- Ptahhotep, 4500 years
ago
It is expected that all coloured men,
women, and children, of every Nation, language and tongue under
heaven,...(Who are not too deceitful, abject, and servile to
resist the cruelties and murders inflicted upon us by the white
slave holders, our enemies by nature) ... will try to procure
a copy of this appeal and read it, or get some one to read it
to them, for it is designed more particularly for them. Let them
remember, that though our cruel oppressors and murderers, may
(if possible) treat us more cruel, as Pharaoh did the children
of Israel, yet the God of the Ethiopians, has been pleased to
hear our moans in consequence of oppression; and the day of our
redemption from abject wretchedness draweth near, when we shall
be enabled, in the most extended sense of the word, to stretch
forth our hands to the Lord our God, but there must be willingness
on our part, for God to do these things for us, for we may be
assured that he will not take us by the hairs of our head against
our will and desire, and drag us from our very, mean, low and
abject condition.
- David Walker, 1829 C.E.
The two statements by African master teachers
are separated by more than four thousand years or
as Ayi Kwei Armah put it "two thousand seasons." Each
statement is part of an introduction to
an instruction designed to guide African people toward appropriate
ways of thinking, speaking, and acting. The instructions are
examples of the two historical points of reference from which
revisions of the African Centered Paradigm have developed and
should continue to proceed.
If we define paradigm as a model which guides in the development
if a serekh (an epistemology or a discourse
about knowledge), the relevance of Ptahhotep and David Walker's
instruction become apparent. Instruction is the mode of knowing
par excellence.
Therefore, our project involves the revision
of the instructional model. We must first recognize that the African Centered perspective emerges from
African life. Its existence, is found in the intergenerational
transmissions among various African peoples. Obviously no one
can "create" or "father"
African Centeredness in such a context.
Each generation reproduces or revises
the way of thinking. Representative articulators comment
and otherwise clarify the worldview as dictated
by contemporary circumstances and issues. The revision project
must first revisit and read the two historical points of reference
and then clearly examine the present situation regarding the
challenges to African Centeredness.
In other words, revision of the African
Centered paradigm must be based upon an African historiography
and an African worldview. The resulting theoretical construct
will allow us to explicate ends and evaluate means. The historical
point of reference nearest to us is the late eighteenth century
development of Ethiopianism as expressed in the texts of Africans
of the diaspora.
They used the only literature available
to them, a literature that was used by their oppressors to debase
African humanity. They read the European texts from an African
centered perspective and reached diametrically opposite results.
The European intellectuals had fabricated a theory of the absence
of African civilization; African thinkers found the reverse,
i.e., the priority of African civilization.
The African perspective that we have inherited
was the product of the African offensive against the intellectual
atrocities of European philosophers such as Montesquieu, Hume,
and Kant. The insertion of the doctrine of white supremacy and
its correlative hypothesis African inferiority by great thinkers
of France, Britain, and Prussia in the seventeenth century reached
the
United States in full force with the publication
of Thomas Jefferson's Notes On Virginia, during the debate on
the U. S. Constitution. David Walker's instruction was in part
an offensive against Jefferson's genocidal intellectual assault
on African peoples. At the outset he confronted Jefferson's project
with the following query; "Has Mr. Jefferson declared to
the world, that we are inferior to the whites, both in the endowments
of our bodies and our minds?"
The answer of course is yes. Indeed, for
David Walker the liberation from chattel slavery required first
of all a victory over the European intellectual campaign, white
supremacy.
For our purposes let us focus on three
interwoven components of David Walker's instruction:
1) the curriculum philosophy, 2) the restoration
of African humanity, 3) the study of the oppressor.
These themes were treated in each of Walker's
four appeals and were combined in various ways to
teach the absurdity of the African condition in a European dominated
world. While the instruction was explicitly directed "to
the coloured citizens(read African peoples) of the world"
Walker also included a message to the oppressors including those
who would plot to murder him for his courageous instruction.
Walker's curriculum philosophy called
for a historically based Pan-African course of study.
The teaching is the duty of all informed persons
of African descent. The literate must read the lessons
to the illiterate. Parents must instruct children because the
chattel slave industry is maintained
primarily due to the ignorance of the masses of African people.
