First black African philosopher Antoine-Guillaume Amo was born in 1703 at a small fishing village near Axim in what is now the Western Region of Ghana. He arrived in Amsterdam, the Netherlands not as a slave, but with the consent of his parents through the Netherlands African Company and the preacher Johannes van der Star. In Amsterdam at age 4, he was presented as a … Continue reading ANTOINE GUILLAUME AMO
Granada – the word in Spanish means pomegranate – a fruit brought to Spain by Moslem tribes from North Africa in the 8th century. They were known as the Moors and they came to Europe from what is now known as Morocco. For nearly 800 years the Moors ruled in Granada and for nearly as long in a wider territory of that became known as … Continue reading The Moors who ruled Europe for 700 years
The Story of Awule Kaku Aka I: King of Nzema 1840s Awulae Kaku Aka’s kingship peaked in the 1840s when he decided to unite Nzema people. To do this he needed to free some Nzema tribes from the oppression of the Anyi. So he set out to fight him and succeeded in beheading him. He put out more strategies to annex some Anyi lands in … Continue reading AWULAE KAKU AKA
A place of universal historic and cultural interest, the ruins of the School of Aristotle are located just two miles from the contemporary town of Naoussa, in the Greek region of Macedonia. Located in the region of Esvoria, along the foothills of Mount Vermio, the School of Aristotle is nestled in a serene setting blanketed by trees. Streams, ponds and racing waters can be found … Continue reading The School of Aristotle: One of the First ‘Universities’ in the World
Great Zimbabwe was part of a large and wealthy global trading network. Archaeologists have found pottery from China and Persia, as well as Arab coins in the ruins there. The elite of the Zimbabwe Empire controlled trade up and down the east African coast. However, the city was largely abandoned by the 15th century as the Shona people migrated elsewhere. The exact reasons for the abandonment … Continue reading Great Zimbabwe is the name of the stone ruins of an ancient city near modern day Masvingo, Zimbabwe.
BY WILLIAM DEWEYPENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY UNIVERSITY OF IOWA) Nigeria; Yoruba (Ife) artist Obalufon mask Copper H. 29.5 cm (11 5/8″) National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 17 Photo by Dirk Bakker This copper mask is also said to have always been kept in the king’s palace. According to tradition it represents the Oni Obalufon, who is credited with bringing metal casting skills to Ife. Unlike most heads that … Continue reading IFE Arts part five
BY WILLIAM DEWEYPENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY UNIVERSITY OF IOWA) Nigeria; Yoruba (Ife) artist Head Clay H. 16 cm (6 1/4″) National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 79.R.6 (Ife 305) Photo by Dirk Bakker In 1910 the German anthropologist Leo Frobenius visited the Nigerian city of Ife and brought several ancient terracotta heads back to Germany. He claimed a Greek colony in Africa produced the incredibly naturalistic sculpture he discovered … Continue reading IFE Arts 2
BY WILLIAM DEWEYPENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY (FORMERLY UNIVERSITY OF IOWA) Nigeria; Yoruba (Ife) artist Oni figure Brass H. 47.1 cm (18 9/16″) National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, 79.R.12 Photo by Dirk Bakker The Yoruba people of Nigeria believe the world began at the city of Ife. One version of their myth relates how Olodumare, the creator, sent his son, Oduduwa, to form the earth. At that time there was … Continue reading IFE
Alkebulan Republic 