INTRODUCTION TO AFRICAN STUDIES
Duration: Two Lectures
Course Description
 This introductory course aims to generate interest among students in African
Studies.
 It provides basic background information on Africa and perspectives on its
histories, peoples and cultures.
 This course serves as the springboard from which the subsequent elective courses
in African Studies will be launched.
 The African studies program is divided into three parts:
Introduction to Gender (4 weeks)
General introduction to African Studies (2 weeks);
and Electives (6 weeks)
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Course Objectives
I
1. To help students appreciate the contemporary value of African
Studies as an area of enquiry.
2. To help students engage with discourses on African realities.
3. To encourage students to appreciate African Identities.
4. To help students develop a sense of Self Determination in the
global world.
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II
5. To make students aware of the negative stereotypes about Africa
and to encourage them to challenge these stereotypes.
6. To Develop appropriate methodologies and frameworks for
examining Africa and its past through multi-disciplinary
approaches.
7. To highlight some of Africa’s contributions to world civilizations
and knowledge generation.
8. To enhance students’ knowledge in specific areas of African
Humanities and Social Sciences
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Course requirements
Course activities may
include:
Assessments:
 Interim assessmentIntroduction to Gender 20%
Introduction to African Studies 10%
Main Elective 30%
 Final exam -
50%
 Formal instruction
 Readings
 Group discussions
Assignments
 Presentations
 Final exam
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LECTURE ONE
The value of
African Studies
in today’s world
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Learning objectives
• At the end of Lecture 1, students should be able to:
– Understand the distinctive nature of Africa
– Explain various (mis)representations of Africa
– Appreciate the significant contribution of Africa to world
civilization.
– Appreciate the African Identity
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WHO
IS AN
AFRICAN?
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?
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Are these (wo)men Africans?
Barack Hussein Obama
of Ghana,
Legon, 2020
44th President of© IAS,
theUniversity
United
States
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Former Acting President (Oct 2014 – Jan 2015)
and Vice President of Zambia (2011 – 2014)
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Bob Marley – Reggae Artist
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Dr. W.E.B.© IAS,
DuBois
– Pan-Africanist Scholar
University of Ghana, Legon, 2020
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Are these women Africans?
Nneka Egbuna,
hip hop/soul/reggae singer
Born in Nigeria,
immigrated to settle in
Hamburg, Germany at age
19
Elizandra Souza,
writer and journalist.
Black (Afro) -Brazilian, based in
Săo Paulo,
Brazilof Ghana, Legon, 2020
© IAS, University
Mayra Santos-Febres.
Puerto Rican author,
Poet, novelist professor
of Literature
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After interrogating these
personalities, especially on
whether they are African or not,
consider the following questions:
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An issue of identity: Who is an African?
• How are African identities constructed in the face of the
mosaic of identities that peoples of African ancestry living
within and beyond the continent bear?
• To what extent do all categorized as Africans or as having an
African pedigree perceive themselves as Africans?
• To what degree are all who perceive themselves as Africans
accepted as such?
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• Are there levels of “Africanness”, and are some more
African than others? – More or less?
• How does African identities interface with other levels
of identity and citizenship in Africa?
• And what are the implications of the contentious nature
of African identities and citizenship for the projects of
pan-Africanism, the making of the Africa-nation, and
Africa’s development trajectories?
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Defining Africanness is Multilayered!
•
May depend on the factors under consideration, including:
•
Legal
•
Conceptual
-
E.g. citizenship, parentage, naturalization
– Philosophical -
shared value systems and worldview
(precepts: “ubuntu “– I am because we are)
e.g. Beliefs in the ancestors
– Cultural
-
-
tangible (buildings, monuments, artifacts,
intangible (skills; highly developed oral traditions;
knowledge systems )
• Genotype (DNA sequence/the genetic makeup)
• Phenotype (Outward appearance)
• Allegiance
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What do you think about the concept of the African Diaspora?
Western Diaspora
Eastern Diaspora
Indigenous Black people of
Australia
Indigenous Black People of
Me’ekamui (Pacific Bougainville Island)
Indigenous Black people of West
Papua New Guinea
Black People of Brazil
Black People of USA
Black People of Jamaica
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African Diaspora
Ancient Voluntary Migration
First humans to populate the rest of the world including remote islands
Forced Migration
Maafa/Maangamizi/Neshni (So-called Trans-Saharan and Trans-Atlantic ‘slave
trade’)
Conflicts
Colonialism (French Policy)
Manipulated Migration
Pursuit of economic interests
Education
Diplomatic postings
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Defining Africa
• Race?
