African History

I love the show America's Next Top Model by the former model Tyra Banks. I watched all cycles from one to six. I love the countries and sites they visited. I remember, one time, they visited the cell of Nelson Mandela when America's Next Top Model cycle four went to Cape Town, South Africa. I wondered, "Who is Nelson Mandela?" Please excuse my ignorance over the subject, but I don't have any clue who he is. My friend who is good in history told me that Nelson Mandela was the first ever president of South Africa.

I don't really know a lot of stuff about African History since I like Asian History more. My friend, who is good at African History, is the one who keeps me informed about the dark continent's past. She told me that Nelson was born on July 18, 1918. He was a freedom fighter who believed in non-violence to meet his goals. He was imprisoned for twenty-seven years due to his activist acts as an anti apartheid before he became the president. He was South Africa's president for five years from 1994-1999.

My friend told me that a lot of South Africans were disappointed in what Mandela did during his office term. Mandela, according to the people, did not focus his attention toward the threatening problem of AIDS. During his office years, the issue of HIV is the main issue or concern of his people. The number of AIDS victim was becoming rampant. However, my friend told me that he was very proud of Mandela because the African leader was able to unite the black and white South Africans via the 1995 Rugby World Cup that South Africa hosted.

The last horrific massacre that could be remembered by the entire mankind as a perpetual stigma is The Holocaust. That was before 1994. If there were millions of Orthodox Jews, Polish, and Russians slaughtered back then, it was the result of extreme bigotry and racism. The trouble with a single continent such as Europe is that there are far too many different cultures to tolerate. In Africa, there is little difference from one culture to the next. Yet, racism existed and resulted in another grand butchering back in 1994, called the Rwandan Genocide.

The Rwandan Genocide was a mass killing of about 1,071,000 Tutsis and Hutus in Rwanda. The Hutu militant groups organized a killing spree of such gargantuan scale that even their moderate tribespeople had been murdered. The Hutus were considered the "lesser" Rwandans who were less favored in the country, called the Bantu, while the Tutsis belonged to the more noble race called Hamites. Of course, if you were a Hutu, you would think otherwise and drive out the foreign invaders. Ethnic rivalry is a single powerful cause of this belated African massacre.

Some argue that if the United Nations had intervened far earlier, this mass murder wouldn't have happened. There were cries of possible amassing of weapons and Hutu militant preparations, but the UN had dismissed this. In fact, the US, then governed by Pres Bill Clinton had been a member of the First World countries who did not actively engage in the necessary peacekeeping process. It was only when the Tutsi-ruled Rwandan Patriotic Front, headed by Paul Kagame, took over the reigning Hutus did the Rwandan Genocide of '94 ended.

Halfway from our side of the world, unknown to many who enjoy a good life, who lives in free societies, whose countries are secured, and whose lives are safe, is a crisis that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and still counting. Sudan is unheard to many, but the voices of its people from the Darfur region is louder than the noise of ammunitions elsewhere, screaming, pleading, begging to be spared from baseless, unreasonable killings. The crisis in Darfur, called by many as genocide but just a civil war for others, began in 2003 when a rebel group attacked government targets saying the region is being neglected by Kharoum, the capital, by favoring the Arabs and oppressing the Black Africans. In response to the conflict going on between the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement (Jem), the government mobilized a self-defense militia, but has denied that it has links to the Janjaweed who people of Darfur accused of waging an ethnic cleansing against the Africans. Affected civilians from Darfur said that following air raids by government aircraft, the Janjaweed rebels stormed into villages on camels and horses, slaughtering men, raping women, hurting children, and taking whatever they can find.

Only after millions have left and were homeless and hundreds of thousands have died that the international community acted on the crisis. Due to international pressure, the government vowed to crash the Janjaweed and put into justice all those who have caused the heinous killings. But little was achieved, if none at all. The African Union had sent in troops but admitted that they cannot sustain the cost of the operation. The UN, US, EU, and other powerful western countries acted by threatening the government of sanctions and by sending humanitarian groups and organizations to provide aid to the affected civilians. Other African countries have condemned the international community for not acting expediently to the crisis, saying that an earlier response would have prevented much atrocities and would have saved lives. There is also a dispute among concerned parties on whether the crisis is a genocide or just a simple tribal war. It being a genocide or a tribal war will make a difference. It being a tribal war, the international community would have less guilt since tribal wars are purely internal, sovereign conflicts. Whereas if it is a genocide, the international community can be held accountable for acting late.

