THE HISTORY OF NORTH AFRICA (PART 1)

        

 

          I have always envisioned North Africa to be a region where civilization crawled. I visualised it as a part that depended on the Europeans for their development. Howbeit, probing into its past, I made some shocking revelations, let's excavate! 

         North Africa's history is said to be the most politicised history in the whole of Africa, the most plundered, the most misinterpreted and the most difficult to understand. Therefore the central point will be on the autochthonous progress in North Africa. The trans- saharan slave trade and other slave trades had a great impact on North African history. 

            Based on oral, written and archaeological accounts, North Africa from its inception was under water for some time, this water gradually began to reside and left lush Greenland. Africans from the South then moved up into North Africa and began to hunt and gather. The first sign of human life in North Africa came from rock paintings, especially in Southern Algeria. These cave paintings revealed the everyday life of African people, some scholars assert that the first people in North Africa came from the South, what is called today; Sub-Saharan Africa. These Africans began to depict themselves in North Africa around 8000 BC. Therefore, the people in the Southern regions of Africa today used to live in North Africa. 

          The native North African people possessed a special cultural characteristic. Around 5600 BC the first instance of complete modification was found in the North (Mummification was a very unique and advanced cultural marker that signified a complex society and social structure). This mummy was found in Libya, and scholars have confirmed that the mummified boy was from Sub-Saharan Africa. These Africans were said to have brought their culture and society further North. The mummy was 1,000 years older than the oldest known Egyptian mummy, and its intricate disembowelment portrayed a highly developed society. Some intellectuals suggest that this mummification culture was borrowed by the Egyptians and incorporated into their society. This mummy is known today as "The Black Mummy" (Uan Muhuggiag).

                 You will agree with me that unearthing this history has been meticulous as it has also been enlightening. I did not want to pour it all out, as it would be so voluminous. So I decided to divide it into parts, trust me when I say that we are not anywhere close to the end. Stay tuned for part 2.