-
range of racial types on the continent
• Descent? – People of African descent?
Large concentrations in Northern and Southern Americas, the Caribbean.
They are also found in India, the Middle East etc
• Political? citizenship in one of the 54 states of the AU – see the constitutive act;
long term residence in an African country?
• Geographic?
–
• Allegiance?
–Dedication to African heritage and aspirations
Countries on the African Continent/Map
Africa is not a country, but a continent
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EXERCISE - Blank Map Activity
Identify the following countries on the blank map of Africa provided:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Sao Tome and Principe
South Sudan
Madagascar
Botswana
Rwanda
Western Sahara
g. Cape Verde
h. Uganda
i. Kenya
J. Senegal
k. Gambia
i. Eritrea
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A blank map of Africa
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MISREPRESENTING AFRICA
Africa has been and continues to be misrepresented in
many ways, including the use of phrases, such as:
Africa has no history?
Africans have no civilization?
Africa is the dark continent?
Africans have inferior minds?
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Africa the continent of crisis?
• Two types of narratives about Africa
1. Except Africa Narrative –
Development works everywhere in the world but in Africa.
Therefore Africa has to change rather than development policies
tailor themselves better to the needs of Africa
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2. Doomsday narratives –
There is a crisis of overpopulation in Africa, poverty, drought, over
utilisation of scarce resources, environmental crisis, corruption,
ethnic tensions, civil wars.
All of which are resulting in a terrible crisis that requires external
interventions to halt.
The solution has to come from outside since African states are not
competent to solve problems they have created.
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Roe, Emery (1995). Except Africa: A postscript to a Special
Section on Development Narratives World Development ,
23(6): 1065-1069.
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How representative are these descriptions:
•
•
•
•
Africa is a continent of poverty?
Africa is a continent of conflicts?
Africa is a continent of bad governance?
Africa is full of bad cultural practices and outmoded
customs.
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Faces of POVERTY
A soup kitchen in the US
Homelessness in Canada
Ethiopia
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What about Leadership and GOVERNANCE?
Charles Taylor
Iddi Amin
Mobutu Sese Seko
Jean-Bedel Bokassa
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Sani Abacha
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BAD GOVERNANCE?
Nelson Mandela
Silvio Berlusconi
Hugo Raphael Chavez
Slobodan Milosevic
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Iddi Amin
Kwame Nkrumah
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CONFLICTS?
Child soldiers
ISIL
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Foreign Mercenaries
DEBATE ON CULTURAL PRACTICES AND SYSTEMS?
How do you assess the following? Are they good or bad? Why?
• Extended Family System
• Herbal Medicine
• Ritual killings
• Circumcision
• Widowhood rites
• Libation
• Child marriage
• Child labour
• Bride wealth
• Witchcraft
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Representing Africa:
Dwenini mmɛn (Ram’s Horns)
What are some of the GOOD
representations of Africa?
Humility, Strength, Wisdom and Learning
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What are the GOOD representations of Africa?
World’s First mathematical tool
World’s First medical text
World’s First female
physician
World’s First female
ruler
World’s First monumental stone structure
World’s First writing system
World’s
First archeo© IAS, University of Ghana, Legon, 2020
astronomical device
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Contemporary Africa has contributed positively to global
knowledge production and civilization in the areas of:
• Global Development (Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General)
• Agriculture (E.g. Cocoa and Coffee production)
 Academia (E.g. Wole Soyinka)
 International Trade and Commerce (Prof. Frederick M Jones,
Ethiopian Airlines)
 ICT (Dr Thomas Mensah, Prof Nii Narku Quaynor)
 Mathematics (Prof. Francis Allotey)
 Science (Souleymane Mboup)
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Coffee: An African Tree Crop
• Coffee originates in Africa.
• There are three types of coffee
• Arabica (originates in Ethiopia)
• Robusta (originates in Congo)
• Liberica (originates in Liberia).
• The highest quality of coffee is Arabica.
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Coffee: A Global Commodity
• Coffee was introduced into Dutch colonies in Java in the 1690s. In the 1720s coffee
was carried by the French and Dutch into botanical gardens in the Americas, Dutch
Guinea (Surinam), Haiti and Santa Domingue. Robusta and Liberica species were
also carried into South America.
