Roots: The Saga of an American Family Contrasting Regions: Africa and America Quotes

Kunta's born in Juffure, a small village in The Gambia, which is in West Africa. There, he is taught not only about his family's proud ancestral legacy, but also that of Africa as a whole, its rich history reaching back to ancient times. Not surprisingly, the dude has some serious pride.

Kunta and his fellow Mandinka tribesmen know very little about America, which they refer to as "Jong Sang Doo." All they know is that the toubob show up, steal people, and then throw them into a boat headed to parts unknown. What happens once those ships hit land, unfortunately, is anybody's guess.

These lines are spoken by a few old villagers whose town was destroyed by toubob slave traders, but we think Kunta would express the same sentiment about his hometown of Juffure. No matter where he might go across this wide world, he'll always prefer his home.

The sights and smells of America are overwhelming to Kunta, and they couldn't be more different than the ones he's used to in Africa. At this point, he knows less than nothing about "Jong Sang Doo," and this isn't a great first impression. He has no idea what will happen next.

Kunta becomes even more confused when he sees black people walking around the land of the toubob, even dressed like the toubob. He's never seen anything like it before. What's more, these strange people refuse to acknowledge their tribal relationship with Kunta, which would be unheard of back in Africa.

Here, Kunta realizes that American-born black people aren't actively abandoning their heritage—it's been stolen away from them. We've already seen that drums can be used as a complex form of communication, besides their importance on a cultural level, so white slave-owners forbid their use to strengthen their own dominance.

The more time Kunta spends with black Americans, the more he realizes that they have brought their traditions with them to America, even if they've taken slightly different forms. What's more, many are completely unaware of the way that this dynamic affects them.

Kunta is shocked when Bell applies a poultice to his chest that is exactly like the ones his mom used to make back in Juffure. How did this American-born woman learn these traditional African techniques?

We love this moment not only because it makes Kunta so happy, but also because he's finally met someone as stoic as him. It's like Batman meeting the Black Panther. Fantasy team-ups aside, it's powerful for Kunta to finally meet someone who can relate to his upbringing.

Language is a huge part of one's cultural identity because it literally shapes thought, both in terms of available vocabulary and sentence structure. By not speaking Mandinka and even thinking in English, Kunta's become separated from his heritage. He rectifies this by teaching a few Mandinka words to Kizzy to keep the tradition alive.