Origins of world philosophy

1. African Philosophy
A Primer
Dr. M. D. Lovett

2. Beginnings
• Kemet/Egypt
• Black Athena – Martin Bernal
• They Came Before Columbus – Ivan Van Sertima

3. The Greeks
Learned in Africa
Universities in Mali
Libraries in Egypt
Recorded by Herodotus and others

4. Who said it? (begins with V)
And it is a big question whether among them they are descendants of
monkeys, or if monkeys come from them. Our wise men have said that
man is the image of God: behold a pleasant image of the eternal Being
with a flat black nose, with little or no intelligence! A time will come,
without a doubt, when these animals will know how to cultivate the
earth well, to embellish it with houses and gardens, and to know the
routes of the stars. Time is a must, for everything.

5. Who said it? (begins with K)
The extreme, humid heat of the warm climate must, on the other hand, show quite opposite effects on a people
that has lived under such conditions long enough to have become fully acclimated. Conditions such as these will
produce exactly the reverse of the Kalmuck form. The growth of the spongy parts of the body had to increase
in a hot and humid climate. This growth produced a thick, turned up nose and thick, fatty lips. The skin had to
be oily, not only to lessen the too heavy perspiration, but also to ward off the harmful absorption of the foul,
humid air. The profusion of iron particles which are otherwise found in the blood of every human being, and,
in this case, are precipitated in the net-shaped substance through the evaporation of the phosphoric acid (which
explains why all Negroes stink), is the cause of the blackness that shines through the epidermis. The heavy iron
content in the blood also seems to be necessary in order to prevent the enervation of all the parts of the body.
The oily skin, which weakens the nourishing mucus necessary for the growth of hair, hardly even allows for the
production of the wool that covers the head. Besides all this, humid warmth generally promotes the strong
growth of animals. In short, all of these factors account for the origin of the Negro, who is well-suited to his
climate, namely, strong, fleshy, and agile. However, because he is so amply supplied by his motherland, he is also
lazy, indolent, and dawdling.

6. Who said it? (begins with H)
I am apt to suspect the Negroes to be naturally inferior to the Whites. There never was a
civilized nation of any other complexion than white, nor even any individual eminent either in
action or speculation. No ingenious manufacturer amongst them, no arts, no sciences. On the
other hand, the most rude and barbarous of the Whites, such as the ancient German, the
present Tartars, still have something eminent about them, in their valor, form of government,
or some other particular. Such a uniform and constant difference could not happen in so many
countries and ages, if nature had not made an original distinction betwixt these breeds of men.
Not to mention our colonies, there are Negro slaves dispersed all over Europe, of whom none
ever discovered any symptoms of ingenuity; though low people, without education, will start
up amongst us, and distinguish themselves in every profession. In Jamaica, indeed, they talk of
one Negro as a man of parts and learning; but it is likely he is admired for slender
accomplishments, like a parrot who speaks a few words plainly.¹

7. The Ma’afa
Middle Passage
Retained Culture
Invented Culture

8. Historical Recovery
• Cheikh Anta Diop
African Origin of Civilization: Myth or Reality
Two Cradle Theory of Civilization
• P. H. Coetzee
African Philosophy Reader

9. Adinkra Symbols
African Burial
Ground
Higgs Beach
Memorial
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

10. Sankofa

11. African Proverbs
• If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go farther, go together.
• The youth can walk faster but the elder knows the road.
• To stay a long time in the water does not make you clean.

12. Asante Sana
• Any Questions?