Classic 5: The African Origins of Civilisation; Myth or Reality

Author: Cheikh Anta Diop
Published: 1974
Pages:

Details:  This book explores the role and influence of Black African upon the development of Ancient Egypt

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Imani’s Introduction & Note: 

Imani’s Note: This is a remarkable book and possibly one of the first authentic, scientific and scholastic attempts by a native Black African to present the African-Centered debate concerning the indigenous origins of the Ancient Egyptians & Ethiopians.  This book is actually a published thesis written and presented by Professor Chieck Anta Diop, one of the first qualified modern African Egyptologist, he had degrees or doctorates in other sciences also including; History, Physics, Anthropology, Linguistics, Economics & Sociology, therefore giving him a fuller understanding and holistic view and analysis of the available facts.   Diop presents his findings and his analysis of these findings on the subject of the ethnic origins of the Ancient Egyptians, to the world and before the media, covering the sciences at the time and on the world stage, at the 1974 UNESCO hosted Cairo Symposium, where Diop alongside his protege Theopile Obenga, challenged the then accepted world view that the Ancient Egyptian where either Asia or even white.  A view supported and upheld by the 13 other scientist present at this historic meeting, considered world renowned Egyptologists, who tried unsuccessfully and terribly to defend this fallacy.  Diop had accomplish what no other black African scholar had before him achieved, which was proving before the world, based upon scientific analysis, observation, methods and techniques, accepted and even devised by European scientist themselves that their current view, of not only the ethnic origin of Ancient Egypt, but in regards to the study of history generally, was bias, inaccurate, fabricated and ultimately valueless to humanity and themselves as its approach and angle seems to be to try and eradicate or misrepresent any influence of Black people, which is virtually impossible.

This date 1974, the Cairo Symposium and Diop’s success and defeat if not destruction of the then longstanding dominant Eurocentric view of the world history and black peoples role in it, ushered in a new era that since has seen a influx of material from both black & white scholars that follow and share specifically Diop’s sentiments.  In fact this book is actually the foundation and bible for the Afro-Centric view, debate and argument supporting the African Black origins of human civilisation.   Contained within the book is a collection of essays on specific topics concerning the Egyptians, human beings generally and their history, presenting both the for and against arguments to ethnicity.  Diop also presents the foundations upon which his observations and findings are laid, therefore presenting not only the evidence, but why and how this evidence is scientifically unshakeable, so offering the lay person the opportunity to have these facts and confidently challenge any person wishing to revert to outdated idea’s of ethnicity and its role in history.