African Civilizations That Will Change Your View of History Forever

At the Egyptian city of Naukratis, there was a famous old god whose name was Thoth. He was the inventor of many arts, such as arithmetic, and calculation, and geometry, and astronomy, and drafts, and dice. But his great discovery was the use of letters. This is a quote by Socrates, as recorded by Plato. John Henrik Clarke, a renowned African-American historian, emphasized that civilization first emerged on the African continent, a view supported by many scholars. He argued that most Western historians have been reluctant to acknowledge Africa's ancient history, which predates Europe by thousands of years. Archaeological and biological records confirm that humans originated in Africa, and the first people to manage their environment were Africans. These early humans had to learn to survive in a new and challenging world. They inherited knowledge from earlier hominids, such as recognizing dangers like cliffs or poisonous foods. Early hominids lived in savannas and rainforests, using tools like hand axes. Over time, Africans improved their tools, developing scrapers and hammers. While European archaeologists named these tools Acheulean, after a French site, Dr. Henrik Clarke preferred the term Kamoa, referencing earlier discoveries in Congo. Many of these ancient tool sites, some dating back 1.5 million years, are found in Africa, and not Europe or Asia. Around 300,000 years ago, the emergence of Homo sapiens marked a turning point for human advancement. With larger brains, humans were better equipped to improve their living conditions, protect their young, hunt more effectively, and form stronger family bonds to survive on the African plains. Basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing, and tools became essential for survival. For instance, mothers would carry their babies while gathering food, a practice seen throughout African history. As societies grew, so did the need for ways to distinguish individuals, leading to the development of naming systems. In some African cultures, children were named after the days of the week, or natural events like storms. Naming systems, while not essential for survival, played a crucial role in organizing society, and were an early step toward building civilizations. Africans also developed methods for food acquisition, initially gathering food from nature and fishing. Over time, they expanded into farming, learning to plant and harvest crops. By 12,000 BCE, Africans had mastered hunting, fishing, and gathering, as well as the domestication of animals and the construction of shelter, all vital skills for adapting to their environment and forming the foundation of civilization. Evidence of early human culture has been found across Central Africa, particularly in Zambia, where a major site at Gwisho Springs in the Kafwe Valley has uncovered a vast collection of tools and artifacts dating back to 2,000 BCE. Alongside human skeletons, archaeologists found vegetable matter and tools made from stone and bone, indicating a well-established microlithic culture. In addition, ancient rock paintings, over 100,000 discovered across the continent, suggest that organized settlements and social life in Africa date back nearly 50,000 years. These paintings are spread across areas such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Libya, and Algeria, showcasing the early Africans' ability to communicate and express their thoughts and experiences. One of Africa's most significant ancient sites is Nabta Playa, located in the Nubian Desert near Egypt, Libya, and Sudan. This monumental site, dated to around 12,000 to 14,000 years ago, features numerous megaliths, stone circles, and evidence of an organized community, with deep wells, animal domestication, and straight-lined housing. Nabta Playa is thought to be the oldest known astronomical site in the world, predating even Stonehenge by several millennia. Scientists suggest that climate change around 11,000 years ago caused increased rainfall in the region, creating a more hospitable environment for both humans and animals. The people who lived in Nabta Playa, likely pastoral nomads, adapted to these changes and left behind a rich legacy of tools, pottery, and monumental structures. Researchers have also linked the site to the later Nile Valley civilizations, demonstrating its importance in African history. Despite some speculative theories about extraterrestrial involvement, the evidence at Nabta Playa reveals the ingenuity and sophistication of early African societies. Many modern historians have racialized African history, shaping it through biased ideas of racial superiority. For instance, historian J.D. Fage made inaccurate claims about African racial groups, such as categorizing North Africans as Neanderthals, and Southern Africans as Rhodesioid, a term based on British imperialist Cecil Rhodes. These ideas, while scientifically debunked, influenced how African history was portrayed, often denying the continent's achievements. The portrayal of North Africans as being a separate group from those found below the Sahara has also been problematic. Before 2000 BCE, most people in North Africa were black, and large populations of Arabs didn't arrive