Afrocentric Argument

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Afrocentric argument
Afrocentric generally advocates for the inclusion of Africans and Africa in the view of the world history. Many scholars have been trying to explain how ancient Egypt civilization can be deemed as “African” and to what extent which has resulted in varied views on the same. According to the traditional view argument which has been postulated by the Europeans and American scholars as well, they argue that Egypt was not Africa in spite of it being found in Africa today. On the other hand, the racist claims that Africans were not in a position of attaining its culture naturally which gave the view that Egypt was not an African country whose people were deemed to be the civilized Europeans rather than Africans. However, according to the Afrocentric approach, the Egyptians are merely African whose physical traits resemble those of the black African’s skin color and hair type as well. Basing on the resemblance evidence and the history of Africa, the culture of Egypt replicates that of Black African culture. Therefore, it’s undeniable that’s Egypt it’s not just an African civilization, but also it’s a civilization that has contributed the world history that need not be downplayed.
Africa has been claimed to be the birthplace of the first mankind through which the science has indicated that the earliest ancestors evolved in Africa that later spread all over the world (Diop, 32). According to Cheikh Anta Diop, Egyptians cannot be viewed as Hamites or Caucasians either who dispensed civilization but instead, themselves were black Africans.

Africa has a favorable climate which made it serve in intercontinental relations during the prehistoric period as a pole and a central source of many innovations and innovations and techniques dissemination (Gilbert, 58). This implies that the Africans devoted much of their creative energy and the essence to civilization. Therefore, it can be said that the most material civilization came from Africa tropical latitudes in the prehistory period which later radiated north as isthmus of the European countries. In conjunction with more advanced technology and capital availability it was brilliantly established in Europe, but in the real sense, Africa also contributed significantly to the human history of past and present. Also, as it has been disputed that Egyptians were not Africans, Diop proved beyond any doubt that Egyptians were surely Americans from his experiment of the Egyptians pigment in which their pigment content indicated there were Black people.
Also, the people of Egypt were merely Negroes as the archeological and historical documents unanimously attest that the region was highly inhabited by negroes at all times. According to the examination of the archeological and historical documents its evident that the presence of Negro civilization in the prehistoric period indicated the beginning of Egypt civilization. Archeologist expounds on the man origin possibly in Tanzania which is in eastern Africa as the cradle of man (Collins, 35). Therefore, unless they give out new evidence of man origin, the fact remains that the history of man began in Eastern Africa which spread later to the rest of the world. Therefore, the civilization of Egypt stills remains profoundly distinctive and identical to Africa straight from its beginning to the end of the prehistory and throughout the historical period as well. Additionally, animals’ symbolism of solidarity is common in most of the African societies together with Totemism which has been a practice in Egypt and Africa at large that has been continuity between both man and nature. On the other hand, the western culture does not recognize either of these to which it’s a foreign culture among the Greeks thus firming up the evidence that the ancient Egyptians were Negroes.
Therefore, despite the fact the approach is deemed to be controversial and problems associated with it, it’s evident that’s it has added a new dimension that’s has been neglected by the Eurocentric scholars. Afrocentric gives a unique view of Africa and its people’s contribution to the development of the world in general. Therefore, it would be mean to say that the Egyptian civilization that has given much to the world could not have come from Africa since Egyptians are Africans.
Work Cited
Collins, Robert O., ed. Problems in African history. Prentice Hall, 1968.
Gilbert, Erik, and Jonathan T. Reynolds. Africa in world history. Pearson Education, 2011.
Diop, C. A. (1989). The African origin of civilization: Myth or reality. Chicago Review Press.