Once the African mind is liberated there
is no shackle which can keep the African enslaved. The major
content of this curriculum includes the other tow components
of the instruction. A second emphasis of Walker's Appeal is the
priority of restoring African humanity. Such restoration begins
with self identification. Walker confronted the question quite
bluntly:
"If any are anxious to ascertain
who I am, know the world, that I am one of the oppressed, degraded
and wretched sons of Africa,". That self-identification
leads to the recognition of the historical and cultural unity
of African peoples. Teaching about this Pan-African unity in
time and space is necessary to combat the divide and conquer
strategy of the oppressor.
The reconstruction of African history
with emphasis on the Nile Valley is another pillar of the restoration. The ancient Egyptian must be
accepted as a part of self-identity.
For the information of those among the
"brethren (who) do not know... the Egyptians were Africans
or coloured people such as we are." The Egyptians must also
be viewed from an African perspective which finds that they were
much more civilized than the ancient Europeans and much more
humane than the contemporary "American Christians."
Therefore the African curriculum must:
... take a retrospective view of the
arts and sciences the wise legislators the Pyramids and other
magnificent buildings the turning of the channel of the river
Nile, by the sons of Africa or Ham among whom learning originated
and was carried thence into Greece.
Teaching about the role of Africans in
world history destroys the European fabrication "negro inferiority"
which prepares the way for Europeans to cultivate ignorance among
African masses and servile treachery among a few collaborators.
The foundation in African antiquity is
linked to a focus on outstanding examples of successful contemporary
African freedom fighters. In this regard Walker asserted:
But what need have I to refer to antiquity,
when Hayti, the glory of the blacks and terror of tyrants, is
enough to convince the most avaricious and stupid of wretches.
...I hope that she may keep peace within her borders and be united,
keeping a strict look out for tyrants, for if they get the least
chance to injure her, they will avail themselves of it, as true
as the Lord lives in heaven. But one thing which gives me joy
is, that they are men who would be cut off to a man, before they
would yield to the combined forces of the whole world-in fact,
if the whole world was combined against them, it could not do
any thing with them, unless the Lord delivers them up.
Teaching about the Haitian revolution
as the model for African liberation completes the framework for
regeneration of African humanity. The inspiration and examples
from African antiquity and present day Africans because the core
of African pedagogy from the time of Walker to the present.
A third component of David Walker's Appeal
emphasized teaching about the oppressor. He traced the aggressive
conflictual culture of the Europeans from antiquity to his on
time. He especially exposed the American Christians. He singled
out Thomas Jefferson, Henry Clay and a few others. By penetrating
behind this rhetoric in documents like the Declaration of Independence
and the statements of the American Colonization Society he taught
about the white supremacy project. His analysis of "American
history" is clearly African centered.
David Walker viewed his project of African
education as a link in an intergenerational chain of transmission. He tied his teaching to his mentor
Bishop Richard Allen who had begun the reclamation of ancient
Egypt and Ethiopia a generation earlier.
Even though David Walker did not use the
term African centered or Afrocentric (as far as I know), his
discourse is clearly African centered. He identifies himself
as a "son of Africa- his curriculum philosophy is an African
teaching for Africans and by Africans. While all African peoples
in time and space fall within the scope of his project, the course
of study includes an in-depth study of world history including
Asia and especially Europe.
Thus, African centered discourse is a
conversation among Africans based upon the interests of Africans. The project which Walker articulated
so well and which he had received from his elders
was passed on to those who followed him, Henry Highland Garnet
and Martin Delany. They revised the
discourse and passed it on to their followers. It passed to the
pre-World War II champions of African civilization who taught
our mentors John Henrik Clarke and Yosef ben Jochannan.
The use of the term Afrocentric in the
context of our present project can be traced to the formation
of the African Heritage Studies Association in 1968 when one
of its objectives was the study of
history along "Afrocentric lines." Such was the context
when the "Chicago Group" of nationalists began the
publication of the Afrocentric World Review in 1973. At the outset
Anderson Thompson stated:
Putting Black interests first, the
view of Afrocentricity, is the plateau from which we launch our
dialogues with those who are dedicated to the establishment of
power among African peoples. Afrocentrism strives for reinforcing
the New African Frame of Reference being forged by Black brothers
all over the world. It seeks for a collective identity founded
on Black ideas, rather than the ideas of non-Blacks.