until the rise of Islam in the 7th century CE. The indigenous Amazigh, or Berber, people, who have been in Africa for thousands of years, were black. A proper understanding of African history starts with acknowledging Africa as the source of its own achievements. Whether it's the Amazigh culture or ancient structures like the Great Zimbabwe or the pyramids, these are African creations, not the result of external influence. Unfortunately, racialized interpretations have long denied Africa its rightful agency, often depicting the continent as a passive recipient of outside developments, an idea that cannot be any more inaccurate. Somalia has a rich and ancient history, dating back to the Paleolithic period, with evidence of early cultures like the Doyan and Hargeisan. One of the most fascinating historical sites is Laas Gil, near Hargeisa, which boasts 5,000-year-old rock art, depicting animals and early human life. These paintings suggest a blend of hunting and settled lifestyles, and other sites, like those in Dambalin, show some of the earliest examples of hunters on horseback. The ancient civilization of Punt, which existed around the same time as Kemet, ancient Egypt, and Nubia, flourished in what is now Somalia. Punt had vibrant trade relationships with Egypt, Greece, Babylon, India, and beyond, dealing in goods like gold, spices, ivory, and frankincense. One of the most famous connections was Queen Hatshepsut's expedition to Punt in 2350 BCE, an event immortalized in the artwork of her mortuary temple. Punt is also believed to be one of the first regions to domesticate the camel, which later spread to Nubia and Egypt. The Somali people's connection to the sea led to the rise of powerful city-states like Opona, Mozillan, and Mogadishu, which became important hubs for trade across the Red Sea, Indian Ocean, and beyond. Somali traders used a unique double-masted ship called the Bedan, known for its durability and speed. Islam arrived in Somalia shortly after the Prophet Muhammad's flight from Mecca in 622 CE, and by the 7th century, cities like neighboring Christian Ethiopia. In the 16th century, Somali forces, aided by Ottoman-supplied cannons, launched a series of devastating raids into Ethiopia, but their campaign was eventually halted by the intervention of Portuguese forces. Mogadishu, one of Somalia's key cities, became a major trading center, attracting merchants from India, China, and other parts of Africa. Travelers like the Chinese explorer Zheng He and the famous Moroccan explorer Ibn Battuta documented their visits to the bustling port, which was known for its wealth and vibrant trade in goods like ivory, spices, and African animals. Somali traders played a vital role in connecting Africa with Asia, making the region a key player in ancient global commerce. In the Nile Valley, the fertile banks provided the perfect environment for early farming, with abundant cereals like barley and wheat in the north and sorghum and millet in the south. People began to protect and cultivate wild plants, eventually leading to the development of agriculture. The key moment in farming came when individuals started selecting the strongest seeds for planting, leading to better crop yields. This advancement in agriculture brought about a steady food supply, allowing for larger families more permanent homes and the formation of settled communities. With more food available, people could specialize in different tasks. Some became experts in fishing, others in tool repair, and some in guiding expeditions to find the best farmlands and fishing spots. This shift in roles created a more complex society where not everyone needed to farm. Those who controlled the surplus of food, often stored in granaries, began to accumulate wealth, marking a departure from the equality of earlier hunter-gatherer communities. Alongside farming, pastoralism, the herding of animals like sheep, goats, and cattle played a significant role in these communities. Animals provided a steady source of protein and milk, allowing families to thrive. Some families adopted a nomadic lifestyle, moving from pasture to pasture as the seasons changed. Meanwhile, those who stayed in one place focused on farming and waited for the next planting season. In this way, the people of the Nile Valley laid the groundwork for the complex societies that would later emerge, blending farming and pastoralism into a dynamic way of life. Jebel Barkal, located in Upper Nubia, was a sacred site known as Ipetsut South, similar in significance to Ipetsut North, modern-day Thebes, in Egypt. Around 1504 BCE, during the 18th Dynasty, the Egyptians saw Jebel Barkal as the birthplace of the god Amen. This majestic temple complex, situated nearly a thousand miles upstream from Thebes and Karnak, became a center for worshipping Amen, the Most High God. The site, also called Juwaab, Pure Mountain, or Nesut Tawi, Thrones of the Two Lands, was a monumental and spiritual hub, closely connected to the ancient city of Napata. Nubians, who have lived along the Nile River for thousands of years, have a deep connection to this riverine environment. It is important to note that Nubians had always been integral to Egyptian civilization. In fact, some early Egyptian rulers, such as