By Daina Ramey Berry
What follows is part of a short chronological series on African and African American history. The education system in the United States does not always offer a balanced history of Africa, which is important for understanding history and culture in New World communities.
Africa is the birthplace of mankind from which hundreds of civilizations emerged. It is a continent with more than 50 countries and is home to thousands of languages ​​and cultures. Africans lived in complex societies, from small villages to large bustling cities, containing universities, mosques and libraries. Some of the world’s most advanced agricultural, scientific, engineering, mining, metallurgical and medical techniques were developed in Africa long before they appeared elsewhere. Major civilizations that flourished in Africa included Egypt, Kush, Axum, Mali, and Great Zimbabwe. From 1100 AD, Timbuktu, located in present-day Mali, flourished as one of the world’s most important centers of culture, learning and architecture. African cultures also featured vibrant trading economies.
Despite this important history, many American school children enter our educational system with little knowledge of the African past and its importance to world history. Africans appear exclusively as slave carriers to the Americas through the transatlantic slave trade. Our textbooks portray Africans as victims, using this story as a passage in African-American history, while ignoring the rich history of their ancestors’ pre-captivity lives.
As a professor of African American History who has spent years studying the African past and its influence on world culture and history, I often choose to begin my classes with a simple statement: Africans were free before they were enslaved. For some, this is not an epiphany. Others, however, are forced to face a new reality that goes far beyond the idea that people of African descent were enslaved and given their freedom in the nineteenth century.
The history of Africa is complex and spans centuries of dynasties. Africa has contributed to our knowledge and understanding of ancient writings, languages, agriculture and engineering. Its extensive trading system linked the continent to Asia and India, producing a lively exchange of goods such as grain, metals and gold. Institutions of higher learning such as the University of Timbuktu served as arenas for scholars to share their knowledge with people from around the world. African peoples were diverse, coming from both urban and rural societies. Their leaders, incl
Mansa Musa, who led a pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324, was among the richest in world history.
This rich history is beginning to appear in textbooks, enabling children in US schools to learn about the impact of Africa and Africans on New World societies. They learn about the long history of African freedom before captivity and enslavement, and their contribution to world history.
Enslaved Africans relied on their knowledge and beliefs to survive slavery, and their contributions to US culture, society, and economy are evident in every aspect of American life and business. Developments in agriculture, music, art, and cooking have been greatly influenced by the skills, techniques, and ingredients brought to the US by enslaved Africans. Some quintessentially “American” inventions, including indigo-dyed blue pants, were made possible by African knowledge and practices. Many “American” culinary items, such as Coca-Cola (the cola derived from the African kola nut) are of African origin.
Considering the history curriculum that has come to dominate US classrooms, it is not surprising that so many Americans know so little about African American history. Many educators are trying to change this by applying a more global approach to history that emphasizes the importance of all cultures and communities to our understanding of the world. The impact this would have on our students, and our society at large, would be significant.
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