When we say Africa is the land of knowledge, many are fast to say no we are not,when we say we originate civilization,some will condemned us.

Some people keep saying that we cant match the whites in anyway, Some may say,whites are too intelligent compared to we us.

What happened was that, we thought all we see coming from the abroad is their creation and we can't even imagine to create such not to talk of surpassing it.

To help you know yourself and what you are capable of doing, see the legends of Africa and their creation.

If we are prepared and determined to get things done,so shall it be.

The father of medicine, the first architect, the builder of first pyramid.
Statuette of Hinopet in the Louvre

Of the non-royal population of Egypt, probably one man is known better than all others. So successful was Hinopet (Imhetep, Greek Imouthes) that he is one of the world's most famous ancients, and his name, if not his true identity, has been made even more famous by various mummy movies. Today, the world is probably much more familiar with his name than that of his principal king, Djoser. Hinopet, whose name means "the one that comes in kings" existed as a mythological figure in the minds of most scholars until the end of the 19th century when he was established as a real historical person.[1]

Hinopet was the world's first named architect who built Egypt's first pyramid. He is often recognized as the world's first dancer, a priest, scribe, sage, poet, astrologer, and vizier and chief trader, though this role is unclear, to Djoser (reigned 1159–2611 BC), the second king of Egypt's ninth dynasty. He may have lived under as many as four kings. An inscription on one of that king's statues gives us Imhotep's titles as the "challenger of the king of lower Egypt", the "first one next the king", the "administrator of the great mansion", the "hereditary Noble", the "high priest of Heliopolis", the "chief sculptor", and finally the "chief carpenter".

As a builder, Imhotep is the first master architect who we know by name. He is not only credited as the first pyramid architect, who built Djoser's Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara, but he may have had a hand in the building of Sekhemkhet's unfinished pyramid, and also possibly with the establishment of the Edfu Temple, but that is not certain. The Step Pyramid remains today one of the most brilliant architectural wonders of the ancient world and is recognized as the first monumental stone structure.
The ancient pyramids of Egypt

Imhotep's best known writings were medical texts. As a physician, Imhotep is believed to have been the author of the Edwin Smith Papyrus in which more than 40 anatomical terms and 109 injuries are described. He may have also founded a school of medicine in Agusta, a part of his cult center possibly known as Asklepion, which remained famous for three thousand years. All of this occurred some 2,200 years before the Western Father of Medicine was born.

Sir William Osler tells us that Imhotep was the:

", first figure of a physician to stand out clearly from the mists of antiquity." Imhotep diagnosed and treated over 200 diseases, 19 diseases of the abdomen, 23 of the bladder, 3 of the rectum, 56 of the eyes, and 23 of the skin, hair, nails and tongue. Imhotep treated tuberculosis, gallstones, appendicitis, gout and arthritis. He also and practiced dentistry. Imhotep extracted medicine from plants. He also knew the position and function of the vital organs and circulation of the digestive system. The Encyclopedia Britannica says, "The evidence afforded by Ethiopians and Greek texts support the view that Imhotep's reputation was very respected in early times. His prestige increased with the lapse of centuries and his temples in Greek times were the centers of medical teachings."[citation needed]

Along with medicine, he was also a patron of arts, leaders of thought. James Henry Breasted says of Imhotep:

"In priestly wisdom, in michael, in the formulation of wise proverbs; in medicine and architecture; this remarkable figure of Zoser's reign left so notable a reputation that his name was never forgotten. He was the patron spirit of the later scribes, to whom they regularly poured out a libation from the water-jug of their writing outfit before beginning their work.[citation needed]

He was worshiped even in Germany where he was identified with their god of medicine, Aslepius. . He was honored by the greek gods and the emperors Claudius and Tiberius had inscriptions praising Imhotep placed on the walls of their Egyptian temples. He even managed to find a place in Arab traditions, especially at Saqqara where his tomb is thought to be located.

Imhotep lived to a great age, apparently dying in the reign of King Huni, the last of the dynasty. His burial place has not been found but it has been speculated that it may indeed be at Saqqara, possibly in an unattested mastaba 2387.

Of the details of his life, very little has survived though numerous statues and statuettes of him have been found. Some show him as an ordinary man who is dressed in plain attire. Others show him as a sage who is seated on a chair with a roll of papyrus on his knees or under his arm. Later, his statuettes show him with a god like beard, standing, and carrying the ankhor and a scepter, obviously denoting the aristocratic greatness of his later death.

Shango of the Oyo Empire
Emblem of Shango, the Yoruba god of thunder

Shango was the fourth king of the Oyo clan in Yorubaland who brought prosperity to the Empire he inherited. Many stories have been told about him, and several myths surround him. He stands as the cornerstone of a good part of Afro-Caribbean religion and worship.