Menes, were of Nubian origin, highlighting the deep connections between the two cultures. The rise of Kemet, known later as Egypt, marks the birth of one of the world's first major civilizations. Originally called Kemet, meaning Land of the Blacks, or The Black Country, this ancient nation became a symbol of cultural, social, and political unity in Africa. The Greeks later referred to it as Egypt, deriving the name from the word Hikoupta, meaning Houses of Ptah. What made Kemet unique was its ability to unite various ethnic and social groups under one central government, creating the first true nation on Earth. While other societies consisted of small farming or pastoral communities, Kemet organized multiple towns and villages into a single nation with shared customs, beliefs, and deities. Many of these cultural traits, as historian Christopher Eret suggests, had roots in sub-Saharan Africa. As early as 10,000 years before the Common Era, people migrating to the Nile Valley likely introduced new religious practices and the use of wild grasses for food. One of the most significant moments in Kemet's history came in approximately 3,400 years before the Common Era, when King Narmer, also known as Menes, united the northern and southern regions of the Nile Valley. Narmer, a king from Upper Kemet in the south, conquered Lower Kemet in the north, merging the two regions symbolically by combining the white crown of Upper Kemet with the red crown of Lower Kemet. This unification created a centralized kingdom, ruled by the Pera, meaning Great House, and later translated as Pharaoh. Under Narmer's rule, Kemet was divided into administrative units, called Sepats, each governed by a local leader. These Sepats, later known as Gnomes by the Greeks, were distinct territories with their own symbols and totems. Initially, there were only seven pre-dynastic Sepats, but over time, Kemet expanded to include 42 Sepats, 22 in Upper Kemet and 20 in Lower Kemet. This system allowed Kemet to function as a complex, multidimensional society, while most other civilizations were still organized around single ethnic groups. Through its unification and organization, Kemet set a precedent for nation-building and left an enduring legacy in the history of human civilization. The Pera, or more popularly known as Pharaoh, was regarded as a divine king in Kemet, or ancient Egypt, a concept rooted in African traditions. This belief held that the king was not just a political leader, but a representation of the creator on earth, following an ancient African pattern of divine kingship, likely originating from the south. The Pera was seen as a direct descendant of the supreme deity, making his authority unquestionable. To challenge the king was to challenge God himself. As the son of God, or Sara, the Pera held a sacred role that was recognized by all religious institutions. This divine connection was crucial for maintaining national unity and stability, as the king was considered infallible. Upon ascending to the throne, a new king had to prove his divine lineage, often traced to Ausar, or Osiris, and the god Heru, also known as Horus. This link to the gods assured the people that the Pera had the divine right to rule and protect them. The idea of divine kingship helped cement the pharaoh's role as both a religious and political leader, essential for maintaining order and stability in Kemet. Two natural elements defined ancient Kemet and its civilization, the Nile River and the sun. These forces were central to daily life, religion, and the natural order of the state. The sun, seen as divine and represented by gods such as Ra, Ptah, Atum, or Amen, was constant and powerful, while the Nile provided life-sustaining water in an otherwise desert landscape. Without much rainfall, the narrow green strip along the Nile's banks became a vital source of sustenance for the people of Kemet, who depended on the river for survival. The Nile's flow, fed by the White Nile from Uganda and the Blue Nile from Ethiopia, merged in Sudan and surged northward, carrying both water and the cultural legacy of African civilizations from the south. This fertile river valley became the foundation for Kemet, known as Tameri, or the Beloved Land. The unification of Kemet under King Narmer, also known as Menes, around 3400 years before the Common Era, was a monumental political achievement, creating a single nation from multiple regions. Narmer's challenge was to govern and protect this vast land, a task that drew on the experience of previous kings and centuries of human settlement in the Nile Valley. Kemet was a country of hard-working peasants and farmers, who grew enough to support their families and barter for other necessities. A highly organized bureaucracy, composed of scribes and tax collectors, managed the state. They oversaw the construction of boats, irrigation canals, and other public works, and kept meticulous records, including tracking the rise and fall of the Nile with a device called the Nilometer. This data was crucial for agriculture. Writing in Kemet, ancient Egypt, emerged around the same time as the First Dynasty, roughly 3400 BCE, which is about 300 years before cuneiform writing appeared in Mesopotamia. In Kemet, writing was versatile and used on various