• By the nineteenth century Brazil emerged as the major producer and world
consumption of cocoa grew more than 15 times. By this period Yemeni and Ethiopian
production in international trade had become insignificant.
• However, in recent years coffee production has rapidly expanded in Africa with
Ethiopia, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya becoming significant producers of Arabica
and Côte d’Ivoire of Robusta (mainly used in producing nescafe).
• While producers get a small percentage of the total price if the coffee value changes,
in recent years the government of Ethiopia has successfully got different varieties in
Ethiopia internationally recognised for their heritage and gained a premium price
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paid for these varieties in European
markets (See documentary – Black Gold).
Cocoa: A South American tree crop
successfully cultivated in West Africa
• Cocoa is largely produced in West Africa, with over 80 percent of global production originating from
West Africa (the two dominant producers are Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana (producing around 70 percent
of global supplies)).
• However cocoa is a South American crop, which was originally introduced into Sao Tome and
Principe off the coast of Cameroon, where it was subsequently smuggled into the Gold Coast by Tetteh
Quashie.
• By the 1820s the Gold Coast emerged as the most important producer contributing between 70-80
percent of Global supplies. Cocoa was largely produced by farmers for export rather than domestic
consumption and provides an early example of successful agrarian capitalism in Africa (Polly Hill
1960).
• During the 1970s Côte d’Ivoire overtook Ghana as the major producer. Competition also came from
Brazil and Malaysia, however as international production became increasingly competitive the West
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African producers were able to out compete others.
Coffee and cocoa
• Examine the differences and similarities of the coffee and cocoa
stories?
• How has Africa benefited from these two commodities?
• How have the rest of the world benefited?
• Where does most of the wealth in the creation of these
commodities go?
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Positive Representation Africa
• Wole Soyinka is a Poet, playwright, and novelist from Nigeria.
• He has written many plays, poems using the mythology of the Yoruba. He
addresses social and political issues in Nigeria and Africa
• In 1967, he was jailed for 22 months for
secretly meeting with Ojukwu of Biafra
to try and prevent civil war.
• In 1986 he won the Nobel prize for
Literature, the first African to win
the prize for new literatures.
• In 1994, he had to flee into exile
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to escape imprisonment by Abacha.
Wole Soyinka
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Positive Representation Africa
Chinua Achebe
Ama Ata Aidoo
Wole Soyinka
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Wangari Maathai
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Kwabena Nketia
Positive Representation of Africa:
Inventors
Country of Origin
Inventions/Projects
Prof. Souleymane Mboup
Senegal
HIV-2 Virus (discover)
Dr. Oviemo Ovadje
Nigeria
Blood Auto-transfusion
Samuel Todo
Togo
Humanoid Robot
Jean-Patrice Keka
Democratic Republic of Congo
Space Rockets
Prof. Francis K.A. Allotey
Ghana
The Allotey Principle
Victor and Johnson Obasa
Nigeria
Armoured Vehicle
Simon Mwaura
Kenya
Multipurpose Mobile Remote control
Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor
Ghana
One of the Pioneers of designing and
developing the internet
Abdoulaye Toure
Senegal
Solar Oven
Philippe Yoda
Burkina Faso
Plastic Recycling
Phillip Emeagwali
Nigeria© IAS, University of Ghana, Legon, 2020
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Connection Machine Supercomputer
Prof. Monty Jones: Renowned African Scientist
• Prof. Monty Jones is a renowned plant
breeder from Sierra Leone who in 2004 won
the World Food prize for leading a team at
West Africa Rice Development Association
(WARDA) successfully crossing West
African rice (Oryza glaberima) with Asian
rice (Oryza sativa) creating the Nerica
varieties (New Rice for Africa), a rare and
successful hybridisation of rice.
• His approach is recognised to be innovative
in its use of participatory methods linking
farmers, extension agents and scientists
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Ethiopian Airlines: A Successful Commercial Venture
• It was established by the Ethiopian government
in 1945.
“With its ten modern 787s and its confident global
ambitions, Ethiopian Airlines has not just Africa,
but the whole world, in its hands.”
• It has survived the many crises that has plagued
the airline industry since its establishment and
has grown to become one of the major airlines
The Economist 3rd September 2012
in the world flying a wide range of routes the
world over.
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What is African Studies
• A formally organized multi-disciplinary academic study of the continent
of Africa and the African diaspora.
