Precolonial Black Africa

Ein " must have" für alle die sich mit der Geschichte Afrikas beschäftigen.

The book is interesting, arrived on time and in great shape.

Diop is and will probably remain for a long time to come the single greatest scholar of the African continent. The beauty about this book is that it flows you through time and allow you to reach a better understanding of your own self as an African. As a young Cameroonian, I have always wondered about certain facts unique to most Africans and up to recently, I was not able to connect the dots with our past. Diop analysis of history enables me to get a deeper understanding of the status of the individual, the symbols of the daily life and the metaphysical meaning of every social activity. His work should and has certainly sprung a lot of followers who have gone further into their culture to reap a better appreciation of their civilization. What is more important though is the fact that African are probably the only people who can claim an unique "sense of unity" based upon their common cultural and linguistic foundation in the Nile Valley and surrounding areas. This important and unique origin should be heralded in an environment of constant warfare and political division within the continent. A real appreciation of African history should allow the current States to rise above petty division but rather usher a new era of common economic and social development for the individual, the woman and the child in particular. The moment the African regain his own pride and consciousness, the moment he will cease to bow down to foreign imperialism and truly fight for the future of his Nation.

Para saber algo más de Africa. Es un ensayo denso que nos introduce al Africa precolonial. Organización política, económica y social. Es un ensayo esencial para empezar a entender el impacto del colonialismo y la realidad actual del continente.

I purchased mine as a secondhand copy. I was interested in its contents rather than having a pristine one, so saved some money :-) The downside to this work of revered historian, anthropologist, physicist, and politician, known as Dr Cheikh Anta Diop , is how gripping it is, and how fast I read through this book, soon realising 20 odd pages add past on a bus trip! The book gives a rich glimpse into African social systems unknown to Westerners. Giving a richer understanding than the usually heavily biased rubbish those of us had been wrongly made to swallow in European schools. Highly recommended to all but more so for those of African descent!