Baskadia

The Contribution of Africa to World Technological Evolution

It has become an issue of great concern seeing how it has been so widely accepted even by erudite Africans who have allowed themselves to be psychologically manipulated into believing that Europeans actually brought Technological advancement to Africa. To me, what the Europeans actually brought to Africa, is what the ‘Yahoo Fraudsters’ in Nigeria today call ‘Format’. Yes! What they brought is a very malicious format and trick to steal both present and future, kill and dehumanize. And as at when they (The Europeans) first came in contact with Africa, the both people (Europeans and Africans) were at the same level in terms of Technological Development that is if Africa wasn’t even doing better.  The Europeans first came in contact with Africa in the 15th century when the transatlantic slave trade began and when the Portuguese explorer Ruy de Sequeira visited the Benin Kingdom during the reign of Oba Ewuare the great.

Before the industrial revolution which was widely aided by the human and economic resources pilfered from Africa, man had already made level of growth which aided a comfortable living, the earliest Technological evolution that man first encounter were majorly on: Stone, Agriculture, Writing, Metallurgy (iron works) and Medicine. Beyond above mentioned, there were also some other advancement in technology that are not mentioned here but however, he above mentioned are the major and thy pave the way for the Industrial revolution that brought about Mechanization and the general level of Technology we have today. It should however, be noted that all of these were already very in existence in Africa before the Europeans came to Africa.

Agriculture

It is of no doubt that Africans were already flourishing in Agriculture before the Europeans came and yes! They cultivated Maize, rice, plantain, banana, cowpea, palm tree, shea butter, teff, yam E.T.C were doing very well in this aspect as it is a known fact that they were naturally blessed by the god’s they believed and thus were very strong and could clear and cultivate large portions of lands within very short time frames. This is also one of the reasons why slave trade was introduce be the Europeans, ‘as they wonder why these black skin men could work tirelessly from morning till evening and not fall sick, they decided to fraudulently and cunningly use deceit on the black man to woo them into selling these very strong African people so they too (Europeans) could have strong men who can make their farms back in Europe big. The African men cultivated various kinds of food and medicinal plants for their families, sale and the gifts they give to their kings. Thus before the White men came, Africa was on a speedy evolution in agriculture.

Writing

 This was the major means of sending messages across to distant places in those ancient times. The African plant called Papyrus was one the earliest means of writing in ancient Egypt.

 It should also be noted as it is an undeniable fact that one of the earliest forms of writing is Hieroglyphics and was developed in ancient Egypt around 3200 BCE.  

This is another proof that Africans were really productive and were speedily evolving in technology.

Medicine

 Apart from the known medicinal herbs which were used in ancient African people for taking care of their health, it is also an indisputable fact that ancient Egypt is known to have developed a well-organized system of medicine. The Africans believed that the human body was of channels that aided the flow of fluids around the body, they believed that diseases were caused by imbalances in these fluids and thus, various herbal remedies were used in curing the diseases. Africans in Egypt had a broad range of medical practices, which as a matter of fact included surgery.

Imhotep who is famous for his architectural design of the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, which was the burial complex of Pharaoh Djoser, which’s groundbreaking innovation was used in putting up future Pyramids. He lived in the 27th century BCE in the ancient Egypt. He is known to be one of the earliest physicians to ever live. His knowledge and dexterity in anatomy are evident from inscriptions. He was so good in the field of medicine that he was deified at his demise and was referred to as the god of healing.

Another way through which Africa contributed enormously to the development of Medicine are ‘The Edwin Smith Papyrus’ and the ‘Eber Papyrus’.

Edwin Smith Papyrus:

The Edwin Smith’s Papyrus is an ancient African medical document that dates back to the 17th century BCE. It was named after Edwin Smith, an American collector who bought it and took it away to America in the late 19th century. The papyrus is a surgical treatise that focuses primarily on trauma and injuries. It centers on detailed descriptions of different cases, diagnosis, their examination, and treatment methods. The Edwin Smith Papyrus is noted as one of the oldest surgical texts ever and provides germane information on the ancient Egyptian medical practices in the field of surgery.

Ebers Papyrus:

The Ebers Papyrus is also an ancient Egyptian Health document that dates back to the 16th century BCE, during the New Kingdom age. It is named after Georg Ebers a German Egyptologist, who got the papyrus in the late 19th century. The Ebers Papyrus is a broad medical text that encircles a broad range of topics, which includes internal medicine, dermatology, gynecology, ophthalmology, and others. It contains descriptions of diseases, diagnostic methods, symptoms, and lots of herbal remedies. Papyrus as well contains incantations and magical spells, which is an indication of the influence of religious and also supernatural beliefs in the ancient African medicine.