• The study of African Studies is three- dimensional:
i) research/knowledge production
ii)dissemination of knowledge and teaching
iii) the application of knowledge/transformation of knowledge into
policies and social action.
Source: Gordon J.U (2013). Inaugural lecture, Kwame Chair, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana.
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Accessing sources on Africa (1)
Documentary & Non-documentary
•Archaeology
– Provides information about how humans
adapted to their environment
– Archaeological information is obtained
through the excavation of specially selected
sites
E.g. Ife Bronze works in 1938, Zimbabwe ruins,
Pharonic pyramids
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Accessing sources on Africa (2)
•
Linguistics
–Study of the origin, structure, and changes of a language
–Languages that are closely related
• E.g. Ga and Dangme or Waale and Dagaare may be deemed to have
developed out of a single parent language – e.g. eat di.
• Twi yoma 'camel', Mande nyoromã, Dagaare nyogma
• Twi bu ‘to break (off)’, Yorùbá bù ‘to break (off)’, Proto-Bantu *bú̧n- ‘to break’, Common-Bantu *-búd-, *-bú̧g-, *-bú̧n-, *-bú̧nj- ‘to
break’
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Exercise
What is the word for kill,
die, dance, walk, etc in
different languages?
NOTE: A comparative study of languages can provide valuable
historical information. E.g. a study of Bantu and W/African
languages provide evidence of a common ancestor
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Accessing sources on Africa (3)
•
Oral traditions
• the lore (traditional knowledge and beliefs) of cultures having no
written language.
• Transmitted by word of mouth and consists, as does written literature,
of both prose and verse.(narratives, poems and songs, myths, dramas,
proverbs).
• Often transmitted by specialists/experts
•Can provide valuable facts and profound perspectives on life, e.g. court
historians
• Nearly all known peoples,
now or in the past, have produced it.
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Accessing sources on Africa (4)
• Ancient Written Sources
• First writing developed in Africa: Mdw Ntr (Hieroglyphics), source for
writing systems that emerged later (Latin, etc.)
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Accessing sources on Africa (5)
New Media: new media offer information in multiple and provide
a wide variety of sources
E.g. Internet, websites, computer multimedia, video games, CDROMS, and DVDs.
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Accessing sources on Africa (6)
Written sources:
•
Primary sources
•
Secondary sources
•
Tertiary sources
•
Institutional sources
– official reports, files, court documents, financial papers, newspapers, old
family papers or official files.
–Books (of analytical & scholarly articles)
–encyclopaedia, bibliography
–museums and libraries
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Summary
In this lecture we have:
• Been given an overview of Introduction to African Studies
• Examined the distinct nature of Africa and its people.
• Identified some misrepresentations and negative stereotypes
about Africa.
• Enumerated some significant contributions by Africans that
(may) have been excluded in the dominant narrative about
world civilisation.
• Identified several sources of data and information on Africa.
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WHAT YOU DO FOR YOURSELF…
Dr. Runoko Rashidi (1954 CE – present)
‘What
you do for yourself
depends on what you think of
yourself and what you think of
yourself depends on what you
know of yourself and what you
know of yourself depends on
what you have been told.’
-Dr.
Runoko Rashidi
Xam sa bopp moo gëna nu wax la ko - "Self- http://bit.ly/2dw3l7H
knowledge is better than being told about
oneself."
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“We need to keep hope alive and strive to do better”
Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary General
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References
• Adibe, Jideofor (ed.) (2009), Who is an African? Identity, Citizenship and the Making of the Africa-Nation.
London, Adonis & Abbey Publishers Ltd.
• Roe, Emery. (1995). “Except –Africa: Postscript to a Special Section on Development Narratives” in World
Development Vol. 23 No 6 (pp. 1065-1069)
• Sekyi H.V.H. 1994 Colour Prejudice Past Present and Future. New York, Vantage Press
• Nuijten, E., van Treuren R,, Struik, P.C., Mokuwa, A. Okry, F. Teeken, B., Richards, P. “Evidence for the
Emergence of New Rice Types of Interspecific Hybrid Origin in West African Farmers’ Fields” Plos One, 4(10):
2009, pp. 1-9. Source www.plosone.org
• The Economist 3rd September 2012 http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2012/09/ethiopian-airlines)
• http://www.worldhunger.org/articles/Learn/world%20hunger%20facts%202002.htm
• http://www.globalissues.org/article/26/poverty-facts-and-stats
• http://www.kumatoo.com/african_inventors.html
• http://www.black inventor.com
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