Right now the crisis is far from over, peace agreements are being negotiated, but no real solution seems to be coming up soon. Ceasefire will only serve for a year or two. The real deal has not yet been addressed.

I know you have heard of Bob Marley, and I'm sure you enjoy dancing to amazing reggae music. You might even like wearing those fashionable three-color wrist bands or have tried tying your hair in a dreadlock. If you don't know, Bob Marley, reggae music, and three-color ensembles all have one thing in common: Rastafarian.

Although often linked with the impoverished black people of Jamaica in the Carribean, Rastafarian actually originated from Africa. In truth, Rastafarian is more than merely a religion; for blue-blooded Rastas, it is a lifestyle. The Rastafarians speak against injustice, oppression, and discrimination. They revere Haile Selassie I, the former Ethiopian emperor as Jah (a truncated version of Jehovah), and the name Rastafari actually came from Ras (which means Duke) Tafari Makonnen, the name of Haile Selassie I, prior to his coronation.

There are about a million Rastafaris worldwide as of 2000. Rastafaris does not eat meat, and they pattern their vegetarian diet to the Deuteronomy and Laws of Levictus contained in Old Testament. The Rastas also consider Ganja or marijuana to be sacred, and their usage of this is solely for sacred purposes only. Bob Marley is probably the most widely-known Rasta. But even though I like reggae music and Bob Marley, I would not fancy myself as a Rasta--- I just couldn't give up meat.

Contrary to what our professors must have taught us, Cleopatra is not an Egyptian. Or Maybe, you have known that already. Her ancestors were Greeks from Macedonia. Anyway, Cleopatra has been associated with beauty. The ancient scrolls tell of her alluring good looks that was able to charm the most prominent man then, Julius Caesar. The story goes that Cleopatra lived 69 years earlier than Jesus Christ. This is why we have in the Bible a verse that talks of the coin that bears the face of Caesar.

Cleopatra is a very intelligent woman. Although there are no clear accounts of her physical features, historians, especially the elders who succeeded in passing to their descendants chronicles of the reign of Caesar, claim that Cleopatra is uniquely beautiful. The most prominent part of her face is her aquiline nose. Her stature resembles that of a goddess that whenever she walks past the castle or sails on the Nile one cannot but admire her. This same qualities made her queen of Egypt. But, her kingdom was established all because she worked for it. Egypt was never handed to her, she desired for it. When she was hailed Queen of Egypt, the country flourished just like Rome.

It is just amazing that Cleopatra, although she has the innate ability to manipulate men, did not use it for her self. The lavish gatherings and precious gifts that she offers to the invaders and strangers (who were, obviously, all males) were symbols of friendship. Cleopatra kept the beauty of Egypt because she thought that it will invite allies. If there were intimate relationships that developed between she and her 'friends', Cleopatra never planned for those.

The history of Africa is stained with the devastating accounts of continent-wide slavery. It was only in Africa, as historians would remark, that millions of people were forced to go from one place to another to be slaves. True, Africans became slaves in their own countries, and this went for a long time. It is estimated that the forced labor began in 18th century and ended in the 19th century. But, the story behind it will be forever remembered.

It is safe to say that slavery began in Africa long before the European settlers came. The people of Iran were the pioneers of such practice. Passive and ignorant of the trade, the Africans were easily duped by the Persians. Since then, the occasional help in carrying the loads extended to them by Africans was turned into Persian domination, and worse, business.

Slaves range from household maids to sex slaves. Women were highly affected, while men died fighting to break free from slavery. Ivory was the driving force for Persians to turn Africans into slaves. Since the natives know the land, they were used to hunt elephants, and against their will, they were made to kill the animals for ivory. This lasted for almost a century, and only until the great British empire passed a law that eradicates slavery of children and women. I wonder if the prominent Salvation Army influenced this law. The able-bodied Africans were made to cultivate the lands they used to work on to, but this time, they had no masters. The process of healing took a long time, and I guess, the pain remains even these days.

Africa is one of the last places on earth reached by the powerful European invasions. Ancient explorers have toured the world years ago before coming to this continent. In the recent decades, the neglect that Africa has been getting became more apparent with the onslaught of AIDS.