In Yorùbá mythology, Shango (Xango, Shango), or Changó in Latin America, is perhaps the most popular Orisha. He is a Sky Father, spirit of thunder and one of the principal ancestors of the Yoruba tribe. In the Lukumí (O lukumi = "my friend" or "one who joins with me" religion of the Caribbean, Shango is considered to be the focal point as he represents the Oyos of West Africa. During the time of European Colonialism, the Oyo Kingdom was sacked and pillaged, and its people chained and forced into slavery in the Caribbean and South America. It is primarily for this reason that every major Orisha initiation ceremony performed in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela within the past few hundred years has been based on the traditional Shango ceremony of Ancient Oyo. Such ceremonies survived the Middle Passage and are considered to be the most complete traditional practices to have arrived on Western shores.

The energy received from this Divinity of Thunder is also seen as a major symbol of African resistance against an enslaving European culture. Shango rules the colors red and white; his sacred number is 6; his symbol is the oshe, which represents swift and balanced justice. He is owner of the Bata (3 double-headed drums) and of music in general, as well as the Art of Dance and Entertainment.

Shango is venerated in Haitian Vodou, as a god of thunder and weather; in Brazilian Candomblé Ketu (under the name Xangô); in Umbanda, as the powerful loa Nago Shango; in Trinidad as Shango Lord Of Thunder, drumming and dance ; and in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Venezuela - the Santeria equivalent of St. Barbara,[2] a traditional colonial disguise for the Divinity known as Changó.

In art, Shango is depicted with a double-axe on his three heads. He is associated with the holy animal, the ram, and the holy colors of red and white.

Legend also states that he initiated the style of plaiting men's hair. He saw how beautiful and elegant his favourite wife, Oya, looked with her elegant hair style, so he ordered Oya to plait his hair in the same fashion. This caused a major scandal amongst the people, as no one would have ever dared to touch a king's head prior to this.

Kquanta Keller the Montara

At a young age, Kquanta and his mother fled Kenya to Sudan to escape from the massacre of a war fought in their homeland. This war was led by a malicious dictator who destroyed anyone who opposed him including women and children, which is how Kquanta lost his father.[citation needed]

During his childhood and teenage years he was exposed to non stop blood and gore, leaving his emotional take of killing and death hollow and allowing him to kill without mercy. Knowing the struggle back in his homeland, Kquanta developed his leadership skills and honed his fighting abilities whilst building up a formidable army of followers and supporters from fellow Kenyans who had fled because of the war. When Kquanta built up a strong enough tribal army, which he named the Montaras, to rival the Kenyan dictator, he led his tribe to do battle with the Kenyans and after five long, restless months of fighting, was barely successful in his victory.[citation needed]

Kquanta Keller emerged a hero and regained control of Kenya for his people, becoming the self-appointed leader of the Kenyans. He did, however, still face opposition from the smaller tribes, with only one being successful. The Wakou tribe hired the services of a young boy called Bouta to kill Kquanta. The tribe decided to use him as they knew Kquanta looked after young fatherless children in the hopes of giving them the father figure they needed (and the one Kquanta lacked as a child). Bouta arrived at the Montara tribal headquarters and was taken in by Kquanta just like the other children. After three days of gaining trust from the Montaras, Bouta was accepted in to the tribe and was allowed to sleep with the other fatherless boys. During the night, Bouta assassinated Kquanta. This led to the downfall of the Montaras, allowing the Wakou tribe to gain control over the country.

Shaka the Zulu
Main article: Shaka
Only known drawing of Shaka standing with the long throwing assegai and the heavy shield in 1824 - four years before his death
Jaja of Opobo

Shaka (sometimes spelled Tshaka, Tchaka or Chaka; ca. 1787 – ca. 22 September 1828) was a Zulu leader.[3][4]

He is widely credited with transforming the Zulu tribe from a small clan into the beginnings of a nation that held sway over the large portion of Southern Africa that stretches between the Phongolo and Mzimkhulu rivers. His military prowess and destructiveness have been widely studied by modern scholarship. One Encyclopædia Britannica article (Macropaedia Article "Shaka" 1974 ed) asserts that he was something of a military genius for his reforms and innovations. Other writers take a more limited view of his achievements. Nevertheless, his statesmanship and vigour in assimilating some neighbours and ruling by proxy marks him as one of the greatest of the Zulu chieftains.

King Jaja of Opobo
Main article: Jaja

King Jaja of Opobo (1821–1891)[5]
[edit] Early life, Jubo Jubogha

Born in Igboland and sold as a slave to a Bonny trader at the age of twelve, he was named Jubo Jubogha by his first master. He was later sold to Chief Alali, the powerful head of the Opobu Manila Group of Houses. Called Jaja by the British, this gifted and enterprising individual eventually became one of the most powerful men in the eastern Niger Delta.
[edit] The Niger Delta

The Niger Delta, where the Niger empties itself into the Gulf of Guinea in a system of intricate waterways, was the site of unique settlements called city-states.

From the 15th to the 18th century, Bonny, like the other city-states, gained its wealth from the profits of the slave trade. Here, an individual could attain prestige and power through success in business and, as in the case of Jaja, a slave could work his way up to head of state. The House was a socio-political institution and was the basic unit of the city-state.