We propose that the best place to begin
this endeavor is with our collective experience, rather than
the preconceived theories of aliens, how-ever attractive these
theories may seem. This methodological directive necessitates,
among other things, Black studies about non-Blacks. It is only
when we focus on what actually happened, rather than some European
ideological theory for what happened, can we begin to know what
our real interests are. Thus we choose to seek out those ideas
and objectives which truly represent the interest of the bulk
of scattered African people, wherever they now exist in the world.
Revisions of the African centered discourse
since David Walker have been extensive but the basic core remains
intact. Some of his positions have been criticized or rejected,
for example, his allegiance to Protestant Christianity; and his
deference to the British people who had outlawed the chattel
slave trade and were on the brink of abolishing chattel slavery
itself. Although Walker asserted that "we are a people"
thus distinguishing the African population from the Christian
American people, the explicit explication of African nationalism
was made a generation later by Martin Delany.
The other relevant historical point of
reference is the classical African civilization which Walker
emphasized. An examination of the literature of Kemet provides
us with the foundation for a paradigm
for the African centered project which was revised by Walker.
The master teacher Ptahhotep laid out the framework for the Sebayet
(the Kemetic systems of education), which was
actually preparation for leading the Good Life.
What the student needs is not just rekh
(knowledge) which comes through the seeing of the eyes,
the hearing of the ears, and the sniffing
of the nose carrying impressions to the mind; the particular
knowledge needed to direct human action is medew nefer
i.e., good speech. Good speech is tied to
the command dd mc3t, ir mc3t (speak truth, do truth). In other words speech
must be consistent with action.
Ptahhotep explained what instruction itself
is. Instruction is an Elder's staff. "Elder's staff"
is a double metaphor: 1) The next generation
raised to replace the Elders who make a staff to
lean on, 2) The instruction or speech which the Elders transmit
to the next generation which "makes" them i.e., enables
them to carry on.
Instruction then is the chain of transmission
of the knowledge and memory that defines a people. "Knowledge"
must be refined and evaluated through the community in time and
space because as the text states, "No
one is born wise."
The ancestral transmission through good
speech is the source of wisdom - the only kind of knowledge that
defines the human mission. The Instruction of Ptahhotep, as sited
here is a revision of an earlier text
which has not yet been found. In the available edition it is
part of the Weheme Mesu launched in the Twelfth Dynasty.
Weheme Mesu means Repetition of the Birth
and is the, perhaps, first expression of the concept of renaissance
in history. The textual explosion which followed the announcement
of the project included revision of certain traditional texts.
This brings us to the question Cheikh Anta Diop raised in 1948,
"When can we talk of an African Renaissance?"
His pursuit of the answer led him to the
reclamation of Kemet. The revision of the tradition which centered
on the restoration of classical African civilization is the objective
toward which all champions of African humanity must aim.
The situation in which African peoples
found themselves in 1829 and again in 1948, inevitably drove
the champions into the arms of African antiquity. Walker was
perhaps unfamiliar with the teachings of Ptahhotep and Diop in
1948 was probably unaware of both Walker's instruction and the
Weheme Mesu.
But both ironically revised traditions
that their own works became a part of. In a similar fashion,
the works of Diop, George G. M. James, and
J. C. de Graft-Johnson in 1854 and later Chancellor Williams,
John Henrik Clarke, and Yosef ben Jochannan were revised by the
Black Studies Revolution.
The Black Studies Movement was a project
designed to overthrow the curriculum of white supremacy, which
in turn led to the African Centered project. Thus for over two
centuries the champions of African Civilization have been revising
the African Centered paradigm as an offensive against the atrocities
of the European campaign of white supremacy.
Let us now review our present situation
by extending a statement by David Walker:
If any are anxious to ascertain who
I am, know the world, that I am one of the oppressed, degraded
and wretched sons of Africa, rendered so by the avaricious and
unmerciful, among the whites. If any wish to plunge me into the
wretched incapacity of a slave, or murder me for the truth, know
ye, that I am in the hand of God, and at your disposal. I count
my life not dear unto me, but I am ready to be offered at any
moment. For what is the use of living, when in fact I am dead.
Thus, Walker anticipated his own assassination.
