Africa was originally dubbed the “Dark Continent” by Welsh journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who saw Africa as mysterious. Its landscapes and cultures were largely unknown to many outsiders until the late nineteenth century. The lack of knowledge of major and minor complex accomplishments of African people continues today. African American & African studies Professor Victoria Bomba Coifman works to learn more and spread knowledge about Africa's fascinating heritage.
Bringing African History to the Table
Coifman studies the migrations of Africa’s people, in particular of the Sahara and West Africa, from prehistoric times to the present day and considers the factors that motivate or force migration. Her research builds on Jan Vansina’s methodology for the use of oral traditions. Vansina defines oral traditions as “spoken accounts of the past before the present generation,” which should not be confused with oral history. “Oral history is someone like myself talking about my life or about events taking place during my lifetime,” Coifman explains.
The oral tradition methodology involves interviewing individuals or groups about the heritage and traditions of a place, using relevant archival and published sources and the findings of other disciplines, verifying their reliability, and interpreting them. Through her research, Coifman hopes to spread awareness of the heritage, history, and contributions of Africans and their descendants all over the world. “I'm bringing the history of African migrations to the table,” says Coifman. “By looking at African migrations both within Africa and across the Atlantic, carried in the minds of African ancestors moving freely or in the most difficult of circ*mstances, slavery, we can trace this African heritage down to the present. And we’re just beginning to appreciate that.”
In other words, Coifman is exploring the knowledge people brought with them carried in their minds and memories. The varied aspects of the African heritage were “passed down through oral traditions. Technological information, for example, related to the domestication or modifications of certain plants and animals, was transmitted through oral traditions, observation, and practice. Sometimes written records were kept too.” She concludes, “Collecting oral traditions is important because they tell us the questions African people asked of their own pasts.”
“Working with oral traditions has forced me to be quiet and listen,” she explains. “I think of it now as understanding the geography of someone's mind about their past, and it was not for me to jump in there. One has to listen, think, and reflect. In fact, it's an honor to be involved with this kind of work.”
Understanding the Geography of Someone’s Mind
Coifman has collected oral traditions from families that date back from the eleventh century up to the late nineteenth century in northwestern Senegal and southwestern Mauritania. Within Senegal, Coifman conducted research in the history of two former states that belonged to the Wolof people. One of the families that she interviewed were historians of the former ruling line in the Wolof State of Jolof. In another former Wolof state, Waalo, she interviewed a family who had a different social status. They were of the former ruling lineages. “This gave me two different kinds of historical oral traditions, from two different kinds of families and in two different Wolof states,” she explains.
By collecting oral traditions and using written sources and findings from fields like anthropology and archaeology, she has discovered that over thousands of years, African people have developed knowledge and institutions that allow for successful migrations and foreign relations. This knowledge of migration and managing relations with strangers across various borders was then carried with some Africans as slaves in the era of the Atlantic Slave trade, in their “suitcases” of memory during the Middle Passage to the Americas. As they had done earlier and in other circ*mstances both within Africa and beyond, African ancestors brought with them a rich experience and heritage of ease in conducting migrations. And, perhaps history will show, usually peacefully.
Knowledge and Appreciation
Coifman hopes that her research will help people understand the importance of gaining knowledge about other parts of the world. “In order to get along with each other, we need to appreciate each other and in order to make good policy, we need to know each other, including the knowledge and values we carry,” she says.
She hopes that more people will seek to understand African history and steer away from labeling Africa as the “Dark Continent.” She explains that while everybody knows about the US, the US doesn't know about Africa, which causes a serious imbalance. “We ought to know so much more than we already do so that we can meet face to face, equal to equal.”
This story was written by an undergraduate student in Backpack. Meet the team.
FAQs
The ancient name of Africa was Alkebulan. Alkebu-lan “mother of mankind” or “garden of Eden”.” Alkebulan is the oldest and the only word of indigenous origin. It was used by the Moors, Nubians, Numidians, Khart-Haddans (Carthagenians), and Ethiopians.
Why was Africa referred to as the Dark continent? ›
Africa was originally dubbed the “Dark Continent” by Welsh journalist and explorer Henry Morton Stanley, who saw Africa as mysterious. Its landscapes and cultures were largely unknown to many outsiders until the late nineteenth century.
What is the meaning of dark continent? ›
the Dark Continent a term for Africa when it was relatively unexplored.
