How to teach children history
Philosopher George Santayana (1863-1952) once said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it..”
art
Were the Ancient Egyptians black?
Were the Ancient Egyptians black? And… Were the Ancient Egyptians African? These are controversial questions. To answer the questions, we need to agree certain things first. We even need to agree “Who are Africans?” for instance, as odd as that may seem? In modern logic, Africans tend to be those who are either first, …
African Civilisations
Africa’s Civilizations: Paving The Path For The Growth Of Other Civilizations World Wide Most of the people have been falsely taught that the ancient Africans had little or nothing to do with the development and progression of civilization. This couldn’t be more wrong, for a massive number of sources shows that the origins of several …
Africa’s inventions: abstract art (82,000 years ago)
Humans evolved from the continent of Africa which makes Africa the longest inhabited continent on the planet. It is therefore not surprising that people from this continent originated and invented many things present-day humans built on, progressed and advanced. The history of African inventions dates to as far back as before modern humans even existed. …
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Africa’s influence on modern art
AFRICAN ARTWORKS AND EARLY EUROPEAN CONTACT African arts today have come to be admired by art aficionados from all over the world, but it has not always been this way. There was a time when artworks from Africa was not considered worthy enough to be even displayed in European art museums. The Europeans at the …
Twelve Ways Africa Used Art
Africa’s indulgence in art predates history. Tens of thousands of years ago they were the first humans to create works of art (see Africa’s inventions: art and paints). Until the renaissance which coincided with European contact and more intensive trade with Africa, Africa’s artworks were traditionally and intentionally created to serve purposes, and not necessarily …
Africa’s inventions: art and paint (73,000 years ago)
Africa’s contributions to the development of the world are immense. Sadly, her achievements and inputs are downplayed or misrepresented, but it still does not change the fact that most of Africa’s inventions were the foundation upon which human development advanced. Many people are not aware that most inventions and skills which today have positively changed …
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Africa’s art materials
African art predates written history. From tens of thousands of years before recorded history people in Africa have been creating various works of art utilizing different materials. This is not particularly surprising given that the modern homo sapiens originated from Africa. The oldest art in the world was a shell necklace found in the Cave …
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable: the founder of the Cosmopolitan City of Chicago
Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, born to an African mother and a French father in 1745, founded Chicago, known for Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls.
African exports: migration of Acheulean technology to Europe and Asia from 1.76 mya (million years ago) to 130 tya
Acheulean stone tools emerged in Africa around 1.76mya, before spreading to Europe and Asia. These tools often look like oval or pear-shaped hand axes.
Dido Elizabeth Belle: From a Slave’s Daughter to a Georgian Aristocrat
The red sandstone Georgian Gothic styled Scone Palace in the city of Perth, Scotland was the crowning place of Scottish kings and it was the family home of the Earls of Mansfield. The Scone Palace is a treasury of several objects of art including porcelains, furniture and paintings. Among those historical paintings, you will find …
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The Kingdom of Benin: 1,660 Years from 355 AD to Present
ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION The Great precolonial Benin kingdom is one of the oldest West African civilisations in continuous existence that commands respect; having existed from 355 BC to Present. Well known for its brilliant bronze, ivory, iron artefacts and military prowess. This kingdom although annexed is still present-day Benin city in southwestern Nigeria. It is …
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Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517 CE): Never let a Megalomaniac get in the way of beautiful architecture
Some civilisations sacrificed a work-life balance, art and architectural brilliance to focus on winning wars. One African dynasty found time to fight the Mongol empire and build insane works of beautiful architecture at the same time. “Mamluk” comes from the Arabic “owned” or slave. The Mamluk sultanate was created by slave soldiers and administrators that took over Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty.