Review: ​Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn’s Slideshow Lecture and Basil Davidson’s Africa

In this post I shall provide a summary of Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn’s Slideshow contrasted with Basil Davidson’s Africa series of documentary videos.

Dr. Kwaku Person-Lynn examines what has been taken from Africa, but does not limit the analysis to resources or territories. He also mentions the cultural artefacts taken from Africa, including inventions, music, and legends that non-Africans took and co-opted, depriving Africa of its history. In the process, Africans have been deprived of important socio-cultural continuity, leaving modern Africa, in the eyes of Europeans at least, without a history. This contributes to the dysfunctional nature of some African societies. Dr. Person-Lynn presents his findings in a considerably more intimate and personal way, creating the impression that he sought to deliver an account that impacted the viewer on an individual level.

Basil Davidson is considerably more optimistic, looking instead at the great cultural, technological, and social innovation generated by Africa. He argues that although this great African history has been suppressed in the popular European consciousness, it still exists and spreading awareness of it is critical. Basil Davidson delivers a more conventional historical narrative, in what is basically a history text in documentary format. It is advantageous in that it puts a greater stress on factual affairs, but lacks a certain emotional impact.

The common thread in these two men’s presentation is that Africa has been deprived of its history by colonial powers. They agree that, with some work, Africa’s history can be restored. When that occurs, neither of them know.

Video Review: Basil Davidson, Caravans of Gold

This is a review of the video “Caravans of Gold” by Basil Davidson. The video is another in his series on Africa.

In this part of his video series, Basil Davidson examines some of the historical empires of Africa, societies whose achievements rivaled those of European, Asian, and other civilizations. He looks at, among others, the Mali and Ashanti Empires, the Niger River, Timbuktu, and other African societies.

Mention is made of the role of gold in these civilizations. They did not have a system of currency at the time, but neither did European societies, and gold was traded as a system of barter. This was made possible by the extensive gold reserves in the land, which contributed to early European attempts at conquest and colonization. The extensive presence of gold is evidenced in the incredibly intricate and ornate jewelery found all throughout the region from all periods.

In Timbuktu there existed a great African center of civilization. Because of its strategic location in the Sahara Desert, it served as a focal point for trans-African trade. This meant that it was a place where numerous African cultures converged, multiple threads of historical knowledge and achievement pouring into one city, the original New York City, or London, or Beijing. It was also home to one of the world’s oldest universities.

 

The Pros and Cons of the Pan-African Movement

Pan-Africanism refers to the socio-political ideology that seeks the unity of all African peoples into one great society. It also consists of the body of efforts that are made towards that end. It exists in varying forms and strengths in different African countries.

One of the pros of Pan-Africanism is the obvious potential to unify the African peoples. If Africans abandon their differences and unite, they can put an end to the material deprivations experienced by peoples on the continent and assume their rightful place among the great nations of the world. If unified, they will also be much better equipped to resist foreign efforts to dominate them and control their fates. The Pan-African ideology may be a necessary prerequisite to the abolition of foreign exploitation of Africa and Africans.

The only con that I can think of is the potential to blur cultural distinctions among African civilizations. This isn’t necessarily a con per se, but rather a potential pitfall that must be avoided. The Pan-African movement, therefore, should seek to unify Africans politically, economically, socially, and culturally, while still taking great care to respect and record the great diversity that exists within African societies and cultures.

We should also note that, historically, Pan-African leaders are likely to be targeted by Western governments for overthrow. Kwame Nkrumah, one of the most fervent advocates of the Pan-African ideal, was overthrown in an American-sponsored coup. Colonel Gaddafi, a more modern advocate, was overthrown and killed by NATO-sponsored rebel groups. Pan-Africans therefore assume great risk by advocating their unifying ideology, and are very brave to do so.

Video Review: Basil Davidson, Different But Equal

This is a review of the video “Different But Equal” by Basil Davidson. The video is the first in his series on Africa.

In this video, Basil Davidson attempts to debunk various myths and stereotypes about African history, or rather, the lack of knowledge about African history in popular Western consciousness.

