Africa's
Contribution To Contemporary Western Civilization
This
article is a contribution to the continuing debate between Western and African
scholars regarding the role Africans played in the development of modern
civilization. According to Dr. George G. M. James, author of the book, Stolen
Legacy," the authors of Greek philosophy were not the Greeks but the
people of North Africa, commonly called the Egyptians; and the praise and honor
falsely given to the Greeks for centuries belong to the people of North Africa,
and therefore to the African continent."
Apparently,
the impression given by some Western scholars that the African continent made
little or no contributions to civilization, and that its people are naturally
primitive has, unfortunately, become the basis of racial prejudice and negative
perception directed against all people of African origin.
This
article, therefore, is an overview of Africa's contributions to Western
Civilization. As such, it will briefly trace the history of Africa beginning
with the empire of ancient Egypt and continues on to other African empires that
developed thereafter. It will also review some aspect of African Civilization
and the impact it had on the development of Western Civilization.
ANCIENT
EGYPTIAN EMPIRES
The
contributions made by Egyptians toward the development of what we consider
modern civilization cannot be overemphasized. Between the periods of 3000 B. C
and 1100 B. C, a long line of kings known as pharaohs governed Egypt. Under the
pharaohs were the ruling of the royal court, governors of the provinces in which
the kingdom was divided, and commanders of the army, etc. Priests and
priestesses officiated at religious ceremonies and attended to the needs of
their gods, but also served under the pharaohs.
The
Greeks brought Egyptian education and influences to the Western world. One of
the Greeks who enunciated the cultural, religious, and philosophical teachings
of the Egyptians was Pythagorus. He was one of the men who introduced the
teachings of the Egyptians to the Europeans. As such, the knowledge he passed
on to his followers were those he attained from the Egyptians. The teachings of
Pythagorus came to us from three main sources. First, from the writings of one
of his followers by the name of Nicomachus. In the introduction his book,
“Introduction To Arithmetic,” Pythagorus’ theory was illustrated in a form
closest to the original teachings by the Pythagorean brotherhood. Second,
Pythagorean ideas can be found in the works of the great thinkers like Plato
who was influence by followers of Pythagorus. Finally, some understanding of
Pythagorus' theory may be attained form other famous writers like Aristotle.
The
Egyptians developed the concept of the right angle, which is the basis of the
Pythagorean theorem. This concept is one of the fundamental teachings of the
Egyptian mystery school. It is reflected in the designs of the ancient Egyptian
pyramids, which were initiated centuries before the birth of Pythagorus. This
concept and others like it, however, were "introduced" by Pythagorus.
They represent the understanding of man and the order of nature. According to
the Pythagorean brotherhood, the study of the Number Theory which is the
foundation of creation -- is an aid to achieving harmony between the soul and
that which one meditates. In his book, THE UNIVERSE OF NUMBERS, Ralph M. Lewis
states, "The influence of the Pythagorean brotherhood extended over a long
period of time. The followers of Pythagorus influenced Greek philosophers such
as Plato and Aristotle. Thinkers such as Fluid, Vaughn, and Hoyden based their
philosophy, to some extend, on Pythagorean ideas, including scientists such as
Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton." Chikn Anta Diop, a Senegalese
historian has argued that Pythagorean theory, the concept of Pi, Geometric
formulas and the screw and level are only some of the patrimonies of ancient
Egypt and not of Greece as conventional wisdom holds.
In
the September 23, 1991, edition of Newsweek, page 49, Bernal, the author of the
575 page book, BLACK ATHENA, published in 1987, explores the reason why in the
beginning of the 18th century European scholars intentionally omitted the names
of Egypt and Canaan from the family tree of Western Civilization. Bernal's
conclusion was that the classicists were racists and anti-Semites. They could
not stand the idea that their beloved Greece had been made "impure"
by African and Semitic influences. Therefore, they dismissed as mere
coincidence, how Egyptian and Canaanite technologies, philosophies and
political theories shaped Algean Civilization. Additionally, Bernal is
convinced that many pharaohs were black. Among them was Menthotpe who reunited
Egypt around 21 B. C after 300 years of chaos.
Egyptians
also initiated the concept of monotheism-the belief in one God. Akhennaten,
king of Egypt and God of the sun was the pharaoh who introduced monotheism to
his people. He was also a poet, artistic, an innovator, visionary, instigator
of monotheism and forerunner of Christ. He ruled Egypt during the 14th century
BC. The personality of Akhennaten continues to fascinate students of
Egyptology. He was the husband of Nefertiti, a goddess of her time. Historians
perceived Akhennaten as a good ruler who loved mankind. Some of his religious
practices and ideas have influenced fraternities in the Western world.
KINGDOMS
OF AFRICA SOUTH OF THE SAHARA DESERT
The
empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai were powerful medieval states in West
Africa. Each empire was advanced in matters regarding the administration of
government and economic prosperity. During each era of their respective
histories, they were powerful nations, which had vital trading links with the
commercial world of North Africa and Europe.
GHANA
Ghana
was the first of the three empires to rise as a regional power in West Africa.