surfaces, though papyrus, a reed found along the Nile, was the preferred medium. Writing served three main purposes. Recording historical events, enabling communication between the king, priests, and scribes, and producing literary and instructional works. According to Kemetic mythology, the god Tehuti, also known as Thoth, was credited as the inventor of writing. This belief became widely accepted in ancient Egypt, and Tehuti was considered the god of wisdom, responsible for creating writing, mathematics, and the calendar. Archaeological discoveries, particularly by German archaeologist Gunther Dreyer, support the idea that writing originated in Africa. Dreyer found early inscriptions on bone and ivory labels in the tomb of the Scorpion King, dating between 3300 and 3200 BCE. These inscriptions, found on items like bags of linen and oil, go beyond pictographs displaying symbolic representations of language or true writing. This suggests that writing in Egypt predates the earliest known writing systems in Mesopotamia. The discovery of these early inscriptions highlights that Africa, particularly Kemet, was a major center for the development of writing. In Kemet, writing was closely tied to the belief in immortality. The ancient Egyptians believed that for a person to achieve immortality, their name needed to be preserved or spoken forever, a concept deeply linked to the power of the written language. Unbeknownst to many, various forms of writing existed in Africa, outside the boundaries of Kemet. The erroneous impression that black Africans in the so-called Subharan region of Africa did not have a written language is intellectually dishonest. We have discussed various written scripts of possible Kemetic origin all across black Africa. See the video description for a link to this video. The ancient people of Kemet referred to their writing system as Mejuneche, meaning divine words. The term hieroglyphics was introduced by the early African theologian Clement of Alexandria, around 150-215 CE, who combined the Greek words hieros, meaning sacred, and glypho, meaning carving, to describe the script as sacred inscriptions. It is worth noting that by the time Clement encountered the language, it was already ancient. Scholars generally agree that the written Kemetic language dates back to around 3400 BCE, making it one of the earliest known writing systems. The last known inscription in the Kemetic language was found at the temple of Auset, or Isis, in Philae, dating to 596 CE. This temple was one of the last functioning religious sites in Kemet, before its closure during the rise of Christianity. With the temple's closure, the long-standing tradition of Kemetic writing came to an end, marking the final chapter in the use of this classical African language. The events we are about to describe occurred long after the fall of ancient Kemet. By this time, it was occupied by invaders. In 391 CE, Byzantine Emperor Theodosius I issued a series of decrees that made traditional Kemetic religion illegal, forbidding Africans from entering sacred temple grounds. However, the temple of Philae, located on an island in the Nile, resisted these edicts due to its remote location. For nearly 200 years, the followers of the ancient Kemetic religion, particularly Anubia, found refuge at Philae, where priests and scribes continued their practices despite persecution. During this time, African nations like the Blemis and Nobadis, from what is now Sudan, maintained their worship of the goddess Auset, or Isis. They regularly traveled to Philae to pray and honor Auset, as well as the god Ausar, or Osiris. Despite the rising influence of Christianity, traditionalists and Christians coexisted at the temple into the mid-5th century. However, by the reign of Emperor Marcion, who lived around 450 CE, efforts were made to restrict access to the temple for non-Christians, particularly the Blemis and Nobadis, who were devoted followers of Auset. The situation worsened when Emperor Justinian I came to power. Justinian's general, Narcis, raided the temple multiple times, arresting priests and destroying sacred items. By the 6th century, the temple of Auset was officially closed, marking the end of its long history as a center of traditional Kemetic worship. Philae was transformed into a center of Orthodox Christianity, with churches built inside the temple complex. One particularly grim account from the 6th century life of Aaron tells of the first Christian bishop of Philae, Appa Macedonius. Upon visiting the island and discovering the worship of the sacred falcon, a symbol of the god Heru, or Horus, Macedonius slaughtered the bird in a dramatic act of defiance. He decapitated the falcon and burned its remains on an altar, symbolizing the suppression of the ancient religion. This event marked a brutal chapter in the eradication of the traditional Kemetic belief system and the dominance of Christianity in the region. After the fall of the temple of Philae, the ancient language of Kemet, or Egypt, began to fade from use, surviving primarily in the liturgy of the Coptic Christian Church, the very institution that contributed to its decline. Despite this, two men named Horopollo attempted to preserve the language. The first Horopollo, a grammarian