There are more people in Africa dying from famine, drought, and yes, AIDS, the devastating disease, than in any place or region in the world. The African people are perhaps the most malnourished inhabitants of the earth. Because of AIDS, they seem to be the least healthy people in the world. The most number of AIDS patients and victims are in this region. This predicament dates back a long time ago.

Take for instance, Zambia, one of the countries in Africa. Roam around the country and you will see countless people from all walks of life who are suffering from the deadly AIDS. Many of them are victims of the epidemic that struck the country. Can you imagine that for every five Zambians, one is HIV infected? This is indeed a very harsh reality. Many Africans, not only those in Zambia, have been with this dilemma for ages. The name Africa has become dramatically synonymous with AIDS. As such, some regions are less developed and less traveled compared with other nations or places in the world. There are lesser jobs and employment opportunities, therefore, slower progress.

One of the most important growths in the history of Africa is the rise of Islam. Islam surfaced in Arabia during the early 600’s and within a century, Arab Muslims had established a large empire that extended from the Middle East, across northern Africa, and into Spain. Egypt was invaded by the Muslims in 639 and by 710, all the areas in northern Africa was captured by the Muslims. Later on, the empire disintegrated into smaller states, but because of their religion, the people still kept their close ties with one another.

Initially, the people under the Muslims in Africa rejected the religion of Islam. The conversion of northern Africans, who were either Christians or belonged to a local religion, into Islam took many centuries. Islam was spread mainly by traveling merchants and scholars in the southern regions of the Sahara desert. Camel caravans who crossed the Sahara bought the northern Muslims into contact with western Africans. Traders who set off in the Indian Ocean converted the people living along the shores of what are now Somalia, Kenya, and Tanzania. Apart from sharing their religious beliefs, the Muslims taught reading and writing the Arabic language to illiterate Africans. Before long, Arabic became a common language shared by Africans of various ethnic groups.

Every time Egypt, more than the pyramids, I always think of the ancient world of Egypt. It was a time when pharaohs ruled the land, and were revered as the avatar of the gods. Perhaps the most recognized pharaoh of ancient Egypt, alongside the Queen of Nile Cleopatra, was the child pharaoh Tutankhamun. The name Tutankhamun is translated as “Living image of Amun.” Amun, or Amon, is the Egyptian deity of creation. Although he had of little significance in history, he is the most recognized pharaoh of ancient Egypt.

The child pharaoh ascended to power at the tender age of 9. Obviously this was a huge responsibility for a child so his reign was handled by his vizier, Ay. He only served as a figurative leader during this time. Perhaps the interest people had of Tutankhamun wasn’t his role in history but the cause of his death. Until today, his death is still left unresolved although numerous theories and speculations have been made. The mummified remains of the young pharaoh were discovered by Howard Carter in 1922; the tomb and remains of Tutankhamun was one of the best preserved.

Politics in the history of Africa has played a major role in the shaping of what it is today. Recently I've visited Mandela's mock prison and I was reminded of this great leader who has changed the system of apartheid in Africa.

For several decades Apartheid has ruled Africa. Not until Nelson Mandela has been released from his exile did such a segregating system been slowly taken apart. Apartheid is a system that separated the blacks from the coloreds and the Indians. Many acts have been implemented during the Apartheid period. Some of them include the Bantus Authorities Act of 1951 and the Suppression of Communism Act of 1950.

Now segregation is still alive, but the spirit of unity among Africans has taken over what was once an egregious state of the continent.

The continent of Africa is suspected by scientists to be the area where our ancestors, the first humans, came from. The African continent today is an image of poverty and chaos. It is the continent where genocide and famine are common. With the exception of the Mediterranean countries of Africa such as Egypt and Morocco, Africa is generally populated by the Negroid race.

The history of black Africa is a history of colonial exploitation and slavery. European nations portioned Africa as if sharing a big piece of cake. Even in very recent history, particularly in South Africa, government-sanctioned racism existed as in the case of the Apartheid regime.

Born in 1583, Queen Nizingga is honored today as among Angola's greatest heroines. She had the mind of a military, the strength of a warrior, and the most importantly the heart of a true queen.

She was born in a time when slavery was widespread in Ndongo, now Angola. The rate of slave trade was rising due to the demands of the Portuguese governing her region. Queen Nzinga had to take the courage of fighting for her people and opposing her brother, King of Ndongo who himself was involved with slavery.

Queen Nzinga died in 1663, yet her legend continues to live and inspire the African people.