The history of Ghana is based largely on the writings of Arab travelers who
visited and traded with its people. Before the Roman Empire left North Africa
in the 4th century AD, Ghana was already a powerful nation. Various countries
in Europe were dependent on imports of gold before the discovery of America.
The "civilization" of Ghana was advanced to such a level that a
system of taxation was imposed on every load of goods entering or leaving the
empire. Trading, therefore, was a highly organized system which the wealth and
importance of Ghana was based.
According
to El-farzari, an Arab writer of that period, the people of Ghana were also
successful in overpowering their advanced methods of warfare and their weapons,
which were swords and lances.
MALI
The
Empire of Mali emerged when Ghana's powers declined. In the 13th century, the
Mandingo speaking people began to extend their kingdom and pushed towards the
South and southeast regions of West Africa. Ghana's military forces were
eventually defeated. When Sundaiata Kita became ruler of Mali, it became the
most powerful of all the kingdoms of the Sudan. The gold trades continue to
flourish under his reign. After Sundiata, his grandson, Mansa Musa, became
ruler. During his reign, Mali became known throughout the Mediterranean world
and in Europe.
SONGHAI
During
the decline of Mali, the Songhai Empire emerged. In about 1464, Soni Ali became
king of Songhai. He was an ambitious young man who led his army to capture
Timbuktu, a city known for its learning centers and trade routes, in 1468.
Thereafter, he also captured Jenne, another famous city like Timbuktu. After
Soni Ali's death, one of his generals removed his son from the throne and took
control of the empire by force. He, thereafter, named himself Mohammed.
Mohammed was very organized and instituted a system of discipline government.
He created a number of central offices, similar to our contemporary government
departments to oversee justice, finance, agriculture and other matters of
importance in the affairs of the state. Under his rule, trade in gold from
Sudan region continued to flow northward into Europe.
Asking
Mohammed imported manufactured goods, clothes, and salt from Spain and Germany.
It was also during his reign that Timbuktu became a greater center of learning.
Its university, one the first in Africa, was so famous that scholars came to it
from all over the Muslim world, Europe and Asia. As a Muslim himself, Asking
allowed Islamic influence to spread throughout the Sudan.
Why
did these African empires collapse? Some scholars cited the difficulties of
defending the empire in the open West African region, in addition to the
corruption influence of the slave trade. While W. E. B. Du Bois stated that
Sudanese civilization fell before the triphammer blows of two of the world's
great religions, Islam and Christianity. Another reason also advanced by
Es-Sadi, a Timbuktu intellectual who wrote a history of the Sudan, TARKH
AL-SUDAN, for the fall of the Songhai Empire was that the people had grown fat
and soft on luxury and good living. He said that, "At that moment, faith
was exchanged go infidelity; there was nothing forbidden by God which was not
openly done … because of these abominations, the almighty in his vengeance drew
upon the Songhai the victorious army of the Moors."
CONCLUSION
From
the history of four of Africa's great empires, it can be clearly seen that
Africa and Africans have contributed to what we now consider Western
Civilization). All along the West African coast, Africans had developed various
systems of government, from the extended family to regional empires and the
Village State. Many of them consisting of those attributes of a modern state
(i.e., armies, courts, etc.). According to Melville J. Herskovits, a known
anthropologist, "of the areas inhabited by non-literate people, Africa
exhibits the great incidence of complex governmental structures. Not even the
kingdom of Peru and Mexico could mobilize resources and concentrate power more
effectively than could some of these African monarchies, which are more to be
compared with Europe of the middle ages then referred to the common conception
of the 'primitive' state."
From
the mystery schools of Egypt to the University of Sankore and other
intellectual centers in Timbuktu and Jenne, scholars throughout the Western
world came to Africa in search of knowledge and wisdom. Leo Africanus, a
Christianized moor, informed us that at the time, "In Timbuktu there are
numerous judges, doctors, clerics, all receiving good salaries from the king.
He pays great respect to men of learning. There is a big import from Barbary.
More profit is made from the book trade than from any other line of
business." The learning centers in Timbuktu had large and valuable
collections of manuscripts in several languages, including Greek and Latin.
Africans
are also a deeply religious and artistic people. To most Africans, religion and
art are the foundations of life. Religion and art are a collective expression
in which all the people participate.
As
I mentioned earlier, Africa's contribution to Western Civilization cannot be
overemphasized. As early as in 1907, the great European artist, Picasso,
changed the faces of his Canvas, LES DEMOISELLES D 'AVIGNON, to look like
African masks. This marked a turning point in western art.
I
hope that information contained in this article will inspire others to explore
the rich study of African history; especially African and African American
youths that may want to know more about their heritage. Wise men throughout the
ages have told us that, ''To understand and appreciate our history is to
understand ourselves. In understanding ourselves, we gradually open the window
to our ingenuity and inner creativeness.''
Happy
Black History Month To All!
About the Author: Mr. Edmund Zar-Zar Bargblor is an
Instructor of Mathematics within the Providence School Department, Providence,
and Rhode Island. He is a graduate of Cuttington University College, Liberia;
Howard University, Washington, D.C, and Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa,
Israel.
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