Page 55 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 12

HISTORY
MY AFRIKA

HISTORY OF LIES AND

FALSE DISCOVERIES IN AFRIKA

By Samuel Phillips

ver wondered how it ap- ies and twisted Afrikan history. grown and have seen and read of
pears that every popular I remember clearly like yesterday the mischievous attitudes of those
historic place in Afrika how when I was in primary school who colonized Afrika, and how they
Eare "discovered" by one we used to sing about how Mungo plundered our resources and then
white man or the other? I used the Park discovered the Niger River in went ahead to make sure nothing
word discovered in quotes because our social studies class or so. It was worth mentioning was attributed
for me, it does not make sense that some kind of pride back then as a to the locals who they met when
anyone would claim to discover child to be told that the "almighty" they got here. They destroyed the
what has already been known by white men discovered the very true history of the Afrikan people,
those who have interacted with the Niger River that runs through my demonized Afrikan creativity and
very object of discovery. Case in native country Nigeria. Imagine my made sure they glorified false dis-
time, what I call the false discovery awe as a child when crossing the Ni- coveries by their so-called explorers.
of the Niger River by Mungo Park ger River on the way to the visiting
amongst many other false discover- my dad's village. But now that I am The truth about Mungo Park's

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