The Kingdom of Altava was a Berber Kingdom, with the city of Altava as its capital. It existed from the year 578 AD to 708 AD. It was located in Northern Africa, in present-day Algeria. It was called a Berber kingdom as its majority population belonged to the Berber ethnicity, which is an ethnic group …
The Christian Kingdom of Altava (578 AD – 708 AD), Algeria Read More »
TOOLS OF AFRICAN HISTORY: 10 METHODS In the investigation and study of the history and life of earlier Africans and indeed humans generally, certain tools or techniques are employed without which most findings would be useless since nothing can be deduced from them. With the help of these techniques or tools, information can be obtained …
There are a few myths about African history and a few reasons why some European writers – not all – felt the need to malign brown-skinned people and claim Africans came from a continent without history. It probably gave them moral peace of mind to believe that they were not committing physical, mental and moral …
Modern scientists believe the universe has been around for 13.8 billion years, the sun for 4.57 billion years, the earth for 4.56 billion years and the moon for 4.53 billion years. Anatomically modern humans however only occupy the last 340,000 years of that story of cosmogony and originated out of Africa. Homo erectus (bipedal Humans) …
The Kingdom of Luba is an ancient African Kingdom which was based in current day Democratic Republic of Congo. It was founded in the Upemba depression, which is a large area of marshes, and comprises of over 50 lakes. The Kingdom was founded by King Kongolo (also called Nkongolo) in 1585 and would last over …
Tools of African History: the Lukasa Memory Board of the Luba Kingdom Read More »
There have often been wrong assumptions regarding ancient relationships between Africans and the rest of the world, particularly Europe. For example; people wrongly assume that it was Europeans that travelled to Africa, first, or that the age of discovery between the early 15th century and 17th century was the first point of contact between Africans …
Africans in Roman London (48AD – 410AD): what DNA tests of 22 Londoners found Read More »
Map of medieval Scotland The history that was taught at school says that Scots were originally Irish and Celtic people who migrated to Scotland and that Europe in general was the ancestral home of white people. Many people including Scots themselves have a long-held belief that the ethnic make-up of Scotland is strictly Scots, Irish, …
Juan Valiente, was born in Northwest Africa, became a slave, was sold to Hernan Cortes’ cousin, was talented, became a Captain and Encomienda holder.
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.
At the end of a wedding ceremony, after the bride and groom have been blessed, it is traditional in most cultures of the world to throw grains of rice over the heads of the newlyweds. But, have you ever wondered –of all the grains under the sun- why rice in particular? Rice symbolizes fertility, luck …
Food series: Story of African rice, developed around 3,500BCE – 1,500BCE Read More »
The Spanish Morocco African Army, also known as the Army of Africa was one of the distinct forces of the Spanish Army. It primarily consisted of two units – The Spanish Legion and the Regulares. It is called the Spanish Morocco African Army because it was a field-armed force of the Spanish Army that garrisoned …
Spanish Morocco African Troops (Fuerzas Regulares Indígenas) Read More »
Overview Nok civilisation existed from 1500 BC to 200 AD. It may have been ruled by a monarchy or existed as a confederacy. We know from other African societies within close proximity that centralized states could break up into decentralized chiefdoms or vice versa. Evidence from the consistency of terracotta art over a one-thousand-year period …
The Luba Calendar The Luba calendar is a 12-month calendar used by the Luba people, who are also known as Baluba. They are an indigenous group to the south-central region of Democratic republic of Congo (formerly the Republic of Zaire). In fact, they are the largest ethnic group of the Democratic republic of Congo. The …
The Mossi kingdoms were a group of twenty states and kingdoms in Africa that lasted from around the 11th century to the 19th century. It was surrounded by the Mali Empire to the West and the kingdom of Songhai to the North. Despite long-standing battles within the Mossi kingdom and with the stronger Songhai & Mali kingdoms, the Mossi states largely retained their independence until the arrival of the French upon its shores in 1896. Uniquely the Mossi kingdoms did not majorly participate in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The Mossi had similar concepts to Europe (for instance to the United Kingdom’s Prince of Wales title). The sons of the ruler were given provincial responsibilities as Dimas. There were positions among noblemen for Commerce, the Military and Industry.