He begins by categorizing many historical judgements on Africa as invalid, citing some examples. He justifies this by pointing out that many of the people who made such judgements did not visit Africa, and of those few who did most did not see enough to speak with authority. He attributes this to the desire on the part of European explorers and scientists to reinforce their own superiority; as a result, suppressed African history, co-opted it and made it into their own, ignored it altogether, or never bothered to make any serious exploratory efforts. He does mention a few Europeans who made some attempts to seriously explore the great history of African peoples, but mentions how even these were suppressed and/or ignored.

Basil Davidson’s perspective is valuable and important because it attempts to elevate African history from the subaltern into the mainstream. In denying African civilizations their history, traditional Western discourse is complicit in denying modern Africans their legacy. With such a suppressed legacy, there is, in the eyes of some, no civilization on which to build, which means Africans were effectively made to start from scratch.

5 Major Events in Africa from 2010

The assignment for this entry is to post 5 major events that occurred in Africa during the year 2010 in order to combat the lack of African news in the West.

#1: 2010 World Cup. This was the first time a World Cup was held in Africa, and it was in South Africa. On the one hand, it was good to see the peoples of Africa host a major world event and thereby achieve a milestone in their socioeconomic and geopolitical development. On the other hand, the World Cup cost many billions of dollars, and in a state like South Africa, which has many problems including high sexual crime and HIV/AIDS infection rates, that money could have been better spent. Of course, said the same thing when Canada hosted the 2010 Winter Olympics, so I am at least being consistent in that regard. Personally, I cheered for the DPRK, because I see them as the ultimate world underdog, and like everyone else I enjoy cheering for an underdog.

#2: Destruction of Kasubi Tombs. The Kasubi Tombs were a UNESCO World Heritage site in Uganda, and they were destroyed by fire in March. They will be rebuilt. This event is significant because it involved a major heritage site in Africa, and the Ugandan government’s pledge to rebuild it demonstrates a commitment to the maintenance of African heritage.

#3: Study in Africa shows income inequality decreasing. In March, the US National Bureau of Economic research released a study about Africa which, among other things, reported a reduction in the continent’s Gini-coefficient, a measure of income inequality. It fell from .66 to .63 from 1990 to 2006. Africa’s income inequality remains the worst in the world according to this measure, but it is improving.

#4: China increases investment in African countries including Angola. This includes the construction of a new football stadium which began in April 2010 in Zambia. This is significant because it represents increased non-European investment in African infrastructure and economies, which gives Africans an alternative to the traditional Europe and North America dominated foreign relations. Of course, it is not without cost, because China expects African governments to return the investment with favorable contracts for resources and political alignment. There is also the risk that, if African governments do not manage this new trend carefully, there could be a new wave of conflicts driven by competing American, EU, and Chinese interests in Africa. It will be interesting to see what happens.

#5: World Economic Forum held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Despite being held in Africa, only 13 African heads of state were present, which is indicative of the depressed nature of many African economies. It is quite symbolic that, even when such events are held in Africa, they still exclude most African societies.

Take Home 3

What is Africa’s highest point?

• Mount Kilimanjaro.

The longest river?

• The longest river is the Nile.

The largest river

• The largest river by volume is the Congo.

The largest country in terms of size(territory?)

• Currently it is Algeria. Previously it was the Sudan, but that country was partitioned by popular referendum into Sudan and South Sudan. Democratic Republic of Congo is also large.

The only country still under semi-colonial rule?

• The only country still under semi-colonial rule is Western Sahara, controlled by Morocco. It was a Spanish colony, but after Spain’s dictator General Franco died it was transferred to Moroccan control. The AU currently recognizes Western Sahara as an independent state. Because of this Morocco is not a member of the AU.

Take Home 2

What are other characteristics of the continent?

• As noted earlier, the human race originated in Africa. The earliest human fossils come from the Horn of Africa region, and scientists have been able to track human migration patterns over millions of years back to Africa. Africa has immense natural resources, most of which are currently untapped. Many of the resources that are exploited are removed and sent to Western Europe and North America for use. The African Union exists mainly to promote inter-governmental cooperation and peace and to raise standards of living in Africa. The AU was the only major supranational body that attempted to mediate the Libyan Civil War peacefully, while all Western organizations launched attacks on the African country.

How many countries form the AU?

• Fifty-four.

When was the OAU formed?

• May 25, 1963.

Which countries was the last to be admitted to the OAU?

• South Africa, June 6, 1994 after the end of Apartheid.

When was the AU formed?

• July 9, 2002.