The price put on him dead or alive by the State
of Georgia and his murder a year later,
was an attempt to murder the voice of Africa. The present campaign
by the defenders of Western Civilization is designed to murder
the voice of African Centeredness. The attack by Diane Ravitch
joined by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. and Mary Lefkowitz aim at the
intellectual assassination of the current champions.
This attack indicates the extent to which
we have succeeded in inspiring large numbers of Africans throughout
the world to study African life and history "along Afrocentric
lines." On the other hand their attack is related to the
co-optation and/or dismantling of African Studies programs. But,
like David Walker they may "murder" us but our revision
is here to stay.
In review of this historical context,
the particular term we use to call the epistemic is relatively
unimportant; whether we use Afrocentrism or Africentric and all
of their derivatives what we mean is
African Centeredness as we put it in 1974 in the second issue
of the Afrocentric World Review:
... we assert that all foreign isms,
doctrines, ideologies, and systems of thought are not only inadequate
but must be avoided. In taking this stand we are not so much
anti anything, we are merely pro Afrikan, or in other words,
Afrikan Centered.
The African centered paradigm in both
its ancient and modem versions is an instructional process. Our
revision must continue that tradition since instruction is designed
to enable students to lead the meaningful life. Therefore the
epistemology is comprehensive. The paradigm should be a model
curriculum. Let us call it the Sebayet (African curriculum).
Classical African texts contain the guidelines for the core curriculum.
The course of study should include medew
netcher (theology), medew nefer grammar (Logic), maat
(governance), hepu nefer (ethics), soneb (health),
hesebu (mathematics), sesh (writing), and genut (history). The development of
these disciplines of these disciplines in the context
of an African centered historiography of the
world is the appropriate approach to our project:
the "reproduction" of knowledge
about Africa and for African peoples.
The late Professor Jacob H. Carruthers
received his Ph.D. from the University of Colorado. He is a founding
director of the Association for the study of Classical African
Civilisation (ASCAC) and served as its president for 5 years. He is also a founding member and director
of the Kemetic Institute. He joined the staff of Northeastern
Illinois University's Center for Inner City Studies (CICS) in
1968 and helped to shape its curriculum by connecting it with
Africa.
His research has taken him to several
African countries including Ethiopia, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Senegal
and Ivory Coast. He is a well sought after Egyptologist, having
lectured in several universities including Cornell and Tennessee
State Universities and The Universities of Colorado and Indiana.
Dr. Carruthers is a consultant to both
the Dayton and Chicago public systems. Dr. Carruthers is a firm
believer that connecting African people to heir history is a
key factor in their liberation. He has written numerous books
and essays.
Professor Jacob H. Carruthers (His
most recent works: Intellectual Warfare)
Some of his major works include: The Irritated
Genie: An Essay on the Haitian Revolution.
Kemet and the African Worldview : Research,
Rescue and Restoration, co-written with Dr.
Maulana Karenga, the creator of Kwanzaa, the African American
and Pan-African holiday celebrated by millions throughout the
world African community.
MDW NTR: Divine Speech; A Historiographical Reflection of African Deep
Thought from the time of Pharaohs to the Present, co-written
with the world-renowned, Dr. John Henrik Clarke (The John Henrik Clarke
Virtual Museum).
"History is not everything",
but it is the starting point. History is a clock that people
use to tell their time of day. It is a compass they use to find
themselves on the map of human geography. It tells them where
they are, but more importantly, what they must be.
- Dr. John Henrik Clarke
Beyond Words Village
Give us your
thoughts and opinions!
This article was
published courtesy of Professor Jacob H. Carruthers.
Copyright ©
1999 Professor Jacob H. Carruthers. All rights reserved by the
author.
| KINGDOM | ABOUT US | BOOKS | SCULPTURES | MUSIC |
| SHOPPING CART | CUSTOMER SERVICE |
| GLOSSARY OF TERMS | OPEN OUR EYES | NEWSLETTERS |
| BEYOND
WORDS
| YOUR EYES |
|
KNOWLEDGE LINKS | NEW BEGINNINGS | WHAT'S
GOING ON
|
©A.B.N.
Enterprises, 1999-2008, all rights reserved. The words
African
By Nature are registered trademarks of A.B.N. Enterprises.
Copyright