It should be noted that the Edwin Smith Papyrus as well as the Ebers Papyrus were written in Egypt. The Edwin Smith Papyrus was written in the city of Thebes, while Ebers Papyrus was written in Heliopolis. These texts (Books) provide pertinent evidence of the medical practices, knowledge, and beliefs in ancient Africa. And has thus contributed enormously to what medicine is today.

Stone

Stone played a notable roles in ancient Africa's technological advancement. It was used for making weapons and tools, constructing megalithic architecture, making sculptures and carvings, mining and quarrying, and building stone circles as well as monuments. These applications display the engineering skills, cultural achievements and artistic expression of the ancient African civilizations. Structures, Stone tools, and artwork provide invaluable insights into their history as well as technological prowess.

One famous example of ancient African tools made of stone is the Acheulean tool industry, which dates back to about 1.7 million years ago and associated with the Homo erectus. Acheulean tools were made by chipping away flakes from a stone core to create sharp edges. These tools were used for different purposes like cutting, butchering, and scraping.

Other evidence are the great wall of Zimbabwe (11th_15th centuries)and lots more.

Metallurgy (iron works)

There is no doubt the fact that the discovery of Metallurgical materials like Bronze, Copper and Iron brought about a turning point and a positive shot in progress in the journey of Technological advancement and yes Africa made her own contribution in the evolution of iron and other metallurgical materials. As a matter of fact, Iron and the other metallurgical were already in produce and use before the Europeans visited them.

In the earliest times of ‘Igodomigodo’ later known as the Benin Empire, and now the ancient Benin kingdom, in the days of the ‘Ogiso Dynasty starting from about A.D 900,(Egharevba 1966), during the reign of the then monarch ‘Ogiso Ere’, an institution of skilled individuals was set up, this institution was called the guild system and was made up of about sixty-eight different categories of different skills, each group had a leader and were meant to develop their skill in their various crafts and also train younger ones to have knowledge of their crafts, so as to keep the craft alive. One would wonder how they came about such skills, but it was just their God given skill gotten from different experiments and practices. Below are some of the various groups and their works:

IRON WORKERS (IGUN EMATON)

The ‘Igun ematon’ were majorly in charge making iron materials which include knives, cutlasses, war spears, large lamps, iron chairs, and iron bells. They also produced the Oba’s doors and keys during the recent dynasty which were ruled by Obas (Dark 1973).

The ‘igun-ematon’ also produce the ceremonial symbols ‘ada and eben’.  Their products were also means through which the Oba legitimized the rulers in the vassal states. The ‘emblems of authority’ or staff of office” sent by Oba Osemwende to King Akintoye of Lagos in the course of the 1850s, symbolized the Oba’s hegemony over Lagos and the Legitimacy of Akintoye’s reign over his people. The acceptance of this emblem implied the King of Lagos recognition of overlordship of the Oba of Benin with the obligation of annual tribute to Benin (Ryder, 1969:14).

BRASS WORKERS (IGWEROMWON)

It is a known fact that Benin even till today is very famous and established in the area of brass casting. “Brass was used for shrine decoration. ‘Egharevba’ notes that in the ancient days when the knowledge of books and literature was unknown in this part of Africa, brass casting or pictorial writing were the major methods for the preservation recording of events in Benin (Egharevbsa, 1946:6).

Omoregie notes that when an oba joined his ancestors, his successor would have a headcast in brass for the altar of the late Oba (Omoregie, 1982).They are as well very useful to the Obas in the aspect of recording event.

The guild of the bronze casters is affiliated to the Royal society of Iwebo who in the palace of the Oba of Benin were in charge of the Oba’s beads, his regalia, wardrobe, the maintenance and production of artistic work and decorations in the palace (Marshall, 1939). It was recorded that Oba Ewuare conquered 201 towns and villages. During this period, brass casters were mobilized to produce various military objects or items such as Ada and Eben (Schimeter and sword) as well as brass masks which were sent to vassal Lords by the Oba of Benin as emblems of his authority (Ben-Amos, 1980:5). Again Idia, the mother of Oba Esigie who came to the throne, 1504 is no doubt regarded as one of the famous women in Benin history and oral tradition. Infact she fought gallantry during the Benin-Idah war of 1514-1515. The Benin craftsmen depicted her in brass on account of the feats she performed during the Benin-Idah war (Dark, 1973:31).

Weavers (OWINANNIDO)

They were in charge of creating elaborate woven textiles, as well as royal robes, ceremonial cloths, and garments for the king’s court. These textiles were mostly made using techniques such as strip weaving, supplementary weft patterning, and tie-dyeing.

Other members of the guild system were:

·         Pot makers (Emakhu)

·         Leather workers (Esohian)

·         Cattle keepers (Iriamila) etc.

However, it should be noted that iron is the most esteem and valued material worldwide during the times of early  industrial evolution and that it was already discovered and being used long ago in Africa by Africans. Thus it can be unapologetically asserted that the African people were at the same height in technological development with the Europeans as at when they first came in contact in 1472.