying’ or ‘flight’ was the slaves secret way of speaking of resistance and rebellion. The article states, “Flight became a secret language for runaway slaves, and it continues to represent black mobility toward liberation,” this myth was a piece of mind for Africans. Similar to a fairytale, it symbolizes hope and remembrance that one day they too would fly and be free. If they didn’t physically reenact their ability to fly and escape their enslaved lives, then in their afterlife they’ll also gain their wings, and be free from their imprisoned lives. As we can see, the story of Flying Africans did have its native form and spiritual form, giving Blacks hope for freedom and in whichever way it’ll happen for them. So regardless of how they’re journey would turn, they were all bound to receive freedom either way.

    We are all aware of ‘The Wiz’, the 1978 American musical adventure fantasy film, also known to be the African American version of “The Wizard of Oz” with an all African American cast. In ‘The Wiz’, Baum had Winged Monkeys that favored the look of slaves or minions. However, these Winged Monkeys were not slaves of the Wicked Witch of the west, they were charmed slaves to the Golden Cap, and temporarily did the dirty work of the Wicked Witch, and fought her battles. My understanding of these Winged Monkeys are that yes, they resembled the meaning of the Flying Africans. Given that monkeys originated in Egypt, it made sense to use monkeys as a representation of African slaves. Blacks were also referred to as monkeys, but the wings on them showed that they were free. This relates back to the myth of Flying Africans, these monkeys were used in this film to demonstrate that mythology of Flying Africans. These monkeys demonstrated the idea of slaves with wings. In the film, the winged Monkeys were not bound, and unable to experience their freedom, they had their freedom, but they also had a job to maintain which was to protect the Wicked Witch. This representation in The Wiz correlates so much with the idea of Flying Africans because the Winged Monkeys were slaves to the Golden Cap, they had duties and they also had to protect the Wicked Witch, but they still had their freedom, and they still showed pride in their abilities. Similar to slaves, the myth of Flying Africans allowed them to have that sense of freedom, but to also have pride in themselves and their abilities.