Page 178 - A People Called Afrika
P. 178

A PEOPLE CALLED AFRIKA

             took over the system and the result is what you see today;
             a system that breeds criminals and corruption, instead of re-
             storing them to who they are supposed to be (as intended).


             Afrika’s ancient science and technology
             The word technology comes from the Greek ‘Technologia’
             which refers to the ‘systematic treatment of an art, craft or tech-
             nique’, according to etymonline.com or it can also be referred
             to as the ‘science of craft’ according to Wikipedia. Oftentimes
             words can be used to elevate meaning to a place that makes
             it inaccessible, incomprehensible and therefore unusable, but
             simplicity restores this access. Today’s references to technol-
             ogy might make one think that Afrika is backward and yet
             the earliest forms of technological advancement were traced
             to East Afrika, where the oldest stone tools have been found.
             Sub-Saharan Afrika has a plethora of evidence of early tool
             production, creation of artworks and creation of early forms of
             paint demonstrating knowledge of what is now called chemistry.

             The Afrikan people had diverse knowledge systems that were
             used to measure time and seasons using combinations of lu-
             nar, solar and stellar calendars in Egypt, among the Igbo, the
             Akan, the  Yoruba,  the  Shona,  the  Xhosa,  the Swahili,  the
             Ethiopian people, the Borana, the Luba and so on (source:
             Wikipedia). The Dogon of Mali had identified distant star
             systems that were interwoven into their own creation, cul-
             ture and understanding of the world. The early Egyptians
             are credited with the creation of paper and ink and there is
             evidence of the use of writing, astronomy, mathematics and
             metal  work  are  found  all  across  Afrika.  The  Egyptians  cre-
             ated toothpaste, the Baganda were practicing cesarean sec-
             tions before the West and the Benin kingdom had street



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