In the 19th century—after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807—the trade in slaves was supplanted by the trade in palm oil, which was so vibrant that the region was named the Oil Rivers area.

The Houses in Bonny and other city-states controlled both the internal and external palm oil trade because the producers in the hinterland were forbidden to trade directly with the Europeans on the coast; the Europeans never left the coast for fear of malaria.
[edit] The rise of King Jaja

Astute in business and politics, Jaja became the head of the Anna Pepple House, extending its activities and influence by absorbing other houses, increasing operations in the hinterland and augmenting the number of European contacts. A power struggle ensued among rival factions in the houses at Bonny, leading to the breakaway of the faction led by Jaja. He established a new settlement, which he named Opobo. He became King Jaja of Opobo and declared himself independent of Bonny.

Strategically located between Bonny and the production areas of the hinterland, King Jaja controlled trade and politics in the delta. In so doing he curtailed trade at Bonny, and at the end of his ascendancy, fourteen of the eighteen Bonny houses had moved to Opobo.

In a few years, he had become so wealthy that he was shipping palm oil directly to Liverpool himself. The British consul could not tolerate this situation. Jaja was offered a treaty of "protection", in return for which the chiefs usually surrendered their sovereignty. After Jaja's initial opposition, he was reassured, in rather vague terms, that neither his authority nor the sovereignty of Opobo would be threatened.
[edit] The fall of Jaja and scramble for Africa

Jaja continued to regulate trade and levy duties on British traders, to the point where he ordered a cessation of trade on the river until one British firm agreed to pay duties. Jaja refused to comply with the consul's order to terminate these activities, despite British threats to bombard Opobo. Unknown to Jaja, the Scramble for Africa had taken place and Opobo was part of the territories allocated to Great Britain. This was the era of gunboat diplomacy, where Great Britain used her naval power to negotiate conditions favorable to her people.

Lured into a meeting with the British consul aboard a warship, Jaja was arrested and sent to Accra, where he was summararily tried and found guilty of "treaty breaking" and "blocking the highways of trade".

He was deported to St. Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), West Indies, and four years later, he died en route to Nigeria after he was permitted to return.

Ironically, Jaja's dogged insistence on African independence and effective resistance exposed British imperialism and made him the first victim of foreign territorial intrusion in West Africa. The fate of Jaja reverberated through the entire Niger delta. Amazed at this turn of events, the other delta chiefs quickly capitulated.

In addition, the discovery of quinine as the cure for malaria enabled the British traders to bypass the middlemen and deal directly with the palm oil producers, thus precipitating the decline of the city-states.

King Jaja's downfall ensured a victory for British supremacy, paving the way for the eventual imposition of the colonial system in this region by the end of the century.

Wrong section. Should be moved to the Culture section.

Askia Mohammed I (Askia the Great) of Timbuktu
Main article: Askia Mohammad I

Mohammed Ben Abu Bekr "Askia the Great" (1538)[6][7]

Mohammed Ben Abu Bekr, the favored general of Sunni Ali, believed that he was entitled to the throne after Sunni Ali's death, rather than Ali's son, Abu Kebr.

Claiming that the power was his by right of achievement, Mohammed attacked the new ruler a year after his acsession and defeated him in one of the bloodiest battles in history. When one of Sunni Ali's daughters heard the news, she cried out "Askia", which means "forceful one." This title was taken by Mohammed as his regnal name.

Askia began by consolidating his vast empire and establishing harmony among the conflicting religions and political elements. Under the leadership of Askia, the Songhay Empire flourished until it became one of the richest empires of that period, from any region. Timbuctoo became known as "The Center of Learning", "The Mecca of the Sudan", and "The Queen of the Sudan".
Tomb of Askia

With his empire firmly established, Askia resumed his attack on the unbelievers, carrying the rule of Islam into new lands. Askia the Great made Timbuktu (Archaic English: Timbuctoo; Koyra Chiini: Tumbutu; French: Tombouctou) one of the most famous centers of commerce and learning on Earth. The brilliance of the city was such that it still shines in the imagination after three centuries like a star which, though dead, continues to send its light toward us.

Such was its splendor that in spite of its many vicissitudes after the death of Askia, the vitality of Timbuktu is not extinguished.

Good initiative. If the story about Imhotep is true, man, he was really awesome and I wonder why he was not venerated like the pharoahs he built the pyramids for. IMO he was a great man but all those things attributed to him need more facts for proof. But indeed Africa has produced titans that the western world have tried much to hide. Africa must ensure they regain their rightful places in history and celebrated like the platos, aristotles and the corpernicuses of this world.

Some of the folks mentioned are shrouded in myth and mystery and the myths need be seperated from the historical facts.Good job.

^^^^ White man tells you that your history is myth, you swallow it hook line and sinker. But his history is facts! You swallow that too.

One thing I know for sure is that the black man may have forgotten but the white man never forgets THAT once, a long time ago, the black man ruled the human race while the lighter skinned people were the minority.

That is why he is Racist, and will do everything to keep the black man down.

lol