from the 5th century CE, wrote Hieroglyphica, a work that explained 189 Egyptian hieroglyphs. The second Horopollo, who lived around 565 CE, was a devoted priest of the ancient Kemetic religion. Forced to flee due to accusations of plotting against Christians, he was captured, tortured, and eventually converted to Christianity. As the centuries passed, understanding the ancient Kemetic language became a challenge for new rulers, including the Arabs who entered Egypt in 639 CE. Attempts to decipher the language were made by Arab historians in the 9th and 10th centuries, and later by the European scholar Athanasius Kircher in the 17th century. However, none of these efforts succeeded due to the mistaken belief that hieroglyphs only represented ideas, not sounds. The breakthrough came in 1799, when the Rosetta Stone was discovered by a French soldier. This bilingual text, written in hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek, provided the key to deciphering the language. While several scholars worked on the stone, it was Jean-Francois Champollion who, in 1822, successfully cracked the code. He deciphered the name Cleopatra, and realized that Coptic, the language of the Egyptian Christian Church, could help unlock the secrets of classical Egyptian. How about the architecture of the Nubio-Kemetic civilization? Well, the architecture of Kemet, like its language, left a lasting legacy. The first masonry construction was the Saqqara pyramid, built by Imhotep for Pharaoh Joseph in the 3rd dynasty. Kemet's architecture was grand and unparalleled, including temples like Karnak and the iconic pyramids of Giza, which were constructed as burial tombs for the pharaohs. These monumental structures, such as Khufu's Great Pyramid, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, demonstrate the advanced building techniques of the ancient Kemetic people. The Great Sphinx, which predates any similar structures in Greece, was carved out of limestone, and known to the Kemetic people as Heruem Akt, meaning Horus of the Horizon. Kemet's architectural achievements, from the pyramids to the temples, are unmatched in scale and grandeur, reflecting the society's deep connection to the divine and their ability to organize complex construction projects. These structures continue to awe visitors and scholars alike, representing one of the greatest legacies of ancient African civilization. The origin of philosophy in Kemet, ancient Egypt, was driven by the need to explain the physical universe in ways that aligned with spiritual beliefs. Philosophers were expected to provide thoughtful, reflective insights, especially for the pera, pharaoh, who valued wisdom over mere opinion. Kemet produced many philosophers, whose ideas predated Greek philosophy by centuries. Imhotep, who lived around 2700 BCE, was the first philosopher in human history. He explored questions of time, illness, and immortality, and was the first human to be deified by his society. Tahotep, writing around 2414 BCE, focused on aging and ethical conduct, while Merikare, in 1990 BCE, emphasized the importance of clear communication and common sense. Sehotipibre, also from around 1991 BCE, advocated for loyalty to the king. And Amenemhat, writing at the same time, warned against false friendships, earning the title of the first cynical philosopher. Amenhotep, son of Hapu, was a philosopher-priest from the 18th dynasty, who lived around 1400 BCE. Like Imhotep, he was deified after his death due to his immense wisdom. Duaf, an educational philosopher from 1340 BCE, celebrated the love of learning and the value of books. Akhenaton, around 1300 BCE, was a religious philosopher who introduced monotheism to Kemet by promoting the worship of the god Aton. These Kemetic thinkers lived long before the first Greek philosopher, Thales of Miletus, who studied in Kemet around 600 BCE. In addition to philosophy, Kemet was also the birthplace of mathematics. The earliest known mathematical texts, such as the Rhind Papyrus, were created in Kemet. The need for mathematical systems arose from the annual flooding of the Nile, which washed away the boundaries between farmlands. Geometry was developed to re-establish property lines after the floods. Herodotus claimed that the god Tehuti, Thoth, was the creator of geometry, reflecting its ancient origins in Kemet. Kemet was also rich in deities, reflecting a deeply spiritual society where every aspect of life was tied to divinity. Even primordial chaos, symbolized by noon, was considered a deity. The god Atum, emerging from this chaos, was one of the creator gods alongside Ra, Ptah, and Amen. These gods brought forth other deities like Shu, Air, Tefnut, Moisture, Geb, Earth, and Nut, Sky, and eventually the famous gods Ausar, Osiris, Auset, Isis, Seth, and Nebet. This complex system of gods and philosophical thought laid the foundation for a rich intellectual and spiritual tradition in ancient Africa, influencing the development of philosophy and science for generations. The legend of Ausar, Osiris, was a central part of Kemetic ancient Egyptian tradition, passed down through oral stories and fragments of written texts. The most complete version comes from the Greek writer Plutarch in the 1st century CE. In the story, Ausar