Autopsies and Caesarean-sections were carried out in Uganda long before the arrival of the colonials As mentioned in the introduction, an important part of colonial propaganda was the idea that Africans were living in appallingly primitive conditions that were only lifted when European settlers arrived. Crucial to the idea of a primitive Africa improved by …
Memorable Monday
Africans were seafaring before anyone else An obvious fact, if you read the first item on this list, but still an astonishing thing to bear in mind. Having evolved in Africa, ancient hominids appear to have been struck by wanderlust, and began taking their ships beyond local rivers to the great blue sea. Stone tools …
THEBES WAS ONCE THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD. At the height of Ancient Egypt, its bustling capital was Thebes, 419 miles south of Cairo where the modern settlement of Luxor now stands. Known to the Egyptians as Wase (City of the Sceptre) or Nowe (City of Amon – an important god), Thebes was founded …
The oldest mine in the world is the Ngwenya Mine, Swaziland Mining remains an important industry across the modern world, and had its origins in Stone Age Africa. At least 43, 000 years ago, people were mining for red haematite and specularite at the Ngwenya Mine in what is now Swaziland. Amazingly, the mine was …
The Ancient Kushite Civilisation built more pyramids than the Egyptians Did you know that there are pyramids outside Egypt and Las Vegas? The undisputed kings of the pyramid-building world, in number at least, were the Kush Empire. This civilisation arose after the fall of the 24th Dynasty of Egypt in c.1000 BC, and ruled much …
MATHEMATICS BEGAN IN AFRICA WITH THE LEBOMBO BONE The ability to count and quantify the world around us is fundamental to human civilisation. This particular innovation all began in Africa during the Upper Paleolithic Era, and the earliest evidence for people adding-up comes from the Lebombo Bone. Named after the Lebombo Mountain range where it …
THEBES WAS ONCE THE LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD At the height of Ancient Egypt, its bustling capital was Thebes, 419 miles south of Cairo where the modern settlement of Luxor now stands. Known to the Egyptians as Wase (City of the Sceptre) or Nowe (City of Amon [an important god]), Thebes was founded around …
Carthage was so powerful that it rivaled Rome and Greece If you’ve been (un)fortunate enough to study Latin or Classics at school, you’ll know that the greatest rival to Rome and Greece for many years was the kingdom of Carthage. But did you know that Carthage was an African Kingdom? Carthage was founded by the …
The Mighty Kingdom of Benin was known for its fabulous Art Until the late nineteenth century, the Kingdom of Benin was one of the great powers on the continent of Africa. Also known as the Edo Empire, this mighty kingdom in what is now Southern Nigeria flourished from 1440, and at its peak dominated trade …
Timbuktu was once one of the world’s most important centres of learning If you wanted a cutting-edge education between the 1400s and about 1593, there was one place that stood head-and-shoulders above its rivals. Timbuktu in Mali had its humble origins in about 1100 BC when it was founded as a seasonal camp by Tuareg …
The Great Zimbabwe is a mighty ruined city in the modern country Colonial historians would have us believe that Africa was a backward and brutish continent before the arrival of the Europeans. However, as long ago as 1000 AD Sub-Saharan Africans were building impressive cities out of stone, none more so than Great Zimbabwe. Great …
The Pyramids of Egypt are breathtaking even today Some of history’s greatest architectural achievements took place in Africa. Amongst these, by far the most famous are the pyramids of Egypt. In Ancient Egypt, pyramids were funereal edifices, erected to remember the life of the great person buried beneath in an ornate tomb. The Ancient Egyptians …
The Aksumite Empire was one of the most powerful in the world Whilst the Roman Empire was just getting started, another powerful civilisation was beginning to flex its muscles in what is now Ethiopia: the Aksumite Empire. And whilst the name may not be familiar to you, it certainly was to the European civilisations. In …
The Aksumite Empire was one of the most powerful in the world Whilst the Roman Empire was just getting started, another powerful civilisation was beginning to flex its muscles in what is now Ethiopia: the Aksumite Empire. And whilst the name may not be familiar to you, it certainly was to the European civilisations. In …
SOMETHING YOU PROBABLY DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT AFRICA Africa is the Birthplace of Mankind Africa is where it all began for Homo sapiens. Millions of years ago, the human family deviated from the great apes (gorillas, orang-utans, chimpanzees, and bonobos), and began the slow evolution into a modern human. This all took place in Africa. The oldest …
Mazisi (Raymond) Kunene Born 12th May 1930, was a South African poet best known for his translation of the epic Zulu poem Emperor Shaka the Great. While in exile from South Africa’s apartheid regime, Kunene was an active supporter and organizer of the anti-apartheid movement in Europe and Africa. He would later teach at University …
KATHERINE JOHNSON nee COLEMAN aka SPACE HERO Katherine – space hero – Johnson (nee Coleman; August 26, 1918 – February 24, 2020) was an American mathematician and one of the first Black women to work as a NASA scientist whose calculations of orbital mechanics as a NASA employee were critical to the success of the first and subsequent U.S. crewed …
MATTHEW HENSON: ARCTIC EXPLORER Matthew Henson may not be a household name, but he helped make one of the most famous arctic expeditions possible. This fearless explorer reached the North Pole with Robert Peary in 1909. Join Henson on his harrowing journey across the ice to the top of the world. If you feel obliged, …
The practice of vaccinations was brought to America by a slave called ONESIMUS If you feel obliged, leave a comment below. With the recent devastating spread of Covid and the life-saving vaccines that have started to turn the tide, some appreciation should be given to the man who brought this game-changing practice to the United …
Martin Luther King improvised the most iconic part of his “I Have a Dream” speech. I am a huge fan of MLK. I really admire his life spent here on earth and concerns for humanity. I have read and studied every book, article and literature written about him from various sources and I learn something …