Where did Alkebulan come from? ›
In the book Kemetic History of Afrika, celebrated Senegalese historian, the late Dr. Cheikh Anta Diop, asserts that the ancient name of Africa was Alkebu-lan, meaning “mother of mankind” or “garden of eden.” The name Alkebulan, he writes, was used by the Moors, Nubians, Ethiopians and other indigenous people.
What is Africa called in the Bible? ›
Cush, Cush*tic and Cushi
Although debates still exist among scholars as to whether Cush, as a geographical location, refers to Africa or Mesopotamia, I am of the opinion that where Cush is used in the entire Old Testament, it refers to nowhere but Africa and persons of African ancestry (Adamo 1986; 2005:14).
Was the garden of Eden in Africa? ›
A study provides a window into the first 100,000 years of the history of modern humans. The real Garden Of Eden has been traced to the African nation of Botswana, according to a major study of DNA.
Why is Africa splitting in two? ›
While experts have known that Africa is splitting in two for a while, pinpointing the exact cause has been a struggle. A wide zone of seismic activity and evidence now suggests the rift is caused by a superplume upwelling along the eastern edge of Africa.
How did Europeans divide Africa? ›
Portugal took Mozambique in the east and Angola in the west. Italy's holdings were Somalia (Italian Somaliland) and a portion of Ethiopia. Germany took Namibia (German Southwest Africa) and Tanzania (German East Africa). Spain claimed the smallest territory, which was Equatorial Guinea (Rio Muni).
What religions make up Africa? ›
Abrahamic religions. The majority of Africans are adherents of Christianity or Islam. African people often combine the practice of their traditional belief with the practice of Abrahamic religions. Abrahamic religions are widespread throughout Africa.
What did Freud mean by the Dark Continent? ›
Sigmund Freud infamously referred to women's sexuality as a “dark continent” for psychoanalysis, drawing on colonial explorer Henry Morton Stanley's use of the same phrase to refer to Africa.
The Europeans called Africa the 'Dark Continent' because it was unknown to them. This got mixed up with the more sinister idea of 'Darkest Africa' a place where the inhabitants were savage and brutal. Europeans, after the industrial revolution, considered industrial towns and technology to be signs of civilisation.
What is the blind continent? ›
Dark continent, Blind continent and Poor continent are the other names of Africa. This continent is home of World's largest desert, Sahara Desert and World's longest grass, Sawana grass.
Who was Africa first colonized by? ›
In the early historical period, colonies were founded in North Africa by migrants from Europe and Western Asia, particularly Greeks and Phoenecians. Under Egypt's Pharaoh Amasis (570–526 BC) a Greek mercantile colony was established at Naucratis, some 50 miles from the later Alexandria.
What does the Quran mean by Alkebulan? ›
For example Alkebulan is Arabic and its meaning either suggests that there were other humans (Mother of mankind) which at the point it didn't. Or the other meaning directing us to the Thora, Bible or Quran meaning "Garden of Eden", as Eden is a more religious term, the first humans had no religion, they were spiritual.
Why was Alkebulan changed to Africa? ›
The word 'Africa' emerged in the late 17thcentury. Initially, it was only used to refer to the northern part of the continent. Around that time, the continent had been colonized, and Europeans ruled over its people as slaves. Some say they influenced the change of name from Alkebulan to its present-day name.
What did the Romans call Africa? ›
The Romans variously named these people 'Afri', 'Afer' and 'Ifir'. Some believe that 'Africa' is a contraction of 'Africa terra', meaning 'the land of the Afri'.
What was Africa before British rule? ›
Some notable pre-colonial states and societies in Africa include the Ajuran Empire, Kitara/Bachwezi Empire, Ancient Egypt, D'mt, Adal Sultanate, Kingdom of Makuria, Merina Kingdom, Menceyatos Confederation on Tenerife, Dagbon Kingdom, Warsangali Sultanate, Buganda Kingdom, Kingdom of Rwanda, Kingdom of Burundi, Busoga, ...
When was Africa called Ethiopia? ›
In Greco-Roman epigraphs, Aethiopia was a specific toponym for ancient Nubia. At least as early as c. 850, the name Aethiopia also occurs in many translations of the Old Testament in allusion to Nubia.
What was Africa known for before colonization? ›
Africa Before American Slavery
Africans had kingdoms and city-states, each with its own language and culture. The empire of Songhai and the kingdoms of Mali, Benin, and Kongo were large and powerful with monarchs heading complex political structures governing hundreds of thousands of people.