and his brother Seth were entrusted with ruling Kemet. Under Ausar's leadership, the land prospered, but Seth's portion became barren. Fueled by jealousy and anger, Seth devised a plan to murder Ausar. He tricked Ausar into entering a sealed casket, and then threw it into the Nile River. Auset, Isis, Ausar's sister and devoted wife, searched tirelessly for his body. After finding him, she briefly brought him back to life with her magic, and conceived their son, Heru, Horus. While Auset protected Ausar's body, Seth found it again, dismembered him into 14 pieces, and scattered the parts across Kemet. Once more, Auset set out to find the pieces of Ausar's body. She recovered them and built shrines at each site, including Abydos, Bega Island, and Philae. Through her efforts, Ausar was resurrected. But rather than returning to rule the living, he became the lord of the underworld, judge of the dead, and a symbol of resurrection and renewal. His green or black skin came to represent the fertility of the earth, and the cycle of life and death. The legend also tells of Seth's eventual defeat by Heru, who avenged his father and took his rightful place on the throne. This eternal struggle between Heru and Seth symbolized the ongoing battle between good and evil, order and chaos. Every king of Kemet was seen as the embodiment of Heru during life, and Ausar in death, reflecting the natural cycles of the earth and the importance of regeneration. As scholar Theophilo Benga noted, the myth of Ausar is perhaps the world's oldest agricultural myth, deeply connected to the cycles of planting, growth, and harvest that were central to life in ancient Egypt. Mummification in ancient Kemet began as a way to preserve bodies naturally dried by the desert sands, but it evolved into a sophisticated and deeply spiritual practice. After the removal of organs, the body was dried with natron, a naturally occurring salt, and the organs were preserved separately in canopic jars. The process of mummification took 70 days, and involved more than just physical preparation. Rituals were performed to ensure the deceased's eternal life. One important ceremony was the opening of the mouth, where priests touched the mouth and head of the corpse, with special tools to symbolically restore the senses. Burials were accompanied by offerings of food, drink, clothing, and other essentials for the journey into the afterlife. Artists would also paint these provisions on the walls of the burial chamber, in case the physical items were destroyed. Outside the tomb, a stele was erected to honour the deceased's life and achievements. Initially, grand mummification rituals were reserved for kings, as seen in the Old Kingdom pyramid burials. By the New Kingdom, royalty and nobles were also given elaborate burials. But the idea of an afterlife became more accessible to common people. As the sun set in the world of the living, it was believed to rise in the underworld, where the deceased would continue to live, provided they were pure souls. The journey to the afterlife was not without challenges. The soul had to navigate the perilous underworld and face judgment, by Ausar, Osiris. In this judgment, the heart was weighed against the feather of Maat, representing truth and justice. If the heart was pure, the soul would be granted eternal peace in the fields of Yaru, a concept copied by the Greeks, as in the Elysian fields of Greek mythology. Far from being focused on death, the Kemetic people were deeply concerned with life's continuation after death. Mummification was a crucial part of this belief, as it was seen as a way to prolong life in the afterlife. The body, name, spirit, double, and soul were all considered essential components of a person, and preserving these through mummification was key to achieving eternal life. In ancient Kemet, Maat represented the fundamental principles of order, balance, harmony, justice, truth, righteousness, and reciprocity. The Kemetic people believed that these values were essential for keeping chaos at bay in all aspects of life. Throughout Kemet's history, maintaining a relationship with Maat was crucial for the strength of the nation. When Maat was upheld, society thrived. When it was lost, society weakened. This belief was central to African understanding. Scholar D.T. Nyan, known for introducing the world to the epic of Sundiata, highlighted the importance of Maat in African culture. He explained that even in diverse societies like Mali, Ethiopia, and other African kingdoms, traditional religious values, rooted in Maat, helped create tolerance and unity among people of different backgrounds and beliefs. This openness to diversity and commitment to mutual respect was a cornerstone of African society from the very beginning of civilization. This openness likely accounted for the fall of Kemet, and later, the rest of greater Africa, to colonizers and invaders. No colonizer who ever stepped foot on African soil did us any good. They plundered, stole, and destroyed. As we rebuild our confidence and sense of self-worth, we should remember to pass these truths down to the next generation. Maat, and life to you. Until the lions have their own historians, the tales of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.