Europeans saw mud, thatch, and compound clusters and called it primitive. They were looking at architecture the whole time — they just did not recognise the language.
From vaccination to caesarean sections, the medical breakthroughs credited to Europe were practiced across Africa centuries earlier. Here is the history they left out of the textbooks.
Through his chosen characters, Sembène Ousmane captures important truths in God's Bits of Wood. Penda, though labeled a whore, stands out because she refuses to succumb to the labels placed on her.
Long before colonialism, African secret societies like the Poro, Sande, Ogboni, and Ekpe ran courts, trained leaders, regulated trade, and held power accountable. Then colonial rulers dismantled them — and Africa is still paying the price.
South Africa’s post-apartheid curriculum overhaul, imperfect and contested as it remains, represents a serious attempt to decolonise what children learn.
In many ways, the traces of African influence in the diaspora serves as a living testimony of the resilience of its people and the strength of their culture.
Unlike the rise of colonial languages, indigenous lingua francas primarily rose into prominence as a result of inter-ethnic expansions through extensive trade networks, and